North Carolina Concealed Carry Laws

Last reviewed: September 14, 2026

Constitutional Carry No
Open Carry Lawful
Permit honored in 39 states
North Carolina honors 49 states

North Carolina Gun Laws

Reciprocity of North Carolina's Basic Resident Permit

Alaska: Permit honoredAlabama: Permit honoredArkansas: Permit honoredArizona: Permit honoredCalifornia: Permit not honoredColorado: Permit honoredConnecticut: Permit not honoredDistrict of Columbia: Permit not honoredDelaware: Permit honoredFlorida: Permit honoredGeorgia: Permit honoredHawaii: Permit not honoredIowa: Permit honoredIdaho: Permit honoredIllinois: Permit not honoredIndiana: Permit honoredKansas: Permit honoredKentucky: Permit honoredLouisiana: Permit honoredMassachusetts: Permit not honoredMaryland: Permit not honoredMaine: Permit honoredMichigan: Permit honoredMinnesota: Permit honoredMissouri: Permit honoredMississippi: Permit honoredMontana: Permit honoredNorth Carolina (current state)North Dakota: Permit honoredNebraska: Permit honoredNew Hampshire: Permit honoredNew Jersey: Permit not honoredNew Mexico: Permit honoredNevada: Permit honoredNew York: Permit not honoredOhio: Permit honoredOklahoma: Permit honoredOregon: Permit not honoredPennsylvania: Permit honoredRhode Island: Permit not honoredSouth Carolina: Permit honoredSouth Dakota: Permit honoredTennessee: Permit honoredTexas: Permit honoredUtah: Permit honoredVirginia: Permit honoredVermont: Permit honoredWashington: Permit honoredWisconsin: Permit honoredWest Virginia: Permit honoredWyoming: Permit honored AKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAVTWAWIWVWY
Permit honored Permitless carry Not honored

Open Carry

Lawful
Permitted

Duty to Notify Law Enforcement

Required by law to notify the officer upon official contact or when ID requested
Restricted

State Parks

Concealed Carry is legal in accordance with state laws that regulate the right to carry
Permitted

Restaurants Serving Alcohol

Those with permits may carry in establishments that serve alcohol.
Permitted

Firearms at Colleges

Concealed guns allowed only in locked cars in parking lots
Informational

Firearms at K-12 Schools

NC permit holder may have loaded handgun in vehicle only. Private schools may adopt a policy allowing licensed individuals to be armed on the property of the private school.
Restricted

Church Carry

Churches act like any other private property and may restrict
on a church by church basis
Informational

Hotels

No legal restriction - Reference article on page 67
Informational

Secure Storage Requirements

There are legal consequences if one fails to secure their firearm and that leads to a minor gaining unauthorized access.
Informational

Magazine Capacity Limitations

No restrictions
Permitted

Suppressor Ownership

Ownership & Hunting Legal.
Permitted

Vehicle Possession Without Recognized Permit

Firearms are legal when they are openly displayed OR in a locked glove box, locked console, or in the trunk
Permitted

Firearm Law Uniformity

Mostly uniform but some local carry restrictions exist.
Informational

Permit Training Requirements

The class consists of a classroom portion and a live range fire portion.
Informational

Non-Resident Permits

Non-residents may not apply
Informational

Constitutional Carry

No
Restricted

Duty to Retreat

No Duty to Retreat
Permitted

Places Off Limits

- Educational property of any public or private school, community college, college, or university — buildings, buses, campuses, grounds, recreational areas, athletic fields, and any other property owned, used, or operated by a school. Also any curricular or extracurricular activity sponsored by a school. This is a Class I felony
- The State Capitol Building, the Executive Mansion, the Western Residence of the Governor, and the grounds of any of these
- Any building housing a court of the General Court of Justice. If the court shares the building with non-court uses, the ban reaches only the court portion while it's being used for court purposes
- State office buildings, or any portion of a building containing state offices
- Law enforcement and correctional facilities
- Any picket line or demonstration on a private health care facility or on public property owned or controlled by the state or a political subdivision, for participants, affiliates, or spectators
- Any private premises posted with a conspicuous notice prohibiting concealed carry by the person in legal possession or control
- Local government buildings and their appurtenant premises, where a unit of local government has adopted an ordinance permitting the posting
- Municipal and county recreational facilities specifically identified by local ordinance — meaning athletic fields during scheduled organized events, swimming pools, and gymnasiums or other athletic-event facilities. Greenways, biking and walking paths, and open fields are excluded
- The State Fairgrounds during the State Fair, at the Commissioner of Agriculture's discretion
- Certain game lands — Buckhorn, Chatham, Harris, Hyco, Lee, Mayo, Sutton Lake, Pee Dee River north of US 74, and part of R. Wayne Bailey-Caswell — during closed seasons on game birds and animals, unless the firearm is cased, in a designated camping area, or is a .22 pistol with a barrel under 7.5 inches carried as a sidearm
- Charlotte-Douglas International Airport real property, by city ordinance. Other North Carolina airports may have similar rules
- TVA day-use areas, campgrounds, and developed recreation land. Boat ramps and in-season hunting with an unloaded, cased firearm are allowed
- State parks located on Army Corps of Engineers land, per federal law
Informational

State Contact / Source

North Carolina A.G.
9001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001
919-716-6400
www.ncdoj.com
Informational

Permit Issuing Authority

County sheriff
Informational

Length of Permit Validity

5 Years
Informational

Permit Application Process

Apply at the sheriff office. Complete an application, pay the fee, submit fingerprints and provide proof of training.
Informational

North Carolina Permit Reciprocity

Reciprocity shown is for a standard resident permit. Non-resident and enhanced permit holders may have different reciprocity. Always verify before carrying. Use our full permit reciprocity map for all permit types →

Your North Carolina resident permit is honored in 39 states

AK AL AR AZ CO DE FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA ME MI MN MO MS MT ND NE NH NM NV OH OK PA SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY

North Carolina honors resident permits from 49 states

AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA WA WI WV WY
Disclaimer:
While Concealed Carry Inc strives to maintain legal reference information updated on this website from publicly available sources; you as the reader and gun owner are responsible to do any and all necessary research and consult with a local attorney before making any decisions. Concealed Carry Inc is not a government agency is not affiliated with a government agency and is not liable for any misinformation, inaccuracies, or actions taken based on this information. We are not attorneys and this information is not legal advice. If you see any information you feel is outdated or incorrect please contact us.

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