# Legal penalties of Daylight Saving Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553 "2010-03-15T16:19:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/21 "2010-03-15T18:40:51Z")
Thank God. I have been living in fear of my girlfriend being taken away by the cops because she never adjusts the clock in her Jeep. It’s only correct for half of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/22 "2010-03-15T18:48:27Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > I think that question has already been answered. > > You don’t have to have any clocks at all, but if you fail to adjust your _schedule_ of legally or contractually obligated duties for daylight savings you will be penalized. > > For most of us, we are required to show up for work at a certain time. If I show up at the wrong time because I don’t adjust my schedule for Daylight Saving Time I will be fired _for cause_, which will affect my ability to claim unemployment and other benefits under the law. > > Some people may have no such obligations, but the law still applies to them in the same sense that the speel limit still applies to people without a car. And just to preclude the inevitable objection that this is different from a direct penalty, this is true. But it is also different from the situation with my obstinate refusal to recognize the Lesser Speckled Throatwarbler as the official State Nocturnal Flightless Waterfowl, which is completely without penalty whatsoever, but is nevertheless contrary to a legal statute. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/23 "2010-03-15T18:53:16Z")
> [@robert\_andrews](#): > > (not an attorney anywhere) > > I could see possible penalties if you intentionally leave incorrectly set clocks around with an intent to defraud, for example you invite someone over for breakfast knowing that they need to make a court appearance at 12 noon, but you knowingly leave a clock set an hour behind in the kitchen for them to see because you want them to miss the court date and suffer a default judgement. What has that to do with DST? You could do that anytime. [QUOTE=Alan Smithee] But it is also different from the situation with my obstinate refusal to recognize the Lesser Speckled Throatwarbler as the official State Nocturnal Flightless Waterfowl, which is completely without penalty whatsoever, but is nevertheless contrary to a legal statute. [/QUOTE] Exactly what are you doing in that example that contradicts a legal statute? Does the statute require each citizen to recognize the bird, or does it simply state that the bird is The Official Bird? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/24 "2010-03-15T19:00:04Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Exactly what are you doing in that example that contradicts a legal statute? Does the statute require each citizen to recognize the bird, or does it simply state that the bird is The Official Bird? Notice that I didn’t say I am violating the law, only that my position is contrary to it. If the law says that that is the official state nocturnal flightless waterfowl, and I say “No, it isn’t.” I’m contradicting the law, even though I haven’t done or said anything illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/25 "2010-03-15T19:15:59Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Notice that I didn’t say I am violating the law, only that my position is contrary to it. If the law says that that is the official state nocturnal flightless waterfowl, and I say “No, it isn’t.” I’m contradicting the law, even though I haven’t done or said anything illegal. This is a silly distinction. There are no penalties for ignoring the State Bird Law, just as there are no penalties for ignoring DST. I could construct a ridiculous scenario where ignoring State Bird Law gets you in trouble just as you did with your DST example. Being late for work is not a function of ignoring DST. It is a function of being irresponsible. Are you really so unaware that you wouldn’t know the real time even if your clocks were set one hour off? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/26 "2010-03-15T19:16:49Z")
There is one legal implication in California that’s always annoyed me. After 2 A.M. selling alcohol is forbidden. When time reverts in the Fall, clocks are set back from 2 A.M. to 1 A.M.; should that be an extra hour when alcohol can be sold? Seems so to me; after all 1:30 A.M. is “not after 2 A.M”, right? Yet instead, alcohol may not be sold during that extra pre-2 A.M. hour. I suppose legistlators view selling alcohol as “bad” – but then why not just ban it after 1 A.M. every day? I realize my objection will seem like very trivial nitpicking, but the mentality annoys: in an obviously ambiguous case why not opt for liberty instead of anal-retention? (Disclaimer: I’ve not been to California for a few years; maybe the law’s changed.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/27 "2010-03-15T19:24:41Z")
The law is still the same here. You got one less hour of drinking this last weekend but in the Fall you will get an extra hour to get drunk. On the plus side, you only have to wait three hours instead of four to get going again. Actually it’s only alcohol sales that are forbidden during those hours. You can drink at any time. In actual practice, I bet that cops look the other way and let bars stay open until 3:00 DST one day a year. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/28 "2010-03-15T19:25:36Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > This is a silly distinction. There are no penalties for ignoring the State Bird Law, just as there are no penalties for ignoring DST. > > I could construct a ridiculous scenario where ignoring State Bird Law gets you in trouble just as you did with your DST example. Being late for work is not a function of ignoring DST. It is a function of being irresponsible. Are you really so unaware that you wouldn’t know the real time even if your clocks were set one hour off? Whatever. The OP asked if there was a legal penalty. There is not directly, but there may be other consequences, including legal ones. Those are the facts. I don’t really care if they seem silly to you or not. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/29 "2010-03-15T19:29:31Z")
You want a really funny example? On any given date, a clock in Dublin will read the same time as a clock in London. But officially, Ireland is in the time zone one west of England’s. It’s just that Ireland sets their clocks backwards one hour relative to standard time every winter. So the net result is that they can still keep their clocks the same as their nearest neighbor, but officially rub it in that they’re not part of the UK. ---
**Author:** ![from\_a\_to\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5fc32e/32.png) [@from\_a\_to\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/from_a_to_z)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/30 "2010-03-15T19:40:27Z")
If _FindLaw for Legal Professionals_ is accurate, [here’s a “two hours after midnight” law](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/BPC/1/d9/16/2/s25631) for California. And [here’s an analysis of the law](http://www.southerncaliforniadefenseblog.com/2008/04/ca_legislature_time_change_has.html) by “Southern California Criminal Defense Attorney”. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/31 "2010-03-15T19:48:11Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Whatever. The OP asked if there was a legal penalty. There is not directly, but there may be other consequences, including legal ones. Those are the facts. The facts are that whatever consequences exist are not a result of not setting back the clocks. As you describe them, they are a result of irresponsible behavior. You may as well say that going to the movies has a legal penalty, if you go to the movies instead of going to work. It’s a silly distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/32 "2010-03-15T19:49:34Z")
What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/33 "2010-03-15T19:53:09Z")
> [@from\_a\_to\_z](#): > > If _FindLaw for Legal Professionals_ is accurate, [here’s a “two hours after midnight” law](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/BPC/1/d9/16/2/s25631) for California. Good find. So you don’t lose that extra hour after all. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/34 "2010-03-15T19:55:23Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > What’s your point? That there are no legal penalties for not setting your clocks in tune with DST. You are penalized for breaking a contract because you broke the contract. You are penalized for being late for work because you are late for work. Neither of them have fuck all to do with DST, anymore than going to the movies does, or denying the State Bird, or whatever tortured scenario you care to invent. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/35 "2010-03-15T19:59:38Z")
To minimize the disruption, I adjust my clocks by ten minutes each month. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/36 "2010-03-15T20:04:32Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > To minimize the disruption, I adjust my clocks by ten minutes each month. To do it really smoothly, you should adjust them by 20 seconds per day. (For nit-pickers: And not adjust on the 31st of each month, but adjust by a whole minute on February 28th in non leap years, and by 40 seconds on February 29th.) ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/37 "2010-03-15T20:11:33Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > That there are no legal penalties for not setting your clocks in tune with DST. You are penalized for breaking a contract because you broke the contract. You are penalized for being late for work because you are late for work. Neither of them have fuck all to do with DST, anymore than going to the movies does, or denying the State Bird, or whatever tortured scenario you care to invent. I’m sure the OP appreciates your insight. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/38 "2010-03-15T20:29:21Z")
What about one of those, “age of majority” laws? Can anyone create a senerio where you would run afoul of one of these types of laws with the OP questions? Hmmmm ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/39 "2010-03-15T23:55:53Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > … There are no penalties for ignoring the State Bird Law, just as there are no penalties for ignoring DST. … However, the penalties for revealing the existence of the FTP (Federal Time Police) are quite severe, > [@Giles](#): > > … the federal time police … as **Giles** will discover three days ago from now. 😃 CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553/40 "2010-03-16T00:18:42Z")
I remember reading about some arab terrorist bombers in Israel, who refused to use Daylight Saving Time because it came from the Israeli government, so they refused to use it. Their bomb exploded in the back seat of their car, while they were on the way to planting it – because the bomb makers had not been as militant as them, and HAD used DST while setting the bomb. Not a legal penalty like the OP asked for, but certainly a penalty that they suffered! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-penalties-of-daylight-saving-time/532553.md?page=3)