There is no national plastic bag fee or ban currently in effect in the United States. However, the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii (de facto), Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico have banned disposable bags. Over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or banning them outright, including all counties in Hawaii.
Some attempts at banning plastic shopping bags statewide (for example in Massachusetts, though , 162 of the 301 cities and towns in the state have done so) have not succeeded mainly due to plastic industry lobbying. A few jurisdictions have chosen to implement a fee-only approach to bag reduction such as Chicago, Washington, D.C. and certain counties and independent cities in Virginia. Some states, such as Florida, Arizona, and Missouri, have passed laws preventing local municipalities from passing their own bans. Some retailers have stopped using plastic bags ahead of government mandates.
Summary of plastic bag laws
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+Local laws governing plastic bag use in the United States State/Territory Jurisdiction Passage date Effective date Effect Alaska City-Borough of Anchorage Plastic bag ban, 10 cent charge for paper bags.People who use SNAP benefits are excluded from the charge. City of Bethel Plastic bag ban.City of CordovaSeptember 2014November 2015Plastic bag ban; bags are banned under 2.25 mils.City of DillinghamDecember 31, 2020Plastic bag ban. City of Homer Plastic bag ban. City of Hooper Bay Plastic bag ban. City of Kodiak Plastic bag ban. City of Palmer Plastic bag ban. City of Wasilla Plastic bag ban. City of Unalaska Plastic bag ban American SamoaTerritory-wide Plastic bag ban for all wholesale and retail businesses. CaliforniaStatewide Plastic bag ban,10 cent charge for paper or reusable plastic* bags. A complete ban on retail plastic bags, regardless of thickness, went into effect on January 1, 2026. Restaurants are exempt from the ban on plastic bags.All local ordinances, listed below, supersede this legislation. ColoradoStatewideJuly 2021January 2024Plastic bag ban for large retailers; 10 cent charge for paper bags. A higher fee may be adopted by the municipality or county in which the store is located. City of Aspen Plastic bag ban for large retailers; 20 cent charge for paper bags.Town of AvonPlastic bag ban; 10 cent tax on paper bags. City of Boulder Plastic bag ban; 10 cent charge for paper bags. City of Carbondale Plastic bag ban for large retailers; 20 cent charge for paper bags. Town of Crested Butte Plastic bag ban. Paper bags must contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled paper content. City of Denver 10 cent charge.City of Fort CollinsApril 7, 2021May 1, 2022Plastic bag ban at grocers with more than 10,000 square feet.Town of RidgwayDecember 12, 2018 Plastic bag ban; bags are banned under 2.25 mils. Town of Telluride Plastic bag ban; 10 cent charge for paper bags. ConnecticutStatewide Plastic bag ban. Town of Greenwich Plastic bag ban. Sunsets in 3 years. Paper bags must contain 40% post-consumer content and no old-growth fiber. Town of Norwalk Plastic bag ban. Town of Westport Plastic bag ban. Defines acceptable "recyclable paper bag" alternatives. Delaware Statewide Plastic bag ban applies to large stores (7,000 square feet or larger) and chains with 3 stores each larger than 3,000 square feet. Paper and reusable bags have a 10¢ fee. Compostable bags allowed. District of Columbia District-wide Minimum 5 cent fee for plastic bags. Georgia City of South Fulton Single-use plastic bag ban. GuamTerritory-wide Plastic bag ban. Hawaii Hawaii County Ban on compostable and non-compostable plastic checkout bags. Allows plastic bags at least 3 mils. Honolulu City and County Bill 10 in 2010 banned some plastic checkout bags but allowed biodegradable bags. Bill 38 in 2014 banned biodegradable plastic checkout bags but allowed compostable plastic bags. Plastic bags still allowed for carrying food and drinks, plastic bags at least 2.25 mils allowed. Kauaʻi County Ban on plastic checkout bags made with fossil fuels. Biodegradable bags allowed. Maui County Ban on compostable and non-compostable plastic checkout bags. Allows plastic bags at least 3 mils. Illinois City of Batavia 10-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags in stores with at least 5,000 square feet. No fees for bags used to package bulk items, produce, or for prescription drugs. There are some other exceptions. Chicago Plastic and paper bags from retailers are taxed 15-cents per bag. Tax does not apply to bags with a retail price of at least 50¢.Chicago repealed the ban it had passed April 30, 2014, that went into effect starting August 1, 2015. Reusable bags were defined as being at least 2.25 mils. The bag tax was initially 7-cents before being raised to the 10-cent tax on January 1, 2025. It was raised again to 15 cents on January 1, 2026. City of EdwardsvilleApril 1, 2020July 12, 202110-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags in stores with at least 7000 square feet.City of ElginMarch 11, 2026June 1, 2027Ban on single-use plastic bags at applicable retail establishments. 10-cent fee for paper bags. Restaurants, gas stations, pop-ups, and small non-chain stores are exempt from the ban. City of Evanston Ban on single-use plastic bags in all retail stores with at least 10,000 square feet, except for produce bags made of compostable plastic; $0.10 tax on remaining bag types at large retail stores, with some exceptions.