No U.S. state currently allows you to drive at an unlimited speed on any public road, so the honest answer to what states have no speed limit is: none, with two asterisks. Hawaii has no statewide speed-limit statute, but counties and the state transportation director post enforceable limits everywhere, and the highest of them is just 60 mph. Montana ran a genuine no-numerical-limit experiment on rural daytime highways in the late 1990s, and its own supreme court shut it down. The fastest legal speed anywhere in the country today is 85 mph, on a single toll road segment in Texas.
Hawaii Has No Statewide Speed Limit Statute
Hawaii is the only state whose code contains no list of statutory speed limits. Authority is delegated instead: county governments set limits by ordinance on local roads, and the director of transportation posts limits on state highways.1NHTSA. Summary of State Speed Laws – Twelfth Edition That structural quirk is sometimes described as Hawaii having “no speed limit,” which is misleading in practice.
Exceeding the applicable posted limit is a civil infraction carrying fines up to $500, plus a $10 surcharge, when a driver goes more than 10 mph over.2Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes 291C-102 – Noncompliance With Speed Limit Prohibited Driving 30 mph or more over any posted limit, or 80 mph regardless of the limit, is a separate criminal offense. And because of Hawaii’s geography, the highest posted speed in the state is 60 mph, found on portions of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway (Saddle Road) on the Big Island. Drivers in Hawaii face some of the lowest actual speed limits in the country.
Montana Tried It and the Courts Ended It
Montana is the one state that actually operated without a numerical daytime speed limit on rural highways in modern memory. After Congress repealed the federal 55 mph cap in 1995, Montana reverted to a longstanding “reasonable and prudent” rule. Drivers were required to travel at a speed “no greater than is reasonable and proper under the conditions existing at the point of operation,” factoring in traffic, road surface, grade, and visibility.3Montana State Legislature. Montana Code Annotated 1997 61-8-303 – Speed Restrictions – Basic Rule Nighttime limits of 55 mph on two-lane roads and 65 mph on interstates stayed in place.
The system lasted about three years. Officers had to prove that a given speed was unreasonable for conditions, and judges disagreed on what that meant. In 1998, the Montana Supreme Court struck down the standard in State v. Stanko, holding that criminalizing speeds exceeding what is “reasonable and proper” violated due process because drivers had no clear notice of what was illegal.4FindLaw. State v. Stanko The legislature responded with a 75 mph numerical cap, later raised to 80 mph on interstates, which remains Montana’s law today.5Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits
Arizona Is Considering a Limited Return
One active proposal would come closer to “no speed limit” than anything since Montana. Arizona House Bill 2059, introduced in December 2025 and known as the RAPID Act (Reasonable and Prudent Interstate Driving), would authorize the Arizona Department of Transportation to designate “derestricted speed zones” on qualifying rural interstates. Non-commercial vehicles could drive without a numerical cap during daylight hours on those segments. An 80 mph limit would still apply at night.6Arizona Legislature. Reasonable and Prudent Interstate Driving (RAPID) Act
The bill contemplates a one-year pilot on a segment of Interstate 8, with annual safety audits, enforcement coordination with the Department of Public Safety, and a public education campaign on lane discipline and passing. ADOT would use engineering studies, safety records, and highway design standards to pick qualifying segments. As of early 2026, the bill has been introduced but not passed. Arizona still enforces conventional numerical speed limits on all its roads.
Where You Can Legally Drive Fastest Right Now
If the real question is where the posted ceiling is highest, the answer is Texas. A stretch of State Highway 130, a toll road built to route traffic around Austin, carries an 85 mph limit. It is the only 85 mph zone in the United States, authorized because the road was engineered for that speed from the start.5Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Maximum Posted Speed Limits
Eight other states allow 80 mph on designated rural interstate segments:
- Idaho, on specific segments approved through engineering and traffic investigation
- Montana, on rural interstates (70 mph for trucks)
- Nevada, on rural interstates
- North Dakota, on rural interstates
- Oklahoma, on turnpike portions approved by the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
- South Dakota, on both rural and urban interstates
- Utah, on specific freeway and limited-access highway segments
- Wyoming, on specific segments of both rural and urban interstates
These 80 mph zones share common features: long sight lines, low population density, flat or gently rolling terrain, and relatively low traffic volume. States generally require an engineering study confirming the higher speed is safe before posting it.
Why “No Limit” Is Harder Than It Sounds
Even if a state removed its numerical ceiling, two other legal structures would still constrain how fast you could drive.
Absolute Limits Dominate
Most states use absolute speed limits. The posted number is the legal ceiling, and 1 mph over is technically a violation regardless of weather, traffic, or road conditions. There is no “I was driving safely” defense. An officer with a radar reading above the posted number has all the evidence needed.
Prima Facie Limits Leave a Door Open
A smaller number of states use prima facie limits on at least some roads. The posted speed creates a presumption that going faster is unsafe, but a driver can rebut that presumption by showing the speed was reasonable for conditions. The burden of proof shifts to you, and judges are not always sympathetic, but the legal door is open in a way that absolute limits do not allow.
Basic Speed Laws Set a Floor Beneath the Ceiling
Nearly every state also has a basic speed law requiring drivers to travel at a speed reasonable for current conditions, even if that means well below the posted limit.7West Virginia Legislature. Speed Limitations Generally – Penalty Rain, fog, ice, heavy traffic, construction, and poor visibility can all create a legal obligation to slow down. You can get a ticket for driving the posted limit during a blizzard if an officer determines your speed was unsafe. This is where the old “reasonable and prudent” idea still lives in modern law, not as a standalone rule but as a floor beneath the posted ceiling. It is also exactly the vagueness problem that killed Montana’s experiment, which is why no legislature has rushed to try it again.
When Speeding Becomes a Crime
If you are asking about no-limit states because you want to drive very fast, know where the line into criminal territory sits. Most speeding tickets are civil infractions with fines and license points. Push far enough past the posted limit and the charge changes to a criminal one. Most states use broad language about “willful or wanton disregard” for safety, leaving the call to officers and prosecutors. A few states draw bright lines:
- Virginia: 20 mph or more over the limit, or any speed exceeding 85 mph, is automatically reckless driving, a criminal misdemeanor.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-862 – Exceeding Speed Limit
- Connecticut: faster than 85 mph on any covered road is automatic reckless driving.
- Delaware: 90 mph or greater is a separate criminal offense.
- New Hampshire: 100 mph or more qualifies as reckless driving.
- Utah: 105 mph or more constitutes willful or wanton disregard for safety.
Virginia’s threshold catches the most drivers off guard. On a 70 mph interstate, 90 mph is a criminal charge rather than a simple ticket. A reckless driving conviction can mean jail time, a criminal record visible to employers, and license suspension. Even on the Texas 85 mph toll road, driving fast enough to clear that posted limit by much puts you into territory that any state would treat as serious.