Detroit time now, live flip clock
Detroit time now shows on the flip clock above. Detroit and most of Michigan run on Eastern time, which is EST, UTC-5 through the winter. For the summer months the city moves to EDT, UTC-4, matching New York and Toronto.
Time in Detroit, United States at a glance
- Time zone
- America/Detroit (EST)
- Standard time
- EST, UTC-5
- Daylight saving time
- EDT, UTC-4
- Used in
- the United States
Time zone names for developers
IANA time zone identifier: America/Detroit
Michigan on Detroit's clock
Detroit's database entry covers one state, Michigan. The table gives the part of it on Detroit's clock and three of its cities.
| Place | Where | Clock changes |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | All of the state except four counties in the Upper PeninsulaDetroit, Grand Rapids, Marquette | Changes with the zone |
When the clocks change in Detroit, United States
Clocks in Detroit change twice a year.
- On Sunday 8 March 2026 at 2:00 AM, clocks went forward one hour, to EDT.
- On Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2:00 AM, clocks go back one hour, to EST.
- On Sunday 14 March 2027 at 2:00 AM, clocks go forward one hour, to EDT.
How many hours ahead or behind Detroit
On 24 October 2026, Chicago is 1 hour behind Detroit.
| City | Difference from Detroit |
|---|---|
| Chicago | 1 hour behind |
| New York | Same time |
| Toronto | Same time |
| Los Angeles | 3 hours behind |
| London | 5 hours ahead |
| Berlin | 6 hours ahead |
| Kolkata | 9 hours 30 minutes ahead |
| Tokyo | 13 hours ahead |
| Your time zone | Detected after this page loads |
Windsor's clock and Detroit's past
- Windsor keeps Detroit's clock
- Same
- Windsor, Ontario, lies across the river from Detroit. Ontario's Time Act sets standard time east of the 90° W meridian at EST, UTC-5. Windsor is on that side of the line, so its winter clock is Detroit's. A trip between the two cities crosses a border but not a time zone.
- Detroit's early clocks in the tz database
- Central
- The tz database begins Detroit's entry on local mean time. It quotes a published account of a council decree that clocks be put back to Central Standard Time. Central time was adopted later, and the entry then moves Detroit on to Eastern time. These steps rest on the database and the accounts it quotes, not on city or state records.
- Michigan's daylight time, as the database tells it
- Repealed
- One summer, after what the tz database calls a complicated set of legal maneuvers, Michigan's daylight time began in mid-June. At a later election, Michigan voters narrowly repealed daylight time. Most of the state observed it again afterwards, though one spring it began a little late. The database tells it this way; it is not an official election record.
Questions about Detroit time
What time zone is Detroit in?
Detroit is in the Eastern time zone. Federal regulation lists it as the second zone, the eastern standard time zone. Its winter code is EST, Eastern Standard Time, and its summer code is EDT. Grand Rapids and Marquette share Detroit's zone, so their clocks match the one at the top of this page.
Is all of Michigan on Detroit time?
Not quite all of it. The time zone database describes Detroit's entry as Eastern time for most areas of Michigan. Federal rules run the line between Eastern and Central time through the western Upper Peninsula. West of it, clocks read 1 hour behind Detroit all year.
Is Detroit on the same time as Toronto?
Yes, both before and after each clock change. Ontario's Time Act puts daylight time between the same two Sundays that federal law sets for Detroit. So Toronto and Windsor switch at the same moment as Detroit, and their clocks keep matching.
Does Detroit change its clocks?
Yes, twice a year. Federal law advances standard time by one hour from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. The change happens in the early hours, taking Detroit from EST to EDT and back. Detroit's entry in the tz database follows that same federal rule.
Sources
We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 20 October 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.