Current time in Norfolk, VA
Eastern Time UTC−5 · IANA zone America/New_York
Time zone details
| Time zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 36.85° N, 76.29° W |
Time difference from Norfolk
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| Chicago | −1 h |
| Denver | −2 h |
| Phoenix | −2 / −3 h |
| Los Angeles | −3 h |
| Anchorage | −4 h |
| Honolulu | −5 / −6 h |
Norfolk and its Hampton Roads neighbor Virginia Beach keep the same clock as the rest of the Eastern Time Zone.
About time in Norfolk
Norfolk, an independent city on the Hampton Roads harbor, is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Around the base two clocks coexist: shore life — schools, shift changes, the light-rail timetable — runs on Eastern Time, while fleet operations and message traffic are stamped in Zulu time (UTC), the military's zone-free standard, which sits 5 hours ahead of Norfolk in winter and 4 in summer.
Virginia has kept a single statewide zone since standard time began, so a ship returning to pier from anywhere on the US East Coast never adjusts its local clocks.
At 36.9° N daylight varies between about 9 hours 35 minutes in late December and 14 hours 40 minutes in late June; the harbor's winter sunsets come shortly before 5:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Norfolk in?
Norfolk, Virginia is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), keeping EST (UTC−5) during standard time and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Norfolk of Los Angeles?
Norfolk is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles in all seasons — the West Coast fleet at San Diego works 3 hours behind Norfolk's — as both zones follow the same DST dates. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Norfolk change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Norfolk moves clocks one hour ahead at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and one hour back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — March 8 and November 1 in 2026. Full dates on the DST page.