Hands-Free & Texting Laws by State
Can you hold your phone at a red light? Can police stop you just for texting? The answers change at every state line. Pick your state to see its texting rule, its handheld rule, its special rules for young drivers, and what a first ticket costs. Checked against each state’s own statute in November 2026.
General information only, not legal advice. Duties and penalties checked against each state’s statute — or its official fine schedule where the statute sets no dollar amount — in November 2026. Court costs and fees are extra unless the figure shown already includes them. Never brake suddenly or stop in a travel lane to comply; slow smoothly and move over only when it is safe.
When is using your phone while driving a crime?
A phone offence can be primary or secondary, and that one word decides whether an officer can stop you for the phone alone. Under a primary law, seeing you type is reason enough; under a secondary law the officer needs another reason first — speeding, a broken light — and the phone citation rides along. The distinction matters in a surprising number of places: Missouri and Nebraska wrote their bans as secondary offenses, and the Alabama and Colorado laws work that way in practice because the ticket also requires careless driving.
The red-light question
The moment every driver asks about is the red light. In most hands-free states the answer is no — the ban covers being stopped in traffic, and several statutes say so in words. But not everywhere: Arizona’s ban switches off at a red light, Louisiana’s counts a signal stop as lawfully parked, and bans written to apply only while the vehicle is in motion pause while you are stopped. It is the clearest example of why this lookup exists — the honest answer is ‘it depends on the state,’ and your state above gives you its version.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a texting ban and a hands-free law?
A texting ban only stops you typing, sending or reading messages — in states with nothing more, holding the phone for a call is still legal. A hands-free law goes further: the phone cannot be in your hand at all while you drive, for any purpose. About half the states now have a full hands-free law; the rest have texting bans of varying strength, and Montana has no statewide ban at all.
What do primary and secondary enforcement mean?
A primary offense means an officer can stop you for that alone — seeing you text is enough. A secondary offense means the officer must first have another reason to stop you, and can only add the phone citation on top. Missouri and Nebraska enforce their phone bans as secondary offenses; Alabama’s and Colorado’s laws work that way in practice, because the citation also requires careless or impaired driving.
Can I use my phone at a red light?
In most hands-free states, no — the law covers being stopped in traffic, and states like Connecticut, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Oregon and Washington say so expressly. A few differ: Arizona’s ban does not apply stopped at a red light, Louisiana’s statute counts a signal stop as lawfully stationary, and bans written to apply only while the vehicle is in motion (Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas) pause while you are stopped. Your state’s result above reflects its own rule.
Is holding the phone to look at a map or GPS legal?
Generally only if the phone is mounted and you touch it no more than your state allows — many hands-free states permit a single tap or swipe to activate a function. Picking the phone up to check directions counts as operating it in California, whose courts have said so expressly, and breaks the holding bans elsewhere. Set your navigation before you move off.
What are the rules for teenage drivers?
Stricter, almost everywhere. Many states ban drivers under 18 — or on permits, probationary and graduated licenses — from using a phone at all, even hands-free; Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas are examples. Indiana’s total ban runs to under-21 probationary drivers, New Jersey’s to under-21 GDL holders, and New York enforces its rule on junior drivers through license suspension. The usual exception is calling 911.
How much is a first ticket?
Anywhere from $25 (New Mexico, Kentucky) to several hundred dollars once higher tiers and points bite. Common first fines: $50 in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, $75–$149 in Arizona, $100 in Iowa and West Virginia, $136 total in Washington, and $200–$400 in New Jersey. Several states also dismiss a first charge if you prove you bought a hands-free device.
Keep reading
- Move Over Laws by State — what you must do beside a stopped vehicle, and the fine, in every state.
- Know Your Rights Quiz — what an officer can and cannot do at a traffic stop, tested against the Supreme Court cases.
- Speed Limits by State — maximum limits for cars on rural interstates, urban freeways and other roads.
- Recording Consent Laws by State — whether recording a stop or a call needs one party’s consent or everyone’s.