State AV Laws & Regulations

Autonomous vehicle regulations vary wildly across the US. Some states actively court AV companies; others require police escorts for testing. Here's the landscape.

29+

States with AV laws

10+

States with commercial deployment

2011

First AV law (Nevada)

Federal AV laws passed

State	Status	Testing	Deployment	Since	Notes
Arizona	Full Framework	✅	✅	2015	Executive order from Gov. Ducey (2015/2018). Waymo operates commercially in Phoenix/Scottsdale. No specific AV legislation but permissive regulatory environment.
California	Full Framework	✅	✅	2012	Most active testing state. DMV issues AV testing permits. Requires disengagement reports. Cruise permit suspended Oct 2023.
Colorado	Legislation	✅	✅	2017	SB 213 (2017). Allows AV operation on public roads.
Florida	Full Framework	✅	✅	2019	HB 311 (2019) allows AV operation without a human driver. Pre-empts local regulations.
Georgia	Legislation	✅	✅	2017	HB 472 (2017). Allows AV operation. Limited reporting requirements.
Illinois	Testing Allowed	✅	❌	2019	SB 2688 testing framework. Argo AI tested in Chicago. Limited deployment rules.
Massachusetts	Testing Allowed	✅	❌	2016	Executive order (2016). City-by-city testing approval required. nuTonomy tested in Boston.
Michigan	Full Framework	✅	✅	2016	SB 995-998 (2016). Allows commercial AV networks. Strong auto industry influence.
Nevada	Full Framework	✅	✅	2011	First state to authorize AV testing (2011). AB 511. Requires human operator or remote monitoring.
New York	Restricted	✅	❌	2017	Section 396-c Vehicle and Traffic Law. Testing requires state police escort. Very restrictive — one of the hardest states for AV testing.
Ohio	Testing Allowed	✅	❌	2018	Executive order (2018). DriveOhio initiative. Testing corridors established.
Pennsylvania	Testing Allowed	✅	❌	2016	PennDOT issues testing permits. Uber/Aurora tested in Pittsburgh. Executive order framework.
Texas	Full Framework	✅	✅	2017	SB 2205 (2017) allows AVs without a driver. No permit required. Very permissive.
Virginia	Full Framework	✅	✅	2020	HB 2016 (2020). Allows fully autonomous vehicles. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute active in testing.
Washington	Testing Allowed	✅	❌	2017	Executive order. Self-certification for testing. Limited commercial deployment framework.

⚠️ No Federal AV Law

As of 2026, no comprehensive federal autonomous vehicle legislation has been passed. The AV START Act and SELF DRIVE Act both stalled in Congress. NHTSA issued an updated AV Framework in April 2025, but it's guidance — not binding law. This means AV regulation remains a patchwork of 50+ different state and local rules.