What State Permits Does Texas Honor? All of Them

Effective September 1, 2025, Texas Senate Bill 706 (SB 706) is now in force—meaning Texas will recognize any valid concealed carry license issued by any other U.S. state. That’s a big win for traveling gun owners and a long-overdue modernization of Texas reciprocity law.

In plain English, if you hold a valid carry permit from another state, Texas now honors it. The bill amends Government Code § 411.173(b) to state: “A valid license to carry a handgun issued by any other state is recognized in this state,” and requires DPS to keep the public updated on where Texas licenses are recognized.

Shared by GOA when HB 1337 (House companion to SB 706) was up for vote

Why This Matters

Before SB 706, Texas maintained a patchwork of negotiated or unilateral arrangements and simply didn’t honor some states at all. The official bill analysis noted that Texas had reciprocity with 34 states, unilaterally recognized nine more, and had no recognition with six others—a situation SB 706 was designed to fix.

States Most Impacted

Practically speaking, the biggest immediate beneficiaries are permit holders from jurisdictions Texas did not honor under the old rules—District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Oregon—all of which previously showed “No Agreement” (or otherwise not honored) on Texas DPS’s reciprocity list. As of today, their valid permits are honored in Texas.

What Changes (and What Doesn’t) for Visitors

• Your out-of-state permit is valid in Texas. SB 706 creates universal recognition for state-issued carry licenses.
• You must follow Texas carry laws while you’re there. Places off-limits, signage (30.05/30.06/30.07), and other Texas-specific rules still apply—honor the host state. For high-level overviews, see our Texas concealed carry law summary.
• Permitless carry still exists in Texas. SB 706 doesn’t change Texas constitutional carry; it simply removes the old “who’s recognized” guesswork for permit holders traveling here. Advocacy briefings tracked this bill for months and described it exactly as universal recognition.

Bottom Line (Our Take)

Texas just made life simpler for armed, law-abiding Americans who visit the Lone Star State. The old maze of “this state yes, that state no” is gone. We’re glad to see Texas align with other free states by honoring all valid carry permits—and we’ll keep cheering moves that respect the right to self-defense.