Cellphone and texting laws
May 2013
Talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving is banned in 11 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia.
The use of all cellphones by novice drivers is restricted in 37 states and the District of Columbia and the use of all cellphones while driving a school bus is prohibited in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 40 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 6 states (Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in 3 states (Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas).
Many localities have enacted their own bans on cellphones or text messaging. In some but not all states, local jurisdictions need specific statutory authority to do so.
The table and maps below show the states that have cellphone laws, whether they specifically ban text messaging, and whether they are enforced as primary or secondary laws. Under secondary laws, an officer must have some other reason to stop a vehicle before citing a driver for using a cellphone. Laws without this restriction are called primary.
| |
Laws restricting cellphone use and texting |
|
| State |
Hand-held ban |
Young drivers all cellphone ban |
Bus drivers all cellphone ban |
Texting ban |
Enforcement |
| Alabama |
no
| 16-year-old drivers; 17-year-old drivers who have held an intermediate license for fewer than 6 months
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary: texting by all drivers; secondary: cellphone use by young drivers
|
| Alaska |
no
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Arizona |
no
| no
|
school bus drivers
|
no
|
primary
|
| Arkansas |
drivers 18 or older but younger than 21; school and highway work zones
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary: texting by all drivers and cellphone use by school bus drivers; secondary: cellphone use by young drivers, drivers in school and work zones1
|
| California |
all drivers
| drivers younger than 18
|
school and transit bus drivers
|
all drivers2
|
primary: hand held and texting laws
secondary: all cell phone use by drivers 17 and younger1
|
| Colorado |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Connecticut |
all drivers
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Delaware |
all drivers
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| District of Columbia |
all drivers
| learner's permit holders
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Florida |
no
| no
|
no
|
no
|
not applicable
|
| Georgia |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Hawaii |
all drivers
(effective 07/01/13)
| drivers younger than 18
(effective 07/01/13) |
no
|
all drivers
(effective 07/01/13) |
primary
(effective 07/01/13) |
| Idaho |
no
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Illinois |
drivers in construction and school speed zones or within 500 feet of an emergency scene3
| drivers younger than 19 and learner's permit holders younger than 19
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Indiana |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Iowa |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary for learner's permit and intermediate license holders; secondary for texting
|
| Kansas |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Kentucky |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Louisiana |
with respect to novice drivers, see footnote4
| all novice drivers, see footnote for detail4
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary4
|
| Maine |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Maryland |
all drivers
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers (hand-held ban)
|
all drivers
|
primary
(effective 10/01/13) |
| Massachusetts |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers and passenger bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Michigan |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders (integrated voice-operated systems excepted)
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Minnesota |
no
| learner's permit holders and provisional license holders during the first 12 months after licensing
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Mississippi |
no
| no
|
school bus drivers
|
learner's permit and intermediate license holders and school bus drivers
|
primary
|
| Missouri |
no
| no
|
no
|
drivers 21 and younger
|
primary
|
| Montana |
no
| no
|
no
|
no
|
not applicable
|
| Nebraska |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
secondary
|
| Nevada |
all drivers
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| New Hampshire |
no
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| New Jersey |
all drivers
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| New Mexico |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
primary
|
| New York |
all drivers
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| North Carolina |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| North Dakota |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Ohio |
no
| drivers younger than 185
|
no
|
all drivers5
|
primary for drivers younger than 18; secondary for texting5
|
| Oklahoma |
learner's permit and intermediate license holders
| no6
|
no
|
learner's permit holders, intermediate license holders, school bus drivers and public transit drivers
|
primary
|
| Oregon |
all drivers
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Pennsylvania |
no
| no
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Rhode Island |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| South Carolina |
no
| no
|
no
|
no
|
not applicable
|
| South Dakota |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
(effective 07/01/13) |
no
|
learner's permit and intermediate license holders
(effective 07/01/13) |
secondary
(effective 07/01/13) |
| Tennessee |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Texas |
drivers in school crossing zones
| drivers younger than 18
|
bus drivers when a passenger 17 and younger is present
|
bus drivers when a passenger 17 and younger is present; drivers in school crossing zones; drivers younger than 18
|
primary
|
| Utah |
no7
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary7
|
| Vermont |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Virginia |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
school bus drivers
|
all drivers
|
primary; secondary for drivers younger than 18
(effective 07/01/13) |
| Washington |
all drivers
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| West Virginia |
all drivers
| drivers younger than 18 who hold either a learner's permit or an intermediate license
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary; secondary for hand-held ban until 7/1/13, then primary
|
| Wisconsin |
no
| learner's permit and intermediate license holders
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|
| Wyoming |
no
| drivers younger than 18
|
no
|
all drivers
|
primary
|