Maximum posted speed limits

March 2010

The following table lists the speed limits for various types of roads in the 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Limited access highways are multiple-lane roads with restricted access using exit and entrance ramps rather than intersections. Interstate highways are part of the national system of limited access highways that connect the nation's principal metropolitan areas and industrial centers. The interstate system is divided into urban and rural sections. The distinction between urban and rural areas is based on population density figures from the US Census Bureau and adjusted by state and local government to reflect planning and other issues. Urban sections are within a census area with an urban population of 5,000 to 49,999 or within a designated urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or greater. Speed limits for commercial use trucks, if different, are listed separately.

Congress repealed the National Maximum Speed Limit in 1995. As of today, 33 states have raised speed limits to 70 mph or higher on some portion of their roadway systems.

	Rural interstates	Urban interstates	Other limited access roads	Other roads	Effective date of limits		Effective date of limits
State	Passenger vehicles (mph)	Passenger vehicles (mph)	Passenger vehicles (mph)	Passenger vehicles (mph)	Rural interstates	Urban interstates	Other limited access roads	Other roads
Alabama	70	65	65	65	05/21/96	05/21/96	05/21/96	05/21/96
Alaska	65	55	65	55	01/15/88	no action	08/25/99	no action
Arizona	75	65	65	65	12/08/95	no action	no action	no action
Arkansas	70; trucks: 65	55	60¹	55	08/19/96	no action	09/15/08	no action
California	70; trucks: 55	65 trucks: 55	70	65	01/08/96	01/08/96	01/08/96	no action
Colorado	75	65	65	65	06/24/96	06/24/96	06/24/96	no action
Connecticut	65	55	65	55	10/01/98	no action	10/01/98	no action
Delaware	65	55	65	55	01/17/96	no action	01/17/96	no action
District of Columbia	n/a	55	n/a	25	no action	no action	no action	no action
Florida	70	65	70	65	04/08/96	04/08/96	04/08/96	04/08/96
Georgia	70	65	65	65	07/01/96	07/01/96	07/01/96	07/01/96
Hawaii	60	50	45	45	no action	no action	no action	no action
Idaho	75; trucks: 65	75	65	65	05/01/96	05/01/96	05/01/96	05/01/96
Illinois	65; trucks: 65	55	65	55	01/25/96	no action	01/25/96	no action
Indiana	70; trucks: 65	55	60	55	07/01/05	no action	07/01/05	no action
Iowa	70	55	70	55	07/01/05	no action	07/01/05	no action
Kansas	70	70	70	65	03/07/96	03/07/96	03/07/96	03/07/96
Kentucky	65; 70 on specified segments of road²	65	65	55	no action	no action	no action	no action
Louisiana	70	70	70	65	08/15/97	08/15/97	08/15/97	08/15/97
Maine	65	65	65	60	06/12/87	06/12/87	06/12/87	06/12/87
Maryland	65	65	65	55	07/01/95	08/01/96	08/01/96	no action
Massachusetts	65	65	65	55	01/05/92	01/29/96	01/29/96	no action
Michigan	70 (trucks 60); <70 (trucks 55)	65	70	55	08/01/96	08/01/96	08/01/96	no action
Minnesota	70	65	65	55	07/01/97	07/01/97	07/01/97	no action
Mississippi	70	70	70	65	02/29/96	02/29/96	02/29/96	02/29/96
Missouri	70	60	70	65	03/13/96	03/13/96	03/13/96	03/13/96
Montana	75; trucks: 65	65	day: 70; night: 65	day: 70; night: 65	05/28/99	05/28/99	05/28/99	05/28/99
Nebraska	75	65	65	60	09/01/96	09/01/96	09/01/96	09/01/96
Nevada	75	65	70	70	12/08/95	12/08/95	12/08/95	12/08/95
New Hampshire	65	65	55	55	04/16/87	05/29/96	no action	no action
New Jersey	65	55	65	55	01/19/98	no action	01/19/98	no action
New Mexico	75	75	65	55	05/15/96	no action	05/15/96	no action
New York	65	65	65	55	08/01/95	07/16/96	07/16/96	no action
North Carolina	70	70	70	55	08/05/96	08/05/96	10/01/96	no action
North Dakota	75	75	70	65	08/01/03	08/01/03	08/01/03	08/01/03
Ohio	65	65	55	55	07/01/09	07/28/96	no action	no action
Oklahoma	75	70	70	70	08/29/96	08/29/96	08/29/96	08/29/96
Oregon	65; trucks: 55	55	55	55	06/27/87	no action	no action	no action
Pennsylvania	65	55	65	55	07/13/95	no action	05/10/96	no action
Rhode Island	65	55	55	55	05/12/96	no action	no action	no action
South Carolina	70	70	60	55	04/30/99	04/30/99	04/30/99	no action
South Dakota	75	75	70	70	04/01/96	04/01/96	07/01/05	07/01/05
Tennessee	70	70	70	65	03/25/98	05/15/01	05/15/01	05/15/01
Texas	75 day; 65 night; 80 on specified segments of road³ trucks: 70 day; 65 night	day: 70; night: 65	day: 75; night: 65	day: 60; night: 55	09/01/05	09/01/99	09/01/99	09/01/99
Utah	75; 80 on specified segments of road⁴	65	75	65	05/01/96	05/01/96	05/01/96	05/01/96
Vermont	65	55	50	50	04/21/87	no action	no action	no action
Virginia	70⁵	70⁵	65	55	07/01/10	07/01/10	02/13/96	no action
Washington	70; trucks: 60	60	60	60	03/15/96	03/15/96	03/15/96	03/15/96
West Virginia	70	55	65	55	08/25/97	no action	08/25/97	no action
Wisconsin	65	65	65	55	06/17/87	08/01/96	08/01/96	no action
Wyoming	75	60	65	65	12/08/95	12/08/95	12/08/95	12/08/95

¹Upon completion of a study, due to be completed on or before 09/15/08, the speed limit on any 2-lane highway or 4-lane highway shall be increased to 65 miles per hour if the findings of the study support the increase on a particular 2-lane highway or 4-lane highway.

²Effective 06/25/07, the speed limit may be increased to 70 mph on specific segments of highway upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation. On 07/10/07, highway officials increased the speed from 65 mph to 70 mph on Interstate 75 south of US 42, Interstate 71 west to the split to Louisville, and portions of Boone Carroll, Gallatin, and Grant Counties.

³In sections of I-10 and I-20 in rural West Texas, the speed limit for passenger cars and light trucks is 80 mph and the speed limit for large trucks is 70 in the daytime, 65 at night.

⁴Based on 2008 Utah House Bill 406, which became effective on May 5, 2008, portions of I-15 have a posted limit of 80 mph.

⁵Effective 07/01/10, the posted limit may be as high as 70 mph where indicated by lawfully placed signs, erected subsequent to a traffic engineering study.