Concealed Carry Permit Guide
Pick your state. We show you exactly what it costs, what training you need, how long it takes, and where to apply. Every entry cites the official .gov source.
Hover (or tap on mobile) for a quick summary. Click a state to jump to the full guide below. Map projection: Albers USA (Alaska and Hawaii repositioned for visibility).
Permit: Concealed Pistol Permit
Permitless carry effective Jan 1, 2023 (HB 272). Permit still useful for reciprocity in other states. Fees and process vary by county sheriff — contact your local sheriff's office.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit
Alaska has had permitless carry since 2003. Permit available for reciprocity in other states.
Permit: Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP)
Constitutional carry for 21+ since 2010. Permit ($60 new / $43 renewal) is optional but extends reciprocity to states that honor the AZ permit. Minimum age 19 with current/honorable military discharge.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL)
Arkansas Supreme Court confirmed permitless carry in 2018. Permit still recommended for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) license
Post-Bruen (2022) California is technically shall-issue but SB 2 (effective 2024) requires 16+ hours of training, expansive 'sensitive places' restrictions, and references at least 3 character witnesses. Fees vary widely by sheriff/police chief: typically $200-$400+ in initial application costs across state fee, local fee, training, fingerprinting, and psychological evaluation in some counties.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
Shall-issue. Issued by sheriff of applicant's county of residence. Reciprocity tightened in 2024 — verify before traveling.
Permit: State Permit to Carry Pistols and Revolvers
Two-step process: local temporary permit from town first, then state permit. 'Suitability' standard applies — not pure shall-issue in practice.
Permit: Concealed Deadly Weapons License
Delaware uses a judicial petition process — publish notice in newspaper, character references, judge approval. Among the most onerous shall-issue processes in the US.
Permit: DC Concealed Pistol License
Permit valid only in DC. Extensive sensitive-places restrictions per post-Bruen DC legislation.
Permit: Concealed Weapon License (CWL)
Permitless carry effective July 1, 2023 (HB 543) for residents 21+ who can lawfully possess a firearm. CWL still useful for reciprocity in other states (Florida CWL is honored in 37 states). 18-20 year olds can carry with permit on private property only.
Permit: Weapons Carry License (WCL)
Permitless carry effective April 12, 2022 (SB 319) for those who could lawfully possess and carry a firearm. WCL ($75) still useful for reciprocity. No training requirement.
Permit: License to Carry
Post-Bruen Hawaii issues licenses but with extensive sensitive-place restrictions. Fees vary by county. Issued rarely historically; the post-Bruen process is still evolving.
Permit: Concealed Weapons License (Standard or Enhanced)
Permitless carry for residents 18+. Two permit tiers — Standard (no training required) and Enhanced (8 hrs training, better reciprocity).
Permit: Concealed Carry License (CCL)
Requires valid FOID card. Non-residents only from substantially similar states (currently Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, Virginia). 16 hours of training — the highest among shall-issue states.
Permit: License to Carry Handgun (LTCH)
Permitless carry effective July 1, 2022 (HEA 1296). LTCH is now free (state fee eliminated 2022) and useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Permit to Carry Weapons (PCW)
Permitless carry effective July 1, 2021. Permit still useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Carry Handgun License (CCHL)
Permitless carry since 2015 for residents 21+. CCHL useful for reciprocity. Provisional license available 18-20.
Permit: Concealed Carry of Deadly Weapons (CCDW)
Permitless carry effective July 14, 2019. CCDW recommended for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit
Permitless carry effective July 4, 2024 for residents 18+. Permit still useful for reciprocity and required for 18-20 year olds in some contexts.
Permit: Permit to Carry a Concealed Handgun
Permitless carry since 2015 for residents 21+. Permit useful for reciprocity. 18-20 year olds and out-of-staters need permit.
Permit: Wear and Carry Permit
Post-Bruen Maryland eliminated 'good and substantial reason' but added extensive sensitive-place restrictions (Senate Bill 1 / 2023). Practical permit-to-carry experience is more restrictive than typical shall-issue states.
Permit: License to Carry (LTC)
Massachusetts retains licensing officer discretion despite Bruen. Chapter 135 (2024) tightened many provisions. Approval varies dramatically by police department.
Permit: Concealed Pistol License (CPL)
True shall-issue. Application via county clerk. Pistol safety registry repealed 2024.
Permit: Permit to Carry a Pistol
Shall-issue. Annual training renewal not required (5-year permit). Reciprocity tightened 2023 — verify before traveling.
Permit: Firearm Permit (Standard or Enhanced)
Permitless carry since 2016 for residents 18+. Two permit tiers — Standard and Enhanced (8 hrs training, expands carry to schools etc.).
Permit: Concealed Carry Permit
Permitless carry effective Jan 1, 2017 for residents 19+. Permit useful for reciprocity. 8-hour training requirement for permit.
Permit: Concealed Weapon Permit
Permitless carry effective June 1, 2021 for residents 18+. Permit useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit
Permitless carry effective September 2, 2023 (LB 77). Permit useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Firearm Permit (CCW)
True shall-issue. Each county sheriff issues; fees vary slightly.
Permit: Pistol/Revolver License
Permitless carry effective Feb 22, 2017. License useful for reciprocity and is cheap for residents.
Permit: Permit to Carry a Handgun
Post-Bruen NJ shifted from 'justifiable need' to shall-issue but enacted extensive sensitive-place restrictions (Chapter 131, 2022). Practical experience is heavily restricted.
Permit: Concealed Handgun License (CHL)
True shall-issue. 15-hour training, including 2 hours live-fire.
Permit: Pistol Permit / Concealed Carry License
Post-Bruen NY enacted the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA, 2022): 18 hours of training (16 classroom + 2 live-fire), social media review, character references, sensitive-place restrictions. NYC adds additional layers. Fees vary widely by county and NYC.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
Pistol Purchase Permit was repealed March 2023 (SB 41) but concealed carry still requires CHP. 8 hours of training.
Permit: Class 1 or Class 2 Concealed Weapons License
Permitless carry for residents 18+ since Aug 2017. Class 1 license (more rigorous test) has wider reciprocity than Class 2.
Permit: Concealed Handgun License (CHL)
Permitless carry effective June 13, 2022 (SB 215). CHL still required for reciprocity in many states.
Permit: Self-Defense Act License (SDA)
Permitless carry effective Nov 1, 2019 (SB 12) for residents 21+ (or 18+ veterans/military). SDA useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Handgun License (CHL)
Shall-issue. Measure 114 (2022) is in ongoing litigation as of 2025-2026 — verify current status.
Permit: License to Carry Firearms (LTCF)
True shall-issue with no training requirement and cheap $20 fee. Apply with county sheriff. Non-residents from reciprocity states apply with PA State Police.
Permit: Concealed Weapons Permit
Dual licensing system. Local chiefs are shall-issue per state law but rarely issue; Attorney General is discretionary. One of the most restrictive states post-Bruen.
Permit: Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP)
Permitless carry effective March 7, 2024 (HB 3594) for residents 18+. CWP useful for reciprocity.
Permit: Permit to Carry a Concealed Pistol (Regular / Gold / Enhanced)
Permitless carry effective July 1, 2019. Three permit tiers. Enhanced has best reciprocity but requires NICS check + fingerprints.
Permit: Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit
Permitless carry expanded to 18+ in 2024 (originally 21+ since 2021). Enhanced permit ($100, 8 hrs training) has wider reciprocity than Concealed Handgun Permit.
Permit: License to Carry (LTC)
Permitless carry effective September 1, 2021 (HB 1927) for residents 21+ who can lawfully possess a firearm. LTC ($40) still useful for reciprocity — Texas LTC is honored in 37 states.
Permit: Concealed Firearm Permit (Provisional / Regular)
Permitless carry effective May 5, 2021 (HB 60) for residents 21+. Utah permit is highly portable — honored in 36+ states.
Vermont has had permitless carry since statehood — 'Vermont carry' is the original term. No permit is issued at all. Residents traveling out of state should obtain a non-resident permit from a neighboring state for reciprocity.
Permit: Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP)
True shall-issue. Online training courses accepted. Non-resident permits issued by VA State Police.
Permit: Concealed Pistol License (CPL)
True shall-issue with NO training requirement (one of few shall-issue states without). 10-day waiting period for handgun purchase but not for CPL itself.
Permit: Concealed Handgun License (Provisional / Regular)
Permitless carry effective May 24, 2016 for residents 21+. Provisional CHL available 18-20.
Permit: Concealed Carry Weapon License (CCW)
True shall-issue. No minimum training hour requirement (course completion only).
Permit: Concealed Firearm Permit
Permitless carry for residents since 2011, expanded to non-residents 2022. Permit useful for reciprocity.
Stay current
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Already have a permit and want to plan a trip? Check reciprocity instead →
It depends. As of 2026, 29 states have some form of permitless (constitutional) carry where residents who can lawfully possess a firearm can carry concealed without a permit. The remaining states require a state-issued permit. Even in permitless states, getting a permit is recommended because it extends reciprocity to other states and often skips the federal background check at the point of sale.
Shall-issue means the issuing authority MUST grant a permit if the applicant meets the listed criteria (age, training, background check). May-issue means the authority has discretion — they can deny even if you meet the criteria. After the Supreme Court's 2022 NYSRPA v. Bruen decision, most may-issue states became technically shall-issue, but several (CA, NY, NJ, MD, HI) responded with expansive 'sensitive places' restrictions and onerous training requirements that make the practical experience similar to may-issue.
Processing time varies dramatically by state — from under 30 days (Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota) to over 6 months (New York, California). Most shall-issue states process in 45-90 days. See the state-by-state breakdown above for current statutory maximums.
The state fee typically ranges from $10 (New Hampshire residents) to $300 (Illinois non-residents), with the median around $75-$100. Total out-of-pocket cost including training, fingerprinting, and any local fees usually runs $150-$500 depending on the state.
Quality varies. Most states require an 8-hour classroom course; some require live-fire qualification. Texas (4-6 hours), Illinois (16 hours), and New York (18 hours under CCIA) sit at the extremes. The training is the legal minimum — if you intend to actually carry a firearm for defensive purposes, you should treat it as the starting point, not the goal. Reputable ongoing instruction (e.g. Sig Sauer Academy, Gunsite, Massad Ayoob's MAG) is in a different league entirely.
Yes, through reciprocity — but only with states that recognize YOUR state's permit. Reciprocity changes regularly with new state legislation. Texas LTC, Florida CWL, and Utah's permit have some of the widest reciprocity (35+ states each). Permits from California, New York, Illinois, and other restricted-issue states have limited or zero reciprocity.
Federal disqualifiers under 18 USC § 922(g) include: convicted of a felony, fugitive from justice, unlawful user of controlled substances, adjudicated mentally defective, dishonorable military discharge, renounced US citizenship, subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. States layer their own disqualifiers on top (e.g. CA disqualifies for many drug offenses, NY adds 'serious offenses' that aren't felonies federally).