The highest speed limit in each state ranges from 85 mph on a single stretch of Texas toll road down to 60 mph in Hawaii. Eight states allow 80 mph on some highways, ten cap out at 75, and 22 sit at 70. The rest fall at 65 or below. Every state sets its own ceiling, a power the states have held since Congress repealed the national maximum speed limit in 1995.
Texas: The Only State at 85 mph
Texas stands alone. Under Section 545.353 of the Texas Transportation Code, the Texas Transportation Commission can authorize speed limits up to 85 mph on highways engineered for that speed, provided a traffic and engineering study confirms the limit is reasonable and safe.1Texas Legislature. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 545 – Operation and Movement of Vehicles That authority currently applies only to segments 5 and 6 of State Highway 130, a toll road that bypasses Austin and San Antonio.2Texas Department of Transportation. Procedures for Establishing Speed Zones – Higher Maximum Speed Limit The base rural interstate limit in the rest of Texas is 75 mph, with some segments posted at 80.
States That Allow 80 mph
Eight states allow speeds up to 80 mph, all of them in the West or upper Great Plains: Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.3Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits North Dakota is the newest addition, having raised its interstate limit to 80 mph in August 2025. In several of these states the 80 mph limit applies only to designated rural interstate segments rather than every stretch of highway. Idaho and Wyoming also post 80 mph on some urban interstate stretches.
These high limits reflect the terrain: long sight lines, few interchanges, and relatively light traffic. Montana’s 80 mph applies to passenger vehicles on rural interstates, while trucks are capped at 70 mph on the same roads.
States That Cap at 75 mph
Ten states top out at 75 mph: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Washington.3Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits Most of these limits appear only on rural interstates, though Kansas and Maine also allow 75 mph on urban interstates and other limited-access highways. Michigan and Washington reach 75 only on specified road segments, with their statewide defaults at 70 mph.
Geographically this tier stretches from northern Maine to the New Mexico desert. State transportation departments generally justify a 75 mph posting through engineering studies and the 85th-percentile rule, which sets the limit near the speed most drivers naturally choose under good conditions.
States That Cap at 70 mph
The 70 mph group is the largest, covering 22 states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.3Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits Some of these states hit 70 only on specified segments. Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Oregon have base rural interstate limits of 65 mph, with 70 mph posted on certain corridors. California tops out at 70 for passenger cars on rural interstates but restricts trucks to 55 mph on the same roads.
The tier covers much of the East Coast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, where heavier traffic, more frequent interchanges, and older road designs work against the higher limits used out West. Virginia’s code, for instance, caps the maximum at 70 mph even on interstates and divided highways, and requires a traffic engineering study before any road can be posted that high.4Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia – Article 8 Speed
Georgia adds a wrinkle within this group. Anyone ticketed for driving 75 mph or faster on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or faster on any other road, pays an additional $200 state fee under the Super Speeder law, on top of the original fine.5Georgia.gov. Pay a Super Speeder Fine
States at 65 mph and Below
Nine states and the District of Columbia sit at 65 mph or lower. Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont all max out at 65 mph on their fastest highways.3Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits Hawaii has the lowest maximum in the country at 60 mph, partly because its limits are set through county ordinances and the state director of transportation rather than a single statewide statute. The District of Columbia caps speeds at 55 mph, with residential streets limited to 25.
These lower ceilings reflect some mix of dense development, older infrastructure, frequent curves, and shorter distances between exits. Vermont’s non-interstate roads drop as low as 50 mph even outside urban areas, and Rhode Island limits other limited-access roads to 55 mph.
When Trucks Have a Different Limit
Several states set lower limits for heavy commercial vehicles than for passenger cars on the same road. California has the widest split, with cars at 70 mph on rural interstates and trucks limited to 55. Other states with truck-specific differentials include Arkansas (70 versus 75), Indiana (65 versus 70), Michigan (65 versus 70 or 75), Montana (70 versus 80), Oregon (55 versus 65, or 65 versus 70 on specified segments), and Washington (60 versus 70 on urban interstates).3Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits
The safety case for split limits is contested. A federal study on differential speed limits found earlier research “inconclusive,” with some data showing no difference in crash rates and other data favoring one approach over the other.6Federal Highway Administration. The Safety Impacts of Differential Speed Limits on Rural Interstate Highways Critics argue that large gaps between car and truck speeds create more lane-changing and raise the risk of sideswipe collisions. Supporters point to the longer stopping distance of a fully loaded truck.
Crossing State Lines With a Ticket
A speeding ticket in another state usually follows you home. Through the Driver License Compact, most states share information about traffic violations by out-of-state drivers, and your home state then treats the offense as if it happened locally. That can mean points on your license, higher insurance premiums, or both.7The Council of State Governments. Driver License Compact The compact covers moving violations like speeding but generally excludes non-moving offenses such as parking tickets.
The change in limits at a state line matters more than many drivers notice. Driving 80 mph on a South Dakota interstate is legal, but the same speed after crossing into a state posted at 65 creates real exposure. In Arizona, exceeding the posted limit by more than 20 mph elevates a standard ticket to criminal speeding, a class 3 misdemeanor.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 28-701.02 – Excessive Speeds Classification Enough points from multiple violations within a 12-month period can trigger a license suspension in most states, commonly at 12 or more points.