diff --git a/src/server/config/schema.js b/src/server/config/schema.js
index 42f6ffc41670f30..71ad3051ede0e28 100644
--- a/src/server/config/schema.js
+++ b/src/server/config/schema.js
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ export default async () => Joi.object({
         then: Joi.default(!process.stdout.isTTY),
         otherwise: Joi.default(true)
       }),
-    useUTC: Joi.boolean().default(true),
+    timezone: Joi.string().allow(false).default('UTC')
   }).default(),
 
   ops: Joi.object({
diff --git a/src/server/config/transform_deprecations.js b/src/server/config/transform_deprecations.js
index 44571cee6c58dbc..21092817f80cf9a 100644
--- a/src/server/config/transform_deprecations.js
+++ b/src/server/config/transform_deprecations.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 import _, { partial } from 'lodash';
 import { createTransform, Deprecations } from '../../deprecation';
+import { unset, set } from '../utils';
 
 const { rename, unused } = Deprecations;
 
@@ -55,6 +56,15 @@ const rewriteBasePath = (settings, log) => {
   }
 };
 
+const loggingTimezone = (settings, log) => {
+  if (_.has(settings, 'logging.useUTC')) {
+    const timezone = settings.logging.useUTC ? 'UTC' : false;
+    set('logging.timezone', timezone);
+    unset(settings, 'logging.UTC');
+    log(`Config key "logging.useUTC" is deprecated. It has been replaced with "logging.timezone"`);
+  }
+};
+
 const deprecations = [
   //server
   rename('server.ssl.cert', 'server.ssl.certificate'),
@@ -68,6 +78,7 @@ const deprecations = [
   serverSslEnabled,
   savedObjectsIndexCheckTimeout,
   rewriteBasePath,
+  loggingTimezone,
 ];
 
 export const transformDeprecations = createTransform(deprecations);
diff --git a/src/server/logging/configuration.js b/src/server/logging/configuration.js
index beec30b54bccbfb..59019ad8731290d 100644
--- a/src/server/logging/configuration.js
+++ b/src/server/logging/configuration.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ export default function loggingConfiguration(config) {
         config: {
           json: config.get('logging.json'),
           dest: config.get('logging.dest'),
-          useUTC: config.get('logging.useUTC'),
+          timezone: config.get('logging.timezone'),
 
           // I'm adding the default here because if you add another filter
           // using the commandline it will remove authorization. I want users
diff --git a/src/server/logging/log_format.js b/src/server/logging/log_format.js
index 43ffca7fd39c62e..994b5af8b89f456 100644
--- a/src/server/logging/log_format.js
+++ b/src/server/logging/log_format.js
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  */
 
 import Stream from 'stream';
-import moment from 'moment';
+import moment from 'moment-timezone';
 import { get, _ } from 'lodash';
 import numeral from '@elastic/numeral';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ export default class TransformObjStream extends Stream.Transform {
   }
 
   extractAndFormatTimestamp(data, format) {
-    const { useUTC } = this.config;
+    const { timezone } = this.config;
     const date = moment(data['@timestamp']);
-    if (useUTC) {
-      date.utc();
+    if (timezone) {
+      date.tz(timezone);
     }
     return date.format(format);
   }
diff --git a/src/server/logging/log_format_json.test.js b/src/server/logging/log_format_json.test.js
index b9878e63f08983a..1632b2b401c8ae6 100644
--- a/src/server/logging/log_format_json.test.js
+++ b/src/server/logging/log_format_json.test.js
@@ -196,10 +196,10 @@ describe('KbnLoggerJsonFormat', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe('useUTC', () => {
-    it('logs in UTC when useUTC is true', async () => {
+  describe('timezone', () => {
+    it('logs in UTC', async () => {
       const format = new KbnLoggerJsonFormat({
-        useUTC: true
+        timezone: 'UTC'
       });
 
       const result = await createPromiseFromStreams([
@@ -211,10 +211,8 @@ describe('KbnLoggerJsonFormat', () => {
       expect(timestamp).toBe(moment.utc(time).format());
     });
 
-    it('logs in local timezone when useUTC is false', async () => {
-      const format = new KbnLoggerJsonFormat({
-        useUTC: false
-      });
+    it('logs in local timezone timezone is undefined', async () => {
+      const format = new KbnLoggerJsonFormat({});
 
       const result = await createPromiseFromStreams([
         createListStream([makeEvent('log')]),
diff --git a/src/server/logging/log_format_string.test.js b/src/server/logging/log_format_string.test.js
index ca572f8c03e6616..e20b5eb59b76c1c 100644
--- a/src/server/logging/log_format_string.test.js
+++ b/src/server/logging/log_format_string.test.js
@@ -37,9 +37,9 @@ const makeEvent = () => ({
 });
 
 describe('KbnLoggerStringFormat', () => {
-  it('logs in UTC when useUTC is true', async () => {
+  it('logs in UTC', async () => {
     const format = new KbnLoggerStringFormat({
-      useUTC: true
+      timezone: 'UTC'
     });
 
     const result = await createPromiseFromStreams([
@@ -51,10 +51,8 @@ describe('KbnLoggerStringFormat', () => {
       .toContain(moment.utc(time).format('HH:mm:ss.SSS'));
   });
 
-  it('logs in local timezone when useUTC is false', async () => {
-    const format = new KbnLoggerStringFormat({
-      useUTC: false
-    });
+  it('logs in local timezone when timezone is undefined', async () => {
+    const format = new KbnLoggerStringFormat({});
 
     const result = await createPromiseFromStreams([
       createListStream([makeEvent()]),