Time in California
The current local time and date in California, its time zone, and a converter to your own time.
Detecting your time zone to suggest the best hour to call…
California anchors the US Pacific zone, covering Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose, and switches between PST (UTC-8) and PDT (UTC-7).
California uses UTC-8 in winter (standard time) and shifts to UTC-7 in summer when daylight saving time is active.
Compare to your time zone
Detecting your time zone…
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| California | Your time |
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Compare California with another city
California & London · California & New York · California & Tokyo · California & Dubai · California & Sydney · All world clocks →
See also: Population of United States
Other cities in the Mountain & Pacific zones
Time in Los Angeles · Time in Seattle · Time in Washington State · Time in Nevada · Time in Oregon · Time in Colorado · Time in Arizona · Time in Hawaii
Popular time comparisons
London → New York · London → Tokyo · New York → Tokyo · London → Sydney
FAQ
What time is it in California right now?
California is on UTC-8 in winter and UTC-7 during daylight saving time in summer, which is 8 hours behind UTC. So when it is 12:00 UTC, the local time in California is 04:00 in winter and 05:00 in summer. The live clock at the top of this page applies that offset to the current moment and refreshes every second.
What time zone is California in?
California uses the America/Los_Angeles time zone, shown as PDT. California uses UTC-8 in winter (standard time) and shifts to UTC-7 in summer when daylight saving time is active. The "compare to your time zone" section above converts any California time into your own local time instantly.
Does California observe daylight saving time?
Yes — California does observe daylight saving time. Clocks move forward one hour in summer, taking California from UTC-8 to UTC-7, and back again for winter. That means the difference between California and any place holding a fixed offset changes by an hour for part of the year. This page reads the current offset from the America/Los_Angeles zone data every time it loads, so the clock, the converter and the call window above are correct for today's date without you tracking the changeover.
How do I convert California time to my time zone?
Convert California time by taking its UTC-8 offset and applying the difference to your own: subtract California's offset from UTC to get the UTC time, then add your own offset. For example, 09:00 in California is 17:00 UTC. The converter above does this automatically after detecting your device's time zone, and the World Clock meeting planner lays several cities out on one colour-coded 24-hour grid.
What is the dialing code for California?
The dialing code for California is +1. To call from abroad, dial +1 before the local number. The card at the top of this page shows it alongside the live local time so you can check it is a reasonable hour before you call.
What are the best hours to call California?
Standard business hours in California — 9:00 to 17:00 local time — correspond to 17:00 to 01:00 UTC while standard time is in effect, shifting one hour earlier in UTC terms during daylight saving. Convert that UTC window into your own zone to find the overlap. The "best time to call" line above does this for you, using waking hours of roughly 8am–9pm on both ends so neither side is called at night.
Learn how time zones work
UTC & GMT explained · Daylight saving explained · How to convert a time between two cities