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Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

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Each state has its own legislature. The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[1] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Forty-six state legislatures hold regular sessions annually. The other four states—Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas—meet in odd-numbered years. The length of a session may be set by a state's constitution, a statute, or by the legislature and varies among the states. Special or extraordinary sessions may also be called by a state's governor or legislature over a specific subject matter during or after a regular session.

Nine state legislatures have full-time legislators, meaning the legislature meets throughout the year. All other legislators are considered part-time because they only meet for a portion of the year.^[2]

This page gives information on the 2025 legislative sessions in all 50 states.

The legislative map, which is updated weekly, shows what states have not yet convened, have adjourned, are in regular session or special session.
The session table breaks down the start and end date of a state's legislative session, the length of the session, special sessions, and trifecta status.
The methodology Ballotpedia used to assemble the map and chart.
A glossary of terms specific to legislative sessions.

Map of legislative sessions

The legislative map below shows 2025 state legislative session information. States with full-time legislators may meet throughout the year after adjourning their regularly scheduled sessions. The map is updated every Friday with information gathered by MultiState and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

State legislative sessions

The state legislative session table below breaks down the start and end date of a state's 2025 legislative session, the length of the session, and also covers any special sessions that have been called. The end date for a state's session is projected since these dates tend to change. The table is updated weekly to reflect any notable events that occur in a state's session. Information was gathered from MultiState and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Key:

States

2025 state legislative sessions
State	Start date	End date (projected)	Session length limit^[3]	Special sessions/Other sessions
Alabama	February 4, 2025	May 15, 2025	30 legislative days in 105 calendar days
Alaska	January 21, 2025	May 21, 2025	90 calendar days
Arizona	January 13, 2025	April 26, 2025	Saturday of the last week in which the 100th calendar day falls
Arkansas	January 13, 2025	April 11, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 60 days Even-numbered years - 30 days
California*^[4]	December 2, 2024	September 12, 2025	Constitution: Even-numbered years - Nov. 30 Odd-numbered years - None Chamber Rule: Even-numbered years - Aug. 31 Odd-numbered years - Sept. 12
Colorado	January 8, 2025	May 7, 2025	120 calendar days
Connecticut	January 8, 2025	June 4, 2025	Odd: Wednesday after the first Monday in June; Even: Wednesday after the first Monday in May
Delaware	January 14, 2025	June 30, 2025	June 30
Florida	March 4, 2025	May 2, 2025	60 calendar days
Georgia	January 13, 2025	April 3, 2025	40 legislative days
Hawaii	January 15, 2025	May 1, 2025	60 legislative days
Idaho	January 6, 2025	April 10, 2025	None
Illinois*^[4]	January 8, 2025	May 31, 2025	None
Indiana	January 8, 2025	April 29, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 61 days (April 29) Even-numbered years - 30 days (March 14)
Iowa	January 13, 2025	April 22, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 110 days Even-numbered years - 100 days
Kansas	January 13, 2025	May 6, 2025	None (odd), 90 days (even)
Kentucky	January 7, 2025	March 28, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 30 legislative days or March 30 Even-numbered years - 60 legislative days or April 15
Louisiana	April 14, 2025	June 12, 2025	Even-numbered years - 60 legislative days in 85 calendar days Odd-numbered years - 45 legislative days in 60 calendar days
Maine	December 4, 2024	June 18, 2025	Odd: 3rd Wed in June; Even: 3rd Wed in April
Maryland	January 8, 2025	April 7, 2025	90 calendar days
Massachusetts*^[4]	January 1, 2025	November 19, 2025	Odd: 3rd Wed in November; Even: July 31
Michigan*^[4]	January 8, 2025	December 31, 2025	None
Minnesota	January 14, 2025	May 19, 2025	120 legislative days in 2 years, or the 1st Monday after the 3rd Saturday in May each year
Mississippi	January 7, 2025	April 6, 2025	90 calendar days; except after a gubernatorial election then 125 days
Missouri	January 8, 2025	May 16, 2025	May 30
Montana	January 6, 2025	May 9, 2025	90 legislative days in two years
Nebraska	January 8, 2025	May 30, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 90 legislative days Even-numbered years - 60 days
Nevada	February 3, 2025	June 2, 2025	120 calendar days in two years
New Hampshire	January 8, 2025	June 30, 2025	45 legislative days or July 1
New Jersey*^[4]	January 14, 2025	December 31, 2025	None
New Mexico	January 21, 2025	March 22, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 60 days Even-numbered years - 30 days
New York*^[4]	January 8, 2025	June 13, 2025	None
North Carolina	January 8, 2025	July 31, 2025	None
North Dakota	January 7, 2025	May 2, 2025	80 legislative days in two years
Ohio*^[4]	January 6, 2025	December 31, 2025	None
Oklahoma	February 3, 2025	May 30, 2025	Last Friday in May
Oregon	January 21, 2025	June 30, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 160 calendar days Even-numbered years - 35 calendar days
Pennsylvania*^[4]	January 7, 2025	December 31, 2025	None
Rhode Island	January 7, 2025	June 30, 2025	None
South Carolina	January 14, 2025	May 8, 2025	First Thurs in June
South Dakota	January 14, 2025	March 31, 2025	40 legislative days
Tennessee	January 14, 2025	April 25, 2025	90 legislative days
Texas	January 14, 2025	June 2, 2025	140 calendar days in two years
Utah	January 21, 2025	March 7, 2025	45 calendar days
Vermont	January 8, 2025	May 9, 2025	None
Virginia	January 8, 2025	June 22, 2025	Odd numbered years - 30 calendar days Even-numbered years - 60 days
Washington	January 13, 2025	April 27, 2025	Odd numbered years - 105 calendar days Even-numbered years - 60 days
West Virginia	February 12, 2025	April 12, 2025	60 calendar days
Wisconsin*^[4]	January 6, 2025	December 31, 2025	None
Wyoming	January 14, 2025	March 7, 2025	Odd-numbered years - 40 legislative days Even-numbered years - approximately 20 days

Methodology

Ballotpedia considered four sources when compiling the data in the map and chart above:

The four sites each contain a mix of projected end dates for the legislative sessions. Ballotpedia used a projected end date if three sites had the same date. If two websites had the same date but two had a different matching date, Ballotpedia used the date provided by the NCSL.

Glossary of state legislative session terms

Adjourn:

Termination of a legislative session. The date and time of the next meeting is set before adjournment.^[5]

Informal session:

A type of session called by some states where no attendance is taken and only a few members attend the session. These sessions address day-to-day business and non-controversial bills. The bills do not require debate or a roll-call vote and must be passed unanimously. If one member objects, the measure is blocked.

Lame-duck session:

A legislative session where its members meet after their successors are elected.^[5]

Organizational session:

The first day that legislators take office. The members are sworn in and new leadership is chosen.^[5]

Recess:

A temporary pause for a period of time in a legislative session.^[5]

Regular session:

A state's legislative members meet for a period of time regularly scheduled by a state's constitution, a statute, or by the legislature where they write and pass bills. Forty-six state legislatures hold regular sessions annually. Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas only meet in odd-numbered years.^[5]

Skeleton session:

In a typical skeleton session, a clerk, a presiding officer, and another legislative member are the only people present. The presiding officer will convene the session day and adjourn it minutes later.

Sine die:

Final adjournment of a legislative session. It is Latin for "without a day."^[5]

Special session:

A special meeting of the legislature called by the governor or by the legislature over a specific subject matter. This is also called an extraordinary session.^[5]

Trifecta:

A trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government.

Veto session:

Legislatures may hold a veto session where the members consider all bills vetoed by the governor.^[5]

External links

Footnotes

↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed November 8, 2018
↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Legislative session length," accessed March 5, 2019
↑ NCSL, "Legislative Session Lengths," accessed December 14, 2014
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 ^4.5 ^4.6 ^4.7 ^4.8 This state has full-time legislators. The legislature may meet throughout the year after adjourning their regularly scheduled sessions.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 ^5.6 ^5.7 National Conference of State Legislatures, "GLOSSARY OF LEGISLATIVE TERMS," accessed May 19, 2017

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