Tennessee Concealed Carry Laws

Last reviewed: May 3, 2026

Constitutional Carry Yes
Open Carry Lawful only with enhanced permit
Permit honored in 35 states
Tennessee honors 49 states

Tennessee Gun Laws

Open Carry

Lawful only with enhanced permit

Open carry is not permitted for anyone, just those who have obtained the enhanced permit.
Permitted

Duty to Notify Law Enforcement

Only when asked by the officer
Permitted

State Parks

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

Restaurants Serving Alcohol

Restaurants serving alcohol allow you to carry, but only if you don’t drink. The BAC limit to carry in TN is 0.00.
Permitted

Firearms at Colleges

Firearms at colleges are NOT allowed for visitors or enrolled students. You can keep them in the car, but they cannot be carried by visitors or students. Faculty and Staff can carry, but must be approved by the college in order to carry. Once approved, there are places and circumstances where they can’t carry (like meetings with your managers, performance appraisals, etc.)
Informational

Firearms at K-12 Schools

With the permission of the school administrator, and a number of other training and background check standards, staff can carry in schools.
Informational

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

None
Permitted

Magazine Capacity Limitations

No restrictions
Permitted

Suppressor Ownership

Ownership & Hunting Legal.
Permitted

Vehicle Possession Without Recognized Permit

Loaded firearms can be carried openly or concealed in a private vehicle so long as it is not "on the person"
Permitted

Firearm Law Uniformity

Uniform throughout state
Permitted

Permit Training Requirements

New "Concealed Carry Only" / "Basic" permit requires only 90 minute online-only class. Enhanced permit (prior to Jan 1 2020 was the only permit), requires taking a class offered by an instructor certified by the TN Dept of Safety. The training requirement is an 8-hour class approved by TN Dept of Safety, including a written test and a 50-round graded live-fire test with a handgun-caliber pistol. Passing for both tests is 70%.
Informational

Non-Resident Permits

Only available to those who have a permit from their home state that isn't honored in TN AND is employed in TN.
Restricted

Constitutional Carry

Yes
Permitted

Duty to Retreat

No Duty to Retreat
Permitted

Places Off Limits

Any room in which judicial proceedings are in progress.
 *Any public or private school building or bus, on any public or private school campus, grounds,
recreation area, athletic field or any other property owned, used or operated by any board of
education, school, college or university board of trustees, regents or directors for the administration
of any public or private educational institution.
 It is not an offense for a nonstudent adult to possess a firearm, if such firearm is contained within a
private vehicle operated by the adult and is not handled by such adult, or by any other person acting
with the expresses or implied consent of such adult, while such vehicle is on school property.
 An individual, corporation, business entity or government entity or agent thereof is authorized to
prohibit possession of weapons by any person otherwise authorized by this subsection, at meetings
conducted by, or on premises owned, operated, managed or under control of such individual,
corporation, business entity or government entity. Notice of such prohibition shall be posted in
prominent locations, including all entrances primarily used by persons entering the building, portion
of the building or buildings where weapon possession is prohibited.
 it is a criminal offense to possess or carry weapons, including firearms, on those portions of the
property of a religious institution being used for school purposes.
 The prohibition against carrying weapons applies only to those portions of the property of the
religious institution being used for school purposes.
www.handgunlaw.us 5
 The prohibition against carrying a firearm on the property of a religious institution applies only while
the property is being used or operated by the school.
(a) It is an offense for any person to possess or carry, whether openly or concealed, with the intent to go
armed, any weapon prohibited by § 39-17-1302(a), not used solely for instructional, display or sanctioned
ceremonial purposes, in or on the grounds of any public park, playground, civic center or other building
facility, area or property owned, used or operated by any municipal, county or state government, or
instrumentality thereof, for recreational purposes.
Check the laws for more details about schools, RVs, and Public Parks, Playgrounds and Civic Centers.
Informational

State Contact / Source

Tennessee DPS
PO Box 9465
Nashville, TN 37202
615-251-8590
www.tn.gov/safety
Informational

Permit Issuing Authority

TN Dept of Safety & Homeland Security
Informational

Length of Permit Validity

While the initial length of the permit is 8 yrs, for the enhanced permit there is an option for a Lifetime license that never expires.
Informational

Permit Application Process

Pick up an application from any Driver Services Center location
Informational

Tennessee 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 Tennessee resident permit is honored in 35 states

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

Tennessee 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 NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD 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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