Typical office hours: 8:00 AM, 5:00 PM MT
Private-sector offices across the zone cluster around an 8:00 AM start. The workday ends at 5:00 PM local time, with a one-hour lunch break, usually noon to 1:00 PM.
Exceptions exist. Tech firms in Denver and Boulder often push the start to 9:00 AM or 10:00 AM. Construction and field crews begin at 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM. Confirm with the specific business.
Bank and government office hours
- Banks: 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM MT, Monday through Friday. Some branches open Saturday mornings, 9:00 AM to noon or 1:00 PM. Drive-through windows may open earlier and close later.
- Government offices: Typically 8:00 AM, 4:30 PM or 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM MT, Monday through Friday. Federal buildings in Denver often close at 4:30 PM. City and county offices vary. Check the specific agency.
| Type | Typical hours (MT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Banks | 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM weekdays | Some Saturday hours |
| Federal offices | 8:00 AM, 4:30 PM weekdays | Closes earlier than private sector |
| State/county offices | 8:00 AM, 5:00 PM or 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM | Check local |
| Post offices | 8:30 AM, 5:00 PM weekdays | Saturday hours vary |
US stock market hours in Mountain Time
Financial markets open and close on Eastern Time. For the Mountain zone, that means an early start.
- NYSE and NASDAQ: 7:30 AM, 2:00 PM MT. The opening bell on Wall Street is 9:30 AM Eastern, which is 7:30 AM in Denver. The 4:00 PM Eastern close is 2:00 PM MT.
- Chicago futures and options (CME): Open outcry trading runs 7:20 AM, 2:00 PM MT. Electronic trading continues nearly 24 hours.
- Early market opens: Financial services firms in Denver often have staff in the office by 6:30 AM MT to prepare for the 7:30 AM market open.
Cross-time-zone scheduling with East and West Coasts
Mountain Time sits in the middle of the US time zone map. That creates predictable scheduling patterns.
- MT is 2 hours behind Eastern Time, 1 hour ahead of Pacific Time.
- Calling the East Coast: A 9:00 AM MT call is 11:00 AM Eastern. A 5:00 PM MT call is 7:00 PM Eastern, past the end of most East Coast business days.
- Calling the West Coast: A 9:00 AM MT call is 8:00 AM Pacific, a normal start in California. A 5:00 PM MT call is 4:00 PM Pacific, still within the workday.
- Best overlap for all three: 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM MT (12:00 PM, 4:00 PM Eastern, 9:00 AM, 1:00 PM Pacific).
Use the /mst-to-est and /mst-to-pst converters to check specific times.
International market hours in Mountain Time
Two major international exchanges fall outside the US business day for the Mountain zone.
- Tokyo Stock Exchange: Opens at 6:00 PM MT the previous evening during winter (MST). During summer (MDT), it opens at 5:00 PM MT.
- London Stock Exchange: Opens at 1:00 AM MT during winter (MST). During summer (MDT), it opens at midnight MT.
Anyone trading international markets from this region works outside standard 8 to 5 hours.
Phoenix business hours: year-round consistency
Phoenix is the exception that trips everyone up. Arizona does not observe daylight saving time. The state stays on Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC-7) all year.
- Winter (November to March): The city matches the rest of the zone. A 10:00 AM call in Denver is 10:00 AM in Phoenix.
- Summer (March to November): The rest of the zone switches to MDT (UTC-6). Phoenix stays on MST (UTC-7). Denver is one hour ahead. A 10:00 AM call in Denver is 9:00 AM in Phoenix.
What to do: When scheduling with the state from March through November, treat Phoenix as if it is on Pacific Time, same clock reading. But do not call it Pacific Time. It is still Mountain Standard Time. Use /time-in-phoenix to check the current local time.