Cellphone use laws

More comprehensive cellphone laws, rather than those addressing only talking or texting, appear to be most effective. Read more on our main distracted driving page.

This material has been prepared for general information purposes only. It is not guaranteed to be current and should be independently verified. Do not rely on it when considering how a law may apply to your circumstances.

December 2023

Laws restricting cellphone use and texting
State	Hand-held ban	Young drivers all cellphone ban	Texting ban	Enforcement
AL	all drivers	16-year-old drivers; 17-year-old drivers who have held an intermediate license for fewer than 6 months	all drivers	secondary: handheld and texting^{Footnote 1}; primary: 16-year-old drivers; 17-year-old drivers who have held an intermediate license for fewer than 6 months
AK	no	no	all drivers	primary
AZ	all drivers	learner's permit holders and intermediate license holders during the first 6 months after licensing	all drivers	primary;secondary: learner's permit holders and intermediate license holders during the first 6 months after licensing
AR	drivers 18 or older but younger than 21; school and highway work zones	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
CA	all drivers^{Footnote 2}	drivers younger than 18	all drivers^{Footnote 2}	primary: hand-held and texting by drivers 18 and older; secondary: drivers younger than 18^{Footnote 3}
CO	no	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
CT	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
DE	all drivers	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
DC	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
FL	drivers in school and work zones	no	all drivers	primary
GA	all drivers	no^{Footnote 4}	all drivers	primary
HI	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
ID	all drivers	no	all drivers	primary
IL	all drivers	drivers younger than 19 who hold a learner’s permit or intermediate license	all drivers	primary
IN	all drivers	drivers younger than 21	all drivers	primary
IA	no	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
KS	no	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
KY	no	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
LA	drivers in signed school zones; with respect to novice drivers, see footnote^{Footnote 5}	all novice drivers, see footnote for detail^{Footnote 5}	all drivers	primary^{Footnote 5}
ME	all drivers	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
MD	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
MA	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
MI	all drivers	no^{Footnote 6}	all drivers	primary
MN	all drivers	learner's permit holders and provisional license holders during the first 12 months after licensing	all drivers	primary
MS	no	no	all drivers	primary
MO	all drivers	no	all drivers	secondary^{Footnote 7}
MT	no	no	no	not applicable
NE	no	learner's permit and intermediate license holders younger than 18	all drivers	secondary
NV	all drivers	no	all drivers	primary
NH	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
NJ	all drivers	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
NM	no	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
NY	all drivers	no	all drivers	primary
NC	no	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
ND	no	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
OH	no	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
OK	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	no^{Footnote 8}	all drivers	primary
OR	all drivers^{Footnote 9}	drivers younger than 18	all drivers^{Footnote 9}	primary
PA	no	no	all drivers	primary
RI	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
SC	no	no	all drivers	primary
SD	no	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary; secondary for learner's permit and intermediate license holders
TN	all drivers	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
TX	drivers in school crossing zones and on public school property during the time the reduced speed limit applies	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary: secondary for drivers younger than 18
UT	no^{Footnote 10}	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary^{Footnote 10}
VT	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
VA	all drivers	no	all drivers	primary
WA	all drivers^{Footnote 11}	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers^{Footnote 11}	primary
WV	all drivers	drivers younger than 18	all drivers	primary
WI	drivers in highway construction areas	learner's permit and intermediate license holders	all drivers	primary
WY	no	no	all drivers	primary

Footnotes

^{Footnote 1} The prohibited behavior is distracted driving, defined as crossing in and out of a traffic lane without using a turn signal, swerving or otherwise driving in a manner indicative of impairment while holding or supporting a device or while texting. ↩
^{Footnote 2} In California, persons are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while holding and operating a phone or electronic communication device. Drivers who are 18 and older may dictate, send or listen to text-based messages if they're using voice-activated, hands-free devices. ↩
^{Footnote 3} California law prohibits police from stopping a vehicle to determine if a driver is in compliance with the law. The language prohibits the use of checkpoints to enforce the law, but it has been interpreted as the functional equivalent of secondary provisions that typically state the officer may not stop someone suspected of a violation unless there is other, independent, cause for a stop. ↩
^{Footnote 4} In Georgia, drivers younger than 18 were covered for eight years (2010-2018) by an all phone ban. Georgia HB 673 (2017) created a handheld ban for all drivers, effective July 1, 2018. The current law does not prohibit young drivers from using of earpieces, headphone devices or devices worn on the wrist to conduct voice based communication. Voice based commands are not prohibited. ↩
^{Footnote 5} In Louisiana, all learner's permit holders, irrespective of age, and all intermediate license holders are prohibited from driving while using a hand-held cellphone. All drivers younger than 18 are prohibited from using any cellphone. All drivers, irrespective of age, issued a first driver’s license are prohibited from using a cellphone for one year. The cellphone ban is secondary for novice drivers ages 18 and older. ↩
^{Footnote 6} In Michigan, learner's permit and intermediate license holders are banned from using a hand-held electronic device while operating a motor vehicle except in life-threatening emergencies. ↩
^{Footnote 7} In Missouri, an officer may only issue a warning until January 1, 2025. ↩
^{Footnote 8} In Oklahoma, learner's permit and intermediate license holders are banned from using a hand-held electronic device while operating a motor vehicle except in life-threatening emergencies. ↩
^{Footnote 9} In Oregon, drivers may not hold a personal electronic device in either hand or both hands while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway, including while temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic control device, or other momentary delays, effective October 1, 2017. ↩
^{Footnote 10} In 2007, Utah defined careless driving as committing a moving violation (other than speeding) while distracted by use of a hand-held cellphone or other activities not related to driving. IIHS reported this as the functional equivalent of a secondary law. In 2012, Utah’s law was modified to specify that a person is not prohibited from using a hand-held wireless device while operating a moving motor vehicle when making or receiving a telephone call. In 2014, Utah again amended its law by removing the act of talking on a hand-held phone from the section describing careless driving. The most recent iteration bans drivers from dialing a hand-held phone and caps the maximum fine at $100 for a first offense provided the offender inflicted no bodily harm. ↩
^{Footnote 11} In Washington, drivers may not hold a personal electronic device in either hand or both hands while operating a motor vehicle on a public highway, including while temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic control device, or other momentary delays, effective July 23, 2017. ↩