Split state · 80 counties ET · 12 counties CT

Indiana time zones

Indiana keeps Eastern Time in 80 of its 92 counties. Twelve – six in the Chicago area and six around Evansville – use Central Time, and since April 2, 2006 the whole state observes daylight saving time.

Now in Indianapolis
--:-- ET
Now in Gary & Evansville
--:-- CT
Central Time counties
12 of 92
Statewide DST since
April 2, 2006

Which Indiana counties are on Central Time?

Two corners of the state follow Central Time. In the northwest, part of the Chicago metropolitan area: Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Jasper and Newton counties. In the southwest, around Evansville: Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer and Perry counties.

That puts Gary, Hammond, Valparaiso, Michigan City and Evansville on CT. Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Lafayette, Bloomington and Terre Haute are on Eastern Time, as are the five counties that went to Central Time in 2006 and came back in 2007.

Two names trip people up. Knox is both the county seat of Starke County (Central) and a separate county around Vincennes (Eastern). Jasper is a Central Time county in the northwest, but the city of Jasper, seat of Dubois County, is on Eastern Time.

The 12 Indiana counties on Central Time (49 CFR 71.5)
RegionCountyCounty seat
NorthwestLakeCrown Point
NorthwestPorterValparaiso
NorthwestLaPorteLa Porte
NorthwestStarkeKnox
NorthwestJasperRensselaer
NorthwestNewtonKentland
SouthwestGibsonPrinceton
SouthwestPoseyMount Vernon
SouthwestVanderburghEvansville
SouthwestWarrickBoonville
SouthwestSpencerRockport
SouthwestPerryTell City

Where does the time zone line run in Indiana?

The boundary in 49 CFR § 71.5(b) is built entirely from county lines:

  • Northwest: from Lake Michigan east along the Michigan state line to the eastern edge of LaPorte County, around Starke County, west along the northern edge of Pulaski County, then down the eastern edge of Jasper County and west along the southern edges of Jasper and Newton to Illinois. St. Joseph, Marshall, Pulaski, White and Benton counties are on the Eastern side.
  • Southwest: from the Illinois line along the northern edge of Gibson County, the western edge of Pike County, the northern edges of Warrick and Spencer, and around Perry County to the Ohio River. Knox, Pike, Dubois and Crawford counties are Eastern.

The northwest corner borders Illinois, and the southwest corner borders Illinois and western Kentucky across the Ohio River – all on Central Time – while Ohio, southern Michigan and the Louisville side of Kentucky use Eastern Time. The time zone boundaries guide follows the line the rest of the way to the Gulf.

Where are Indiana's Central Time counties on the map?

Violet: Central Time county seats. Amber: Eastern Time cities, including the seats of the counties that switched back in 2007.

Why didn't most of Indiana observe daylight saving time before 2006?

By longitude, Indiana is a Central Time state. Indianapolis sits at 86.1°W, much closer to the Central meridian (90°W) than the Eastern one (75°W), so on Eastern Time the sun's mean noon there comes at about 12:45 PM EST. When the federal government first drew zones in 1918, all of Indiana was on Central Time. The Interstate Commerce Commission moved the eastern half to Eastern Time in 1961, and the US Department of Transportation put everything except six northwestern and six southwestern counties on Eastern Time effective April 27, 1969.

Federal law lets a state that spans two zones skip daylight saving time in one of them, and Indiana did exactly that. From the early 1970s through 2005 the Eastern portion stayed on EST all year while the Central counties changed clocks like Chicago. The result, as DOT put it, was that most of Indiana matched New York in winter and Chicago in summer. Five counties near Louisville and Cincinnati – Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Dearborn and Ohio – set their clocks to daylight time anyway, unofficially, to stay in step with their metro areas.

Along the way, Pike County moved from Central to Eastern Time in 1977 and Starke County did the same in 1991, leaving ten Central Time counties by 2005. The history of Eastern Time covers the federal laws behind this patchwork.

What changed with Indiana's 2005 time law?

In 2005 the General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 127, which put the entire state on daylight saving time from 2006. The same law asked DOT to hold hearings on where the Eastern–Central line should run in Indiana, and said the state would support any county that petitioned to change zones.

Nineteen counties asked to move to Central Time; two withdrew. In a final rule published on January 20, 2006, DOT moved eight of them – Starke and Pulaski in the northwest and Knox, Daviess, Martin, Pike, Dubois and Perry in the southwest – effective at 2:00 AM on April 2, 2006, the night DST began. It turned down the rest, including St. Joseph County (South Bend).

For almost a year Indiana had 18 Central Time counties. Then several asked to go back.

Timeline of Indiana time zone changes: all Central in 1918, eastern half to Eastern in 1961, most of the state Eastern in 1969, Pike to Eastern in 1977, Starke to Eastern in 1991, eight counties to Central and statewide DST in 2006, six counties back to Eastern in 2007 1918196119691977199120062007 All Central East halfto Eastern All but 12counties Eastern Pike toEastern Starke toEastern 8 counties toCentral; DSTstatewide 6 countiesback to ET
Violet dots: moves toward Central Time. Amber: moves toward Eastern Time.

Which Indiana counties switched time zones in 2006–2007?

County moves under DOT final rules, 2006–2007
EffectiveCountiesChangeCentral Time counties after
April 2, 2006Starke, Pulaski, Knox, Daviess, Martin, Pike, Dubois, PerryEastern → Central18
March 11, 2007PulaskiCentral → Eastern17
November 4, 2007Knox, Daviess, Martin, Pike, DuboisCentral → Eastern12

Pulaski County petitioned on February 7, 2006 – before its move had even taken effect – and returned to Eastern Time on March 11, 2007. Knox, Daviess, Martin, Pike and Dubois filed a joint petition in August 2006 and went back at 2:00 AM CDT on November 4, 2007, when DST ended. In the same September 2007 rule, DOT denied Perry County's request to return as well, ruling that the county had not shown the move would serve the convenience of commerce. Perry and Starke are the two counties that stayed, which is how the count settled at twelve. The boundary has not moved since.

Driving north from Evansville toward Indianapolis, clocks jump ahead one hour where you cross into Knox, Pike or Dubois County. For a quick ET/CT table, use the EST to CST converter; the live Eastern Time clock shows Indianapolis time.

Why does Indiana have eight IANA time zone names?

Phones and computers use the IANA time zone database, which keeps a separate entry for every area with its own clock history since 1970. Indiana has eight under America/Indiana/: Indianapolis, Knox (Starke County), Marengo (eastern Crawford County), Petersburg (Pike), Tell_City (Perry), Vevay (Switzerland County), Vincennes (Daviess, Dubois, Knox and Martin) and Winamac (Pulaski). Today all show Eastern Time except Knox and Tell_City, which show Central; the separate names keep past timestamps, such as July 2006 in Petersburg, correct.

Vincennes (Eastern) and Evansville (Central) are about 48 miles apart. On December 21, 2026 the sun rises at 8:04 AM EST in Vincennes and 7:03 AM CST in Evansville; on June 21, 2027 it sets at 9:18 PM EDT in Vincennes and 8:16 PM CDT in Evansville.

Western Kentucky and four Upper Peninsula counties in Michigan also keep Central Time; all states on Eastern Time lists the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Are Gary and Chicago on the same time?

Yes. Gary and Hammond are in Lake County, Indiana, which is on Central Time, so their clocks always match Chicago's – and run one hour behind Indianapolis.

Is Evansville on the same time as Louisville?

No. Evansville (Vanderburgh County) is on Central Time, while Louisville across the Ohio River upstream is on Eastern Time, so Louisville is one hour ahead all year.

What time zone is Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana?

Central Time. The town of Santa Claus is in Spencer County, one of the six southwestern counties on Central Time, so park hours are listed in CT.

Are Notre Dame, Purdue and Indiana University on Eastern Time?

Yes. South Bend (St. Joseph County), West Lafayette (Tippecanoe County) and Bloomington (Monroe County) are all on Eastern Time, like Indianapolis.

Are Michigan City and the Indiana Dunes on Central Time?

Yes. Michigan City is in LaPorte County and the Indiana Dunes lie in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, all on Central Time. Driving east into St. Joseph County toward South Bend, clocks jump ahead one hour.

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Indianapolis to Evansville time, hour by hour.