Current Time in Laughlin, Nevada

The current local time in Laughlin, Nevada is displayed live at the top of this page and updates every second. Laughlin is a resort town on the west bank of the Colorado River at the southernmost tip of Nevada, approximately 90 miles south of Las Vegas. It sits at the geographical meeting point of three states — Nevada, Arizona, and California — making it the heart of what locals call the "Tri-State area."

What Time Zone Is Laughlin, Nevada In?

Laughlin, Nevada is in the Pacific Time Zone, using the IANA identifier America/Los_Angeles. It observes Pacific Standard Time (PST) at UTC−8 during winter, and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at UTC−7 during daylight saving time in summer. This is the same timezone as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Seattle.

One of the most interesting timezone quirks in America happens right here on the Laughlin Bridge. The city directly across the Colorado River — Bullhead City, Arizona — is in the Mountain Time Zone and does not observe Daylight Saving Time. This means in winter, Bullhead City is one hour ahead of Laughlin. But in summer, when Laughlin springs forward to PDT (UTC−7), both cities end up on the same time. This creates the famous New Year's trick: you can celebrate midnight in Bullhead City, then cross the bridge into Laughlin and celebrate New Year's a second time!

Does Laughlin, Nevada Observe Daylight Saving Time?

Yes. Laughlin observes Daylight Saving Time in line with the rest of Nevada and the Pacific Time Zone. Clocks spring forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March, and fall back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. During DST, Laughlin is at UTC−7 (PDT); outside of DST, it is UTC−8 (PST).

About Laughlin, Nevada

Laughlin is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Nevada, with a population of approximately 8,658 (2020 census). Despite its small permanent population, it is Nevada's third-largest casino destination after Las Vegas and Reno, attracting nearly 3 million visitors annually. The town boasts over 9,000 hotel rooms, nine casino resorts, more than 60 restaurants, and an array of water recreation on the Colorado River.

Laughlin's story is one of the most remarkable in American resort history. Before 1964, the site was essentially an abandoned stretch of desert with a derelict eight-room motel and a bait shop. That year, Don Laughlin — a gambling entrepreneur from Owatonna, Minnesota — spotted the land from his private plane and saw potential where others saw nothing. He purchased the property and opened the Riverside Resort, which started modestly with just 12 slot machines, two gaming tables, and all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents. The Laughlin family lived in four of the eight motel rooms while guests used the other four.

Growth was slow at first but exploded in the 1980s, when a wave of casino construction transformed the sleepy riverbank into a full resort strip. Properties like the Colorado Belle, Edgewater, Harrah's, Tropicana, and the Aquarius (then the Flamingo Hilton) lined up along the Nevada bank of the Colorado. In 1987, Don Laughlin personally funded and built the Laughlin Bridge at a cost of $3.5 million, connecting Laughlin to Bullhead City and donating it to the states of Nevada and Arizona — a bridge that now carries around 30,000 vehicles per day.

Today, Laughlin is celebrated for its laid-back, affordable alternative to the Las Vegas Strip. The casino resorts sit directly on the river, many with outdoor pools, beach areas, and boat docks. The Colorado River is the centrepiece of recreation — offering boating, jet skiing, kayaking, and fishing, with Lake Mohave just upstream via the Davis Dam. The surrounding Mojave Desert provides dramatic scenery, and the Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area just south of town offers 2,100 acres of hiking, camping, and riverside trails. The area's ancient history traces back to the Patayan and Mojave peoples who inhabited the Colorado River Valley for thousands of years before European contact.