The U.S. House voted 308-117 in July to advance the Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow daylight saving time to continue year-round. The measure still needs Senate approval before it could become law.
Here's what it could mean for Georgia.
Georgia already has a permanent DST law waiting
Georgia lawmakers approved legislation in 2021 directing the state to observe daylight saving time year-round.
There's an important catch: Georgia's law cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law to allow states to remain on daylight saving time throughout the year.
Georgia is one of 19 states that have enacted legislation supporting permanent daylight saving time if federal law changes.
So despite Georgia having its own legislation, residents will still follow the current clock-change schedule
unless Congress acts.
What would happen to Georgia's sunrise and sunset?
The biggest difference would be noticeable during the winter.
Under the current system, Georgia switches from daylight saving time to standard time in November. That moves sunrise and sunset one hour earlier.
If daylight saving time became permanent, that November shift would not happen.
That means winter sunsets would occur about an hour later than they currently do, while winter sunrises would also occur about an hour later.
For example, Atlanta's winter sunrise and sunset could shift from roughly 7:38 a.m. and 5:32 p.m. to 8:38 a.m. and 6:32 p.m. around the winter solstice, according to an example provided by WSB-TV meteorologist Brian Monahan.
The amount of daylight itself would not increase. The change would simply move that daylight to different times on the clock.
What time is sunrise and sunset in Georgia in winter?
If the United States and Georgia changed to permanent Daylight Saving Time, this is what sunrise and sunset will look like in the winter (specifically Dec. 31):
- Atlanta: Sunrise at 8:42 a.m.; sunset 6:39 p.m.
- Athens: Sunrise around 8:38 a.m.; sunset around 6:34 p.m.
- Savannah: Sunrise around 8:24 a.m.; sunset around 6:30 p.m.
- Augusta: Sunrise around 8:31 a.m.; sunset around 6:30 p.m.
- Macon: Sunrise around 8:36 a.m.; sunset around 6:38 p.m.
- Columbus: Sunrise around 8:41 a.m.; sunset around 6:44 p.m.
- Acworth: Sunrise around 8:44 a.m.; sunset around 6:39 p.m.
- Dalton: Sunrise around 8:47 a.m.; sunset around 6:38 p.m.
- Ringgold: Sunrise around 8:47 a.m.; sunset around 6:39 p.m.
- Valdosta: Sunrise around 8:30 a.m.; sunset around 6:41 p.m.
- Waycross: Sunrise around 8:27 a.m.; sunset around 6:37 p.m.
- LaGrange: Sunrise around 8:42 a.m.; sunset around 6:43 p.m.
- Gainesville: Sunrise around 8:41 a.m.; sunset around 6:35 p.m.
- Braselton: Sunrise around 8:40 a.m.; sunset around 6:35 p.m.
- Lawrenceville: Sunrise around 8:41 a.m.; sunset around 6:37 p.m.
- Winder: Sunrise around 8:40 a.m.; sunset around 6:35 p.m.
- Fayetteville: Sunrise around 8:41 a.m.; sunset around 6:40 p.m.
- Toccoa: Sunrise around 8:40 a.m.; sunset around 6:32 p.m.
- Perry: Sunrise around 8:36 a.m.; sunset around 6:39 p.m.
- Cumming: Sunrise around 8:42 a.m.; sunset around 6:37 p.m.
What time is sunrise and sunset now in Georgia?
Across these 20 Georgia locations, sunrise is currently between 6:51 and 7:06 a.m., while sunset ranges from 8:03 to 8:23 p.m.
Under permanent daylight saving time, winter sunrise and sunset would shift about one hour later compared with the current winter schedule.
Here is the summer sunrise and sunset times (on Aug. 19, 2026), according to Time and Date:
- Atlanta: Sunrise around 7:02 a.m.; sunset around 8:19 p.m.
- Athens: Sunrise around 6:58 a.m.; sunset around 8:15 p.m.
- Savannah: Sunrise around 6:51 a.m.; sunset around 8:03 p.m.
- Augusta: Sunrise around 6:53 a.m.; sunset around 8:09 p.m.
- Macon: Sunrise around 7 a.m.; sunset around 8:15 p.m.
- Columbus: Sunrise around 7:06 a.m.; sunset around 8:19 p.m.
- Acworth: Sunrise around 7:03 a.m.; sunset around 8:20 p.m.
- Dalton: Sunrise around 7:03 a.m.; sunset around 8:22 p.m.
- Ringgold: Sunrise around 7:03 a.m.; sunset around 8:23 p.m.
- Valdosta: Sunrise around 7:01 a.m.; sunset around 8:11 p.m.
- Waycross: Sunrise around 6:57 a.m.; sunset around 8:07 p.m.
- LaGrange: Sunrise around 7:06 a.m.; sunset around 8:20 p.m.
- Gainesville: Sunrise around 6:59 a.m.; sunset around 8:17 p.m.
- Braselton: Sunrise around 6:59 a.m.; sunset around 8:17 p.m.
- Lawrenceville: Sunrise around 7 a.m.; sunset around 8:17 p.m.
- Winder: Sunrise around 6:59 a.m.; sunset around 8:16 p.m.
- Fayetteville: Sunrise around 7:03 a.m.; sunset around 8:19 p.m.
- Toccoa: Sunrise around 6:57 a.m.; sunset around 8:16 p.m.
- Perry: Sunrise around 7:01 a.m.; sunset around 8:14 p.m.
- Cumming: Sunrise around 7 a.m.; sunset around 8:18 p.m.
What about summer?
For Georgians, the summer schedule would essentially look the same as it does now.
That's because daylight saving time is already observed from March through early November. Permanent DST would eliminate the return to standard time during the colder months rather than add another hour of daylight during summer.
Georgia still has to change its clocks
For now, nothing has changed.
Federal law currently requires daylight saving time to run from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November.
Under the current schedule, Georgia's next clock change is set for Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks will move back one hour.
That means Georgians should still plan to "fall back" this year unless federal law changes before then.
What happens next?
The Sunshine Protection Act now faces the U.S. Senate.
The House's passage does not make daylight saving time permanent by itself. Congress would need to approve the legislation and it would then have to be signed into law.
Until that happens, Georgia's existing law remains contingent on a change to federal law.
Vanessa Johns is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia, covering food and entertainment. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: When is sunrise in Georgia during winter under Daylight Saving Time?
