May you text while driving, state by state?
Every state’s answer, and the District of Columbia’s, from its own manual or code: 48 have a rule on this, quoted below with where it is written; 3 say nothing on it.
Statutes fetched between 7 and 9 October 2026; manuals fetched between 6 September and 4 October 2026. How the answers are made
| State | The rule | Where it is written | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama law prohibits using a wireless device to write, send or read a text message, instant message or e-mail while driving. | Alabama Driver Manual, p.32 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Alaska | Texting, surfing the web or reading email while driving is dangerous and against the law in Alaska. | Alaska Driver Manual, p.29 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Arizona | While driving, you may not write or read any text-based message, or watch, record or broadcast video. | Arizona Driver License Manual and Customer Service Guide, p.24 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas has a No Texting Law: text messages are not allowed while driving, regardless of age. | Arkansas Driver License Study Guide, p.46 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| California | Do not send or read text messages or emails while driving. | California Driver’s Handbook, p.70 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Colorado | Colorado law prohibits the use of mobile devices for text messaging while driving unless it is to contact law enforcement or the fire department, or it is an emergency. | Colorado Driver Handbook, p.18 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Connecticut | (b) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsections (c) and (d) of this section, no person shall operate a motor vehicle upon a highway, as defined in section 14-1, while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or while using a mobile electronic device. An operator of a motor vehicle who types, sends or reads a text message with a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle shall be in violation of this section, except that if such operator is driving a commercial motor vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, such operator shall be charged with a violation of subsection (e) of this section. | Connecticut law, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-296aa(b) | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Delaware | Delaware bans hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving; a driver without a GDL who wants to talk on the phone must use a hands-free device, and a GDL driver may not use one at all. | Delaware Driver Manual, p.81 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| District of Columbia | In the District, texting while driving is never allowed. | DC Driver Manual, p.39 | 16 Sep 2026 |
| Florida | It is illegal in Florida to operate a motor vehicle while texting. | Official Florida Driver License Handbook, p.34 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Georgia | Writing, sending or reading any text-based message while driving is against Georgia law, and that covers a text, an instant message, an e-mail and internet data alike. | Georgia Driver's Manual, p.62 | 18 Sep 2026 |
| Idaho | In Idaho, reading, writing or sending text messages while driving is illegal and is an infraction. | July 2026 Idaho Driver's Handbook, p.92 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Illinois | Illinois law prohibits using a handheld cellphone, texting or other electronic communications while driving, and allows hands-free devices or Bluetooth for people aged 19 and older. | Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, p.22 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Indiana | Indiana law bars using a phone or other telecommunications device while driving unless it is hands-free or you are calling 911 in an emergency. | Indiana Driver's Manual, p.45 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Iowa | Before writing, sending or reading a text, email or social media post, you must bring the vehicle to a complete stop off the traveled part of the road. | Iowa Driver's License Manual, p.36 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Kansas | Kansas law prohibits the use of any electronic device to write, send or read a written communication while driving, including texting and email. | Kansas Driving Handbook, p.19 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Kentucky | (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, no person shall, while operating a motor vehicle that is in motion on the traveled portion of a roadway, write, send, or read text-based communication using a personal communication device to manually communicate with any person using text-based communication, including but not limited to communications referred to as a text message, instant message, or electronic mail. | Kentucky law, KRS 189.292(2) | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Louisiana | Louisiana law prohibits anyone, of any age, from writing, sending or reading a text while driving. | Class D & E Driver's Guide, p.78 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Maine | 2. Prohibition. A person may not operate a motor vehicle on a public way while engaging in text messaging, including but not limited to when the motor vehicle is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign. A person may engage in text messaging while in the operator's seat of a motor vehicle if the person has pulled the motor vehicle over to the side of, or off, a public way and has halted in a location where the motor vehicle can safely remain stationary. Nothing in this section prohibits a person employed as a commercial driver or a school bus driver from using a handheld electronic device or mobile telephone within the scope of the person's employment as permitted under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations. | Maine law, 29-A M.R.S. § 2119(2) | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Maryland | It is illegal to use a hand-held cell phone, including texting, while driving. You may use a phone for calls hands-free. | Maryland Driver's Manual, p.35 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Massachusetts | Section 13B. (a) No operator of a motor vehicle shall hold a mobile electronic device. No operator of a motor vehicle shall use a mobile electronic device unless the device is being used in hands-free mode. No operator of a motor vehicle shall read or view text, images or video displayed on a mobile electronic device; provided, however, that an operator may view a map generated by a navigation system or application on a mobile electronic device that is mounted on or affixed to a vehicle's windshield, dashboard or center console in a manner that does not impede the operation of the motor vehicle. For the purposes of this section, an operator shall not be considered to be operating a motor vehicle if the vehicle is stationary and not located in a part of the public way intended for travel by a motor vehicle or bicycle. | Massachusetts law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 90, § 13B | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Michigan | Using a hand-held phone while driving is illegal in Michigan, including reading, texting, or making or answering a call. | What Every Driver Must Know, p.23 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Minnesota | You may not use a wireless device to compose, read or send electronic messages while driving. | Minnesota Driver’s Manual, p.40 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Mississippi | Writing, sending or reading text messages while driving is not allowed. | Mississippi Driver's License Manual, p.23 | 4 Oct 2026 |
| Missouri | It is against the law for any person to read, write, or send a text message or electronic message while operating a vehicle. | Missouri Driver Guide, p.92 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Montana | Most Montana cities have passed their own laws against texting and talking on cell phones while driving. | Montana Driver Manual, p.49 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Nebraska | In Nebraska it is illegal to use a handheld wireless communication device to read, type, or send written communication while operating a motor vehicle. | Nebraska Driver’s Manual, p.65 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Nevada | Using a handheld phone to manually send or read messages, search the Internet or text while driving is prohibited. | Nevada Driver Handbook, p.43 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| New Jersey | New Jersey law prohibits the use of a handheld electronic device while driving on a public road. | New Jersey Driver Manual, p.85 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| New Mexico | A. A person shall not read or view a text message or manually type on a handheld mobile communication device for any purpose while driving a motor vehicle, except to summon medical or other emergency help or unless that device is an amateur radio and the driver holds a valid amateur radio operator license issued by the federal communications commission. | New Mexico law, NMSA 1978, § 66-7-374(A) | 8 Oct 2026 |
| New York | In New York State it is illegal to use portable electronic devices such as cell phones and smart phones to send or receive text messages or e-mails while driving. | New York State Driver's Manual, p.52 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| North Carolina | It is unlawful to use a cell phone for email or text messages while operating a vehicle on a public street, highway or public vehicular area. | North Carolina Driver Handbook, p.41 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| North Dakota | In North Dakota, it is not legal for anyone to text while driving, that is, to compose, read or send an electronic message. | North Dakota Noncommercial Driver License Manual, p.30 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Ohio | For drivers eighteen and over it is illegal in most cases to use, hold or physically support a phone or other wireless device while driving, and an officer who sees it may stop the vehicle for that alone. | Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, p.10 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Oklahoma | It is illegal to text while driving in Oklahoma. | Oklahoma Driver Manual, p.61 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Pennsylvania | The anti-texting law makes it a primary offense to send a text-based message on a wireless device while driving, and a conviction carries a $50 fine. | PA Driver's Manual, p.93 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Rhode Island | No matter your age, Rhode Island forbids writing, reading or sending a text message while driving. | Rhode Island Driver’s Manual, p.37 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| South Carolina | The Hands-Free Act bans reading, writing or sending any form of text while driving, including emails and interactions with applications. | South Carolina Driver's Manual, p.36 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| South Dakota | In South Dakota, texting, reading texts and social networking while driving is prohibited by state law. | South Dakota Driver License Manual, p.19 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Tennessee | It is illegal for a driver to write, send or read any text-based communication. | Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.30 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Texas | It is against the law to read, write, or send messages on a cell phone or other portable wireless device while driving. | Texas Driver Handbook, p.54 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Utah | A Utah driver may not use a handheld wireless communication device while driving to write, send, or read a written communication, dial a number, access the internet, view or record video, take a photograph, or enter data. | Utah Driver Handbook 2026-2027, p.58 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Vermont | A person shall not use any portable electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. That covers reading and writing text messages, instant messages and emails on a phone, tablet or laptop. | 2025 Vermont Driver's Manual, p.15 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Virginia | Virginia law bans holding a cell phone or any other wireless device while driving, except in an emergency or when the vehicle is lawfully parked or stopped. | Virginia Driver's Manual, p.24 | 6 Sep 2026 |
| Washington | (ii) Using your hand or finger to compose, send, read, view, access, browse, transmit, save, or retrieve email, text messages, instant messages, photographs, or other electronic data; however, this does not preclude the minimal use of a finger to activate, deactivate, or initiate a function of the device; | Washington law, RCW 46.61.672(6)(c) | 8 Oct 2026 |
| West Virginia | (2) Write, send, or read any text-based communication including, but not limited to, a text message, instant message, e-mail, or social media interaction on a wireless telecommunications device or stand-alone electronic device: Provided, That this prohibition does not apply to a voice-operated or hands-free communication feature which is automatically converted by such device to be sent as a message in a written form; | West Virginia law, W. Va. Code § 17C-14-15(e)(2) | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Wisconsin | (3) (a) No person may drive, as defined in s. 343.305 (1) (b), any motor vehicle while composing or sending an electronic text message or an electronic mail message. | Wisconsin law, Wis. Stat. § 346.89(3) | 8 Oct 2026 |
| Wyoming | Wyoming law prohibits reading or sending a text message from a cell phone or other device while operating a vehicle. | Wyoming Rules of the Road Driver License Manual, p.89 | 14 Sep 2026 |
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