Live tracker · Official governor, revenue department and White House orders + EIA fuel tax table · Last updated October 6, 2026
Orders verified: October 6, 2026, each on the official .gov page linked in the table. Tax rates: EIA, rates in effect July 1, 2026 (Updated July 2026 (revised August 2026)). Diesel prices: EIA, week of September 28, 2026.
Which states have a fuel tax holiday right now? Georgia and Ohio have suspended state diesel and gas taxes. Ohio’s 47-cent diesel tax is down to $0.0001 a gallon through Jan 2, 2027. Georgia’s holiday runs through Oct 29. 10 more states (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas) let farmers, loggers or other haulers run dyed diesel, which is normally off-road only and usually skips road taxes. Every row below links to the official order and was checked by hand on October 6, 2026.
Key findings
- 12 states have acted on diesel since Sep 23, 2026. 2 suspended their diesel tax (Georgia, Ohio) and 10 waived dyed-diesel rules (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas).
- Ohio’s holiday is the biggest diesel cut. 47 cents a gallon off from Oct 4 through Jan 2, or $117.47 on a 250-gallon fill. At 2024 usage, that’s about $187 million on transportation diesel and $442 million on gasoline. Modeled
- Georgia’s holiday takes 37.3 cents a gallon off diesel. That’s $93.25 per 250-gallon fill. Over the Sep 29 to Oct 29 holiday that’s about $178 million across diesel and gasoline. Modeled
- The federal diesel tax is 24.4 cents. That’s $61.00 per 250-gallon fill. An Oct 5 presidential action orders Treasury to defer it, where the law allows, for dyed diesel used on highways through Dec 31, 2026.
- Normal state diesel taxes range from 8.9 cents (Alaska) to 92.9 cents (California). The state average is 35.9 cents. Add federal tax and a 250-gallon fill carries $83 to $293 in tax.
- The first relief ends Oct 22, 2026. That’s Louisiana. Georgia, Arkansas and Missouri follow by Oct 30, 2026. Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma set no firm end date.
Every fuel tax holiday and dyed-diesel waiver, with official sources
Click a column header to sort. “Status” is based on today’s date and the dates in each order. If a governor extends or ends an order early, we update the row after checking the new order.
| State | Type | What changed | Who qualifies | Starts | Ends | Status | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | Federal dyed-diesel relief | Directs Treasury to defer, where the law allows, the federal tax owed on dyed diesel used on highways (26 U.S.C. 4041) for Oct 5 to Dec 31, 2026, and directs the IRS to announce it will not impose dyed-fuel penalties under 26 U.S.C. 6715 for highway use in that period. Treasury guidance will set the specific relief and conditions. Presidential action, "Emergency Tax Relief on Diesel Fuel" | Taxpayers Treasury finds eligible; IRS guidance pending. State rules still apply. | Oct 5, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Active | whitehouse.gov |
| Georgia | Diesel tax suspended | State motor fuel excise suspended on gasoline, clear diesel and other motor fuels (12:01 a.m. Sep 29 to 11:59 p.m. Oct 29). Local and prepaid local sales taxes still apply. Executive Order 09.28.26.01 | Everyone buying motor fuel in Georgia | Sep 29, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 | Active | Georgia Department of Revenue |
| Ohio | Diesel tax suspended | Motor fuel tax cut from 38.5 cents (gasoline) and 47 cents (diesel) to $0.0001 a gallon, 12:01 a.m. Oct 4, 2026 to 11:59 p.m. Jan 2, 2027. Retailers must pass the savings through. 90-day motor fuel tax holiday (state law) | Everyone buying motor fuel in Ohio | Oct 4, 2026 | Jan 2, 2027 | Active | Ohio Department of Taxation |
| Alabama | Dyed-diesel waiver | ALEA told to halt enforcement on dyed diesel for 120 days, effective immediately. The governor also asked the Department of Revenue to seek federal relief. Governor's directive to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency | Aimed at agriculture and timber | Sep 24, 2026 | Not stated (120 days ≈ Jan 22, 2027, our count) | Active | Office of the Governor of Alabama |
| Arkansas | Dyed-diesel waiver | Farmers and loggers may use tax-free dyed diesel on highways. Executive Order 26-15 (state of emergency) | Farmers and loggers (agriculture and forestry operations) | Sep 30, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | Active | Office of the Governor of Arkansas |
| Indiana | Dyed-diesel waiver | Farmers and timber harvesters may use dyed diesel in any vehicle hauling farm and timber products, for the length of the energy emergency (now through Nov 4). Separately, Indiana's Gasoline Use Tax and Gasoline Excise Tax are suspended through Nov 4. Diesel taxes are not suspended. Governor's executive order suspending special fuel restrictions (energy emergency renewed Oct 6) | Farmers and timber harvesters only | Sep 30, 2026 | Nov 4, 2026 | Active | Indiana Department of Revenue |
| Louisiana | Dyed-diesel waiver | Penalties waived for using dyed diesel on highways in Class 2 and Class 5 vehicles, as long as Louisiana's 20-cent state excise is paid. Executive Order JML 26-090; LDR Revenue Information Bulletin 26-018 | Class 2 and Class 5 vehicles; state excise still owed | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 | Active | Louisiana Department of Revenue |
| Missouri | Dyed-diesel waiver | State of emergency declared; red-dye diesel restrictions suspended until Oct 30, 2026. Executive Order 26-19 (state of emergency) | Highway-registered vehicles used only for agricultural purposes (harvest, field-to-storage and market hauls of crops, livestock and commodities), per the full order text | Sep 30, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | Active | Office of the Governor of Missouri |
| Nebraska | Dyed-diesel waiver | Dyed diesel allowed in highway vehicles hauling Nebraska agricultural products for 90 days. Refund claims go through Form 84AG. Federal penalties were not waived by the state order. Executive Order 26-21, Agricultural Diesel Fuel Supply | Vehicles transporting Nebraska agricultural products | Sep 24, 2026 | Dec 23, 2026 | Active | Nebraska Department of Revenue |
| North Carolina | Dyed-diesel waiver | NCDOR told to give penalty relief for highway use of red-dye diesel through the end of 2026. Governor's directive to the N.C. Department of Revenue | Aimed at farmers | Sep 30, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Active | Office of the Governor of North Carolina |
| North Dakota | Dyed-diesel waiver | Dyed diesel allowed in licensed motor vehicles used for agricultural operations. Dyed diesel is taxed at 4 cents in North Dakota versus 23 cents for clear diesel. Federal tax is not covered by the state order. Executive order with diesel emergency declaration | Licensed vehicles used in agricultural operations | Sep 29, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 | Active | Office of the Governor of North Dakota |
| Oklahoma | Dyed-diesel waiver | Letter to the Tax Commission, Department of Public Safety and Corporation Commission ordering a 120-day pause in dyed-diesel enforcement for farm vehicles. Governor's letter to state agencies (not an executive order) | Farm vehicles | Sep 28, 2026 | Not stated (120 days ≈ Jan 26, 2027, our count) | Active | Office of the Governor of Oklahoma |
| Texas | Dyed-diesel waiver | Suspends state dyed-diesel restrictions and penalties (Tax Code 162.231, .232, .233, .235, .402(a)(6), .403(6)-(7)). Also allows 95,000-lb loads for fuel, farm and timber hauls and suspends TxLED to the extent EPA allows. The underlying fuel tax is not waived. Disaster proclamation (fuel emergency), filed Sep 28, 2026 | Statewide, per the proclamation | Sep 28, 2026 | No end date stated | Active | Office of the Texas Governor |
| Illinois | Tax increase frozen | Scheduled July 1 inflation increase skipped. Diesel stays at $0.558 a gallon and gasoline at $0.483 through Dec 31, 2026. Public Act 104-0468 (signed June 16, 2026) | Everyone buying motor fuel in Illinois | Jul 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Active | Illinois Department of Revenue |
| Kentucky | Tax increase frozen | Gas and diesel excise held at fiscal 2025-26 rates instead of rising July 1: 26.4 cents total state tax on gasoline, 23.4 cents on diesel. Lasts until the end of the Iran war or until gas drops below $3 a gallon, whichever is later. Emergency regulation 103 KAR 43:341E | Everyone buying motor fuel in Kentucky | Jul 1, 2026 | No end date stated | Active | Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (regulation text) |
| Indiana | Gas-only tax cut | Gasoline Use Tax (since Apr 8) and Gasoline Excise Tax (since May 6) suspended statewide through Nov 4. Diesel is not included. Energy emergency executive orders | Gasoline buyers | Apr 8, 2026 | Nov 4, 2026 | Active | Indiana Department of Revenue |
| Utah | Gas-only tax cut | Motor fuel (gasoline) tax cut from 37.9 cents to 31.9 cents. Special fuel (diesel) stays at 37.9 cents. HB 575 (2026) | Gasoline buyers | Jul 1, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | Active | Utah State Tax Commission |
Also checked, no statewide fuel tax suspension or dyed-diesel waiver found: South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Tennessee, Montana, South Carolina, Minnesota, Florida. No statewide fuel tax suspension or dyed-diesel waiver found on these states' governor or revenue websites in our Oct 6, 2026 check. Not finding one is not proof that none exists.
Download the relief orders (CSV)When each state’s diesel relief ends
Most of this relief is short. The dyed-diesel waivers in Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri end in October unless governors renew them. Ohio’s holiday, Oct 4 through Jan 2, is the longest fixed window. Texas used a disaster proclamation with no end date in the text. Alabama and Oklahoma described 120-day pauses without naming an end date, so the dates shown for them are our own count.
Diesel tax in every state
These are normal rates as of July 1, 2026, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). They include state excise and per-gallon fees but not local taxes or sales taxes charged as a percent of price. The “holiday savings” column shows what an active state tax suspension takes off a 250-gallon fill.
| State | Relief now | State diesel tax, per gal. | State + federal | Tax on a 250-gal. fill | Holiday savings per fill | Tax share of a fill at this week’s price | One month of state diesel tax Modeled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Dyed-diesel waiver | 32.8¢ | 57.1¢ | $142.88 | none | 9.6% | $25 million |
| Alaska | None tracked | 8.9¢ | 33.4¢ | $83.38 | none | 5.0% | $2 million |
| Arizona | None tracked | 19.0¢ | 43.4¢ | $108.50 | none | 6.5% | $15 million |
| Arkansas | Dyed-diesel waiver | 28.8¢ | 53.2¢ | $133.00 | none | 8.9% | $16 million |
| California | None tracked | 92.9¢ | 117.3¢ | $293.35 | none | 14.3% | $244 million |
| Colorado | None tracked | 35.7¢ | 60.1¢ | $150.19 | none | 9.4% | $18 million |
| Connecticut | None tracked | 49.9¢ | 74.3¢ | $185.75 | none | 11.4% | $10 million |
| Delaware | None tracked | 22.0¢ | 46.4¢ | $116.00 | none | 7.1% | $1 million |
| District of Columbia | None tracked | 35.7¢ | 60.1¢ | $150.25 | none | 9.2% | $0.5 million |
| Florida | No action found | 41.0¢ | 65.4¢ | $163.43 | none | 11.0% | $67 million |
| Georgia | Diesel tax suspended | 38.0¢ | 62.5¢ | $156.12 | $93.25 | 10.5% | $44 million |
| Hawaii | None tracked | 18.5¢ | 42.9¢ | $107.25 | none | 6.5% | $1 million |
| Idaho | None tracked | 33.0¢ | 57.4¢ | $143.50 | none | 9.0% | $11 million |
| Illinois | Tax increase frozen | 79.2¢ | 103.6¢ | $259.00 | none | 15.9% | $103 million |
| Indiana | Dyed-diesel waiver; Gas-only tax cut | 64.0¢ | 88.4¢ | $221.00 | none | 13.5% | $66 million |
| Iowa | No action found | 32.5¢ | 56.9¢ | $142.25 | none | 8.7% | $19 million |
| Kansas | No action found | 27.0¢ | 51.4¢ | $128.57 | none | 7.9% | $15 million |
| Kentucky | Tax increase frozen | 23.4¢ | 47.8¢ | $119.50 | none | 7.3% | $17 million |
| Louisiana | Dyed-diesel waiver | 20.9¢ | 45.3¢ | $113.31 | none | 7.6% | $18 million |
| Maine | None tracked | 32.0¢ | 56.4¢ | $140.90 | none | 8.7% | $5 million |
| Maryland | None tracked | 47.7¢ | 72.1¢ | $180.15 | none | 11.0% | $19 million |
| Massachusetts | None tracked | 27.6¢ | 52.0¢ | $129.90 | none | 8.0% | $9 million |
| Michigan | None tracked | 53.4¢ | 77.8¢ | $194.50 | none | 11.9% | $38 million |
| Minnesota | No action found | 32.7¢ | 57.1¢ | $142.75 | none | 8.7% | $19 million |
| Mississippi | No action found | 24.4¢ | 48.8¢ | $122.00 | none | 8.2% | $15 million |
| Missouri | Dyed-diesel waiver | 30.0¢ | 54.4¢ | $135.98 | none | 8.3% | $23 million |
| Montana | No action found | 30.5¢ | 54.9¢ | $137.25 | none | 8.6% | $7 million |
| Nebraska | Dyed-diesel waiver | 32.1¢ | 56.5¢ | $141.25 | none | 8.7% | $15 million |
| Nevada | None tracked | 27.8¢ | 52.2¢ | $130.38 | none | 7.9% | $9 million |
| New Hampshire | None tracked | 23.7¢ | 48.1¢ | $120.36 | none | 7.4% | $2 million |
| New Jersey | None tracked | 56.1¢ | 80.5¢ | $201.38 | none | 12.3% | $36 million |
| New Mexico | None tracked | 22.9¢ | 47.3¢ | $118.19 | none | 7.9% | $12 million |
| New York | None tracked | 22.4¢ | 46.8¢ | $116.94 | none | 7.2% | $25 million |
| North Carolina | Dyed-diesel waiver | 41.2¢ | 65.6¢ | $164.12 | none | 11.0% | $37 million |
| North Dakota | Dyed-diesel waiver | 23.0¢ | 47.4¢ | $118.56 | none | 7.3% | $6 million |
| Ohio | Diesel tax suspended | 47.0¢ | 71.4¢ | $178.50 | $117.47 | 10.9% | $63 million |
| Oklahoma | Dyed-diesel waiver | 20.0¢ | 44.4¢ | $111.00 | none | 6.8% | $17 million |
| Oregon | None tracked | 40.0¢ | 64.4¢ | $161.00 | none | 9.7% | $19 million |
| Pennsylvania | None tracked | 74.1¢ | 98.5¢ | $246.25 | none | 15.1% | $88 million |
| Rhode Island | None tracked | 41.1¢ | 65.5¢ | $163.80 | none | 10.1% | $3 million |
| South Carolina | No action found | 28.8¢ | 53.2¢ | $132.88 | none | 8.9% | $20 million |
| South Dakota | No action found | 30.0¢ | 54.4¢ | $136.00 | none | 8.3% | $6 million |
| Tennessee | No action found | 28.4¢ | 52.8¢ | $132.00 | none | 8.1% | $26 million |
| Texas | Dyed-diesel waiver | 20.0¢ | 44.4¢ | $111.00 | none | 7.5% | $108 million |
| Utah | Gas-only tax cut | 38.6¢ | 62.9¢ | $157.38 | none | 9.8% | $17 million |
| Vermont | None tracked | 33.0¢ | 57.4¢ | $143.50 | none | 8.8% | $2 million |
| Virginia | None tracked | 43.5¢ | 67.9¢ | $169.75 | none | 11.4% | $39 million |
| Washington | None tracked | 63.2¢ | 87.6¢ | $218.92 | none | 13.2% | $41 million |
| West Virginia | None tracked | 35.7¢ | 60.1¢ | $150.25 | none | 10.1% | $12 million |
| Wisconsin | None tracked | 32.9¢ | 57.3¢ | $143.25 | none | 8.8% | $21 million |
| Wyoming | None tracked | 24.0¢ | 48.4¢ | $121.00 | none | 7.6% | $8 million |
Federal diesel tax: 24.4 cents a gallon. Tax share uses EIA’s regional retail diesel price for the week of September 28, 2026. “One month of state diesel tax” = 2024 transportation diesel gallons ÷ 12 × state diesel tax, a rough size of what a one-month diesel holiday would cost the state (Texas: $108 million; California: $244 million).
Download the state tax data (CSV)
What it means for your business
A tax holiday is simple: if you buy fuel in Ohio or Georgia during the holiday, the state tax is gone from the pump price. Dyed-diesel waivers are narrower, and getting them wrong is expensive.
- Trucking and hauling. If you fuel in Ohio, you save about $117.47 per 250-gallon fill until Jan 2. Keep every fuel receipt. If you run interstate under IFTA, your quarterly return is based on miles driven in each state, so ask your base state how the holiday is handled before you count the savings. Dyed-diesel waivers mostly don’t apply to general freight. See our trucking squeeze report for state trucking numbers.
- Landscaping, tree care and lawn care. Most waivers are written for farm and timber hauling. A landscaping truck usually doesn’t qualify, even in a waiver state. If you do log clearing or timber hauling, read your state’s order line by line. Use the landscaping job pricing calculator to keep fuel in your prices.
- HVAC, plumbing and cleaning. Your vans probably run on gas. Ohio and Georgia cut gasoline tax too, and Indiana suspended its gas taxes through Nov 4. Supplier fuel surcharges won’t drop overnight, so keep a fuel line in your service agreements and cleaning bids.
- Food trucks. If your generator runs on dyed diesel, that’s already legal off-road. Putting dyed diesel in the truck’s engine is a different matter, and no state order we found covers food trucks. Price events with the food truck event profit calculator.
- Farms and farm-adjacent startups. These are the businesses the waivers were written for. Check whether your state requires a specific vehicle registration (North Dakota: licensed vehicles in ag operations; Louisiana: Class 2 and 5 vehicles with state tax still paid), and whether it waives state rules only. Nebraska and North Dakota say their orders do not change federal tax or penalties, and Missouri’s order covers only state enforcement under Section 142.932, RSMo. The Oct 5 federal action addresses the federal side through Dec 31, but Treasury guidance will set the conditions, so wait for it.
Holidays end on a fixed date, and prices jump the next morning. Don’t build a quote that only works at holiday prices. For this week’s prices, see diesel and gas prices by state. For what the diesel spike costs each state overall, see the diesel shock bill by state.
How we did this
- Relief orders. We read each governor’s order, proclamation or directive, plus revenue department guidance, the White House presidential action, and Kentucky’s emergency regulation, on the official .gov site. Dates, eligible users and conditions come from those pages. Where an order gives a length but no end date (Alabama and Oklahoma, 120 days), we show our own count and label it. Every row was checked on October 6, 2026. Our refresh script also re-checks that each official link still loads.
- Tax rates. EIA, “Federal and state motor fuels taxes,” sheet “July 2026 (revised)” (Updated July 2026 (revised August 2026)): state excise, other per-gallon taxes and fees, and federal tax (24.4 cents diesel, 18.4 cents gasoline). Rates in effect July 1, 2026. Local option taxes are excluded.
- Diesel prices. EIA weekly retail on-highway diesel, API route petroleum/pri/gnd, product EPD2D, series EMD_EPD2D_PTE_[region]_DPG, week of September 28, 2026.
- Fuel volumes. EIA State Energy Data System 2024, series DFACP (transportation distillate) and MGACP (transportation motor gasoline), thousand barrels × 42,000.
Caveats
- EIA’s July table predates the Georgia and Ohio holidays, so normal rates are shown with the holiday savings in a separate column.
- Illinois’s Department of Revenue lists its diesel motor fuel tax at $0.558 through Dec 31, 2026. EIA’s table shows a $0.571 state excise for Illinois. We show EIA’s figure in the 51-state table for consistency and quote the state’s own rate in the relief table.
- Utah’s gasoline cut (HB 575) is not yet reflected in EIA’s table. Diesel in Utah is unchanged.
- Kentucky’s frozen rates (26.4 cents gasoline, 23.4 cents diesel) are what drivers pay now. They stay in place until both of the regulation’s conditions are met.
- Orders can be extended, amended or challenged. Always read the current official order before acting on it.
This page is general information, not tax or legal advice. EIA data is public domain. This page has no ads or affiliate links. Cite as: StartBusinessByState, “Fuel Tax Holidays and Dyed-Diesel Waivers by State,” updated October 6, 2026, https://startbusinessbystate.com/fuel-tax-holiday-dyed-diesel-by-state/
Related research
- Diesel and gas prices by state: this week’s EIA prices and what a year of fuel costs one work truck.
- The diesel shock bill by state: what the price spike adds to each state’s diesel spending.
- The trucking squeeze by state: trucking jobs, owner-operators and diesel costs.
- Fuel costs for mobile service businesses: a weekly fuel budget by business type.
- Disaster declarations by state: the federal declarations behind many state emergency orders.
FAQ
Which states have a gas tax holiday right now?
As of October 6, 2026, Georgia and Ohio have suspended state motor fuel taxes on both gas and diesel. Ohio’s runs through Jan 2, 2027 and Georgia’s through Oct 29, 2026. Indiana has suspended its gasoline taxes through Nov 4, but not diesel. Utah cut its gasoline tax from 37.9 to 31.9 cents for July through December, but not diesel.
What is dyed diesel, and why are states waiving the rules?
Dyed diesel is the same fuel as regular diesel with red dye added. It is sold without road taxes for off-road uses like tractors, generators and heating. Using it in a road vehicle is normally illegal. With diesel near record prices and harvest under way, states are letting farmers, loggers and some haulers run it on the road for a limited time.
Can my landscaping or construction company use dyed diesel on the road now?
Usually not. Most state waivers cover only farm and timber hauling, and several say so explicitly. Read your state’s order in the table above. If your truck is not covered, highway use can still bring state penalties. Under federal law the penalty is the greater of $1,000 or $10 a gallon, and the Oct 5 federal action relaxes that only for the period and uses that Treasury and IRS guidance covers.
Does the federal government have a diesel tax holiday?
Partly. An Oct 5, 2026 presidential action orders Treasury to defer, where the law allows, the federal tax on dyed diesel used on highways, and tells the IRS to announce it won’t charge the dyed-fuel penalty for that use, through Dec 31, 2026. Treasury guidance will spell out who qualifies. It does not cut the 24.4-cent tax on regular clear diesel at the pump.
How much does a diesel tax holiday save a trucker?
In Ohio, the 47-cent cut saves $117.47 on a 250-gallon fill. A semi that burns about 15,000 gallons a year would save about $1,757 over Ohio’s holiday, if all of its fuel were bought in Ohio. That is an example, not a measured figure. Interstate carriers who file IFTA returns should check with their base state on how the holiday affects what they owe, because IFTA taxes miles driven in each state.
How often is this tracker updated?
We check governor and revenue department sites for new orders and re-verify end dates at least weekly, and whenever a state announces a change. Tax rates come from the EIA table published each January and July. Last full check: October 6, 2026.
Last updated October 6, 2026. Orders verified October 6, 2026. Tax rates: EIA, July 1, 2026. Diesel prices: week of September 28, 2026.