Updated October 2026

Cell Phone Driving Laws by State (2026): Hands-Free and Texting

33 states and DC have hands-free laws that ban holding a phone while driving. Another 16 ban texting but still allow hand-held calls, and Montana is the only state with no statewide texting ban.

Click a state on the map for cell phone driving laws in that state, or use the table to rank them.

Our overview of cell phone driving laws covers all 50 states and DC, with a color map, a full table and a guide for every state.

Look up a state

Hands-free law (34) Texting ban only (16) No texting ban (1)

Cell phone and texting laws: all states

State	Law	Hand-held calls	Texting	Teen total ban
Alabama	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Alaska	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	No
Arizona	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Arkansas	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
California	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Colorado	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Connecticut	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Delaware	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
District of Columbia	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Florida	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	No
Georgia	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Hawaii	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Idaho	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Illinois	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Indiana	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Iowa	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Kansas	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Kentucky	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Louisiana	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Maine	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Maryland	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Massachusetts	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Michigan	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Minnesota	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Mississippi	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	No
Missouri	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Montana	No texting ban	Allowed	Not banned	No
Nebraska	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Nevada	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
New Hampshire	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
New Jersey	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
New Mexico	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
New York	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
North Carolina	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
North Dakota	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Ohio	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Oklahoma	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	No
Oregon	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Pennsylvania	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Rhode Island	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
South Carolina	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
South Dakota	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Tennessee	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Texas	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Utah	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Vermont	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Virginia	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	No
Washington	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
West Virginia	Hands-free law	Banned	Banned	Yes
Wisconsin	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	Yes
Wyoming	Texting ban only	Allowed	Banned	No

Map of cell phone and texting laws by state in 2026: 34 hands-free law, 16 texting ban only, 1 no texting ban — Cell phone and texting laws in all 50 states and DC, October 2026.

What a hands-free law means

You may use a phone only through a mount, Bluetooth, voice commands or the car's built-in system. Holding the phone, even at a red light, is typically not permitted.

Several states joined recently

Colorado (2025), Iowa (2025), Missouri (2025), Pennsylvania (2025) and South Carolina (2025) are among the latest states to pass hands-free laws.

Regional patterns in cell phone driving laws

Grouped by census region, the map of cell phone driving laws looks like this:

The table above lists cell phone driving laws and links to each state guide.

Midwest: 7 hands-free law, 5 texting ban only.
Northeast: 9 hands-free law.
South: 10 hands-free law, 7 texting ban only.
West: 8 hands-free law, 4 texting ban only, 1 no texting ban.

The stricter and looser states on cell phone driving laws

At the stricter end you find Alabama (Hands-free law), Arizona (Hands-free law), California (Hands-free law) and Colorado (Hands-free law).

The looser states you find Montana (No texting ban), Wyoming (Texting ban only), Wisconsin (Texting ban only) and Utah (Texting ban only).

Every state page covers cell phone driving laws in depth, with neighbors and local tips.

Recent changes to cell phone driving laws

Sep 2025 — South Carolina: Hands-free law took effect for all motorists.
Aug 2025 — Missouri: Hands-free law took effect for all drivers.
Jun 2025 — Pennsylvania: Hands-free law (Paul Miller's Law) took effect.

FAQ: cell phone driving laws

Which states have hands-free laws?

Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Which state has no texting and driving law?

Montana is the only state without a statewide texting ban for all drivers.

Do hands-free laws reduce crashes?

IIHS research found that states that strengthened their laws to cover all hand-held use saw fewer rear-end crashes.

Where may I check cell phone driving laws for my state?

Pick your state from the table or map; each state page links to the agencies and shows the review date.

How quickly do cell phone driving laws change?

Most updates take effect on January 1 or July 1 after a legislative session; we review the data at least twice a year and show the date on each page.