Ohio Concealed Carry & Handgun License (CHL) Guide

Overview

Yes, you may carry a concealed handgun in Ohio without a concealed handgun license if you are a qualifying adult and the handgun is not a restricted firearm. A qualifying adult must be 21 or older. Carrying without a license gives you the same right a license holder has and subjects you to the same restrictions. The county sheriff still issues the license to a person who wants one.

This page is the short orientation. Each rule named below has its own page, where the conditions and the exceptions are set out in full.

Who may carry

Ohio's statute uses the term "qualifying adult" for the person who may carry a concealed handgun without a license, in R.C. 2923.111(A)(2). A qualifying adult must be 21 or older, under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2)(a), and the constitutional carry page sets out that authority. An applicant for the concealed handgun license must also be at least 21, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(b), and the permit basics page covers the rest of who may hold one.

Ohio does not require residency for the license, and a nonresident employed in Ohio may apply, under R.C. 2923.125(B). A licensee who is on active duty in the armed forces, or in service with the Peace Corps, VISTA, or the foreign service, is exempt from the license requirements for the period of that duty or service and for six months after it, under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(b).

What the license does not change

A qualifying adult is not required to obtain a concealed handgun license to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1). A qualifying adult may carry anywhere in Ohio that a person issued a license may carry, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2). The right the statute grants a qualifying adult is the same right granted to a person who has been issued a license, and the qualifying adult is subject to the same restrictions, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(3).

A valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into any of the eight kinds of place R.C. 2923.126(B) lists, among them police and sheriff stations, detention facilities, secured airport terminal areas, places of worship that do not post or permit otherwise, and any place where federal law prohibits carrying handguns; the school safety zone, courthouse and D-permit entries reach a licensee only where the carry would violate R.C. 2923.122, R.C. 2923.123 or R.C. 2923.121, and under R.C. 2923.121(B)(1)(e) a licensee who is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse does not violate R.C. 2923.121. The prohibited places page gives each place with its exceptions.

The license at a glance

If you choose to apply, these rules govern the concealed handgun license.

The fees and costs page covers the rest of what the license costs, and the application process page covers the filing itself.

Carrying another state's license here

Ohio recognizes a valid concealed handgun license issued by another license-issuing state for a person who is not a resident of Ohio and is temporarily in Ohio, whether or not that state has entered a reciprocity agreement with the attorney general, under R.C. 109.69(B)(3). The reciprocity page has the rest.

What training or the license changes

Training and the license change two concrete things for you: what you have to certify to the sheriff before you get a license, and how long the license you get is good for. On the first, to receive a concealed handgun license you must submit a competency certification and a certification that you read the pamphlet on firearms safety, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l). The course behind that competency certification must include at least 8 hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm, under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1). On the second, the license those hours lead to expires 5 years after the date of issuance, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(2)(a). The training requirements page sets out what a qualifying course contains, and the renewal process page covers renewing the license.

How these rules are written and cited

The Ohio statutes in this guide come from the Ohio Revised Code. Citations to it use the prefix R.C. in prose. Ohio's own carry statute supplies the term "qualifying adult" for the person who may carry without a license.

Federal law supplies a second vocabulary that an Ohio carrier runs into. 18 U.S.C. 921(a) of the federal Gun Control Act defines 37 terms used throughout the federal firearms statutes, among them firearm, handgun, machinegun, school zone, antique firearm and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Those are federal definitions, not Ohio ones, and the Ohio statutes keep their own.

Common questions

Do I need a license to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio?

No, not if you are a qualifying adult carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1). The permit basics page covers who may hold the license instead.

Inside Ohio, does a license let me carry in more places?

No. A qualifying adult may carry anywhere in Ohio that a person issued a license may carry, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2). Carrying outside Ohio is a different question, and the reciprocity page is where it is answered.

What does an Ohio license cost, and how long does it last?

An applicant who has been a resident of Ohio for five or more years pays a nonrefundable fee of $67, under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i). A license expires 5 years after the date of issuance, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(2)(a).

Will Ohio honor my license from another state?

Yes, if you are not a resident of Ohio, you are temporarily in Ohio, and your license was issued by another license-issuing state, under R.C. 109.69(B)(3).

Is the sheriff allowed to turn me down?

The sheriff shall issue the license if all the listed statutory criteria apply to the applicant, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1). The application process page covers what the applicant has to file.

Permit basics

You can carry a concealed handgun in Ohio without a license if you are a qualifying adult, and that status starts at age 21. Ohio still issues a concealed handgun license through the county sheriff. That license expires five years after the date of issuance. Federal law still bars some people from possessing a firearm or ammunition, and those bars apply in Ohio alongside the state's own list.

Who may carry

To carry without a license, you must be a "qualifying adult," and one condition is being twenty-one years of age or older under Ohio Revised Code 2923.111(A)(2)(a). Age is one of the conditions in that definition.

To get a concealed handgun license, you must be at least 21 years old under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(b).

Ohio does not require residency for the license under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B). A nonresident who is employed in Ohio applies to the sheriff of the county of employment or of an adjacent county.

Ohio's statute calls the license a "concealed handgun license" or a "license to carry a concealed handgun" in Ohio Revised Code 2923.11(N)(1).

The rule

Ohio is a shall-issue state, so the sheriff must issue the license once the applicant meets all the listed criteria in Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1).

The sheriff still issues the concealed handgun license under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1).

An applicant who has lived in Ohio for five or more years pays a $67 nonrefundable fee under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i).

An applicant who has lived in Ohio for less than five years, or a nonresident employed in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii).

Exceptions and limits

Neither path is a grant of possession. The federal bars on firearm possession are in 18 U.S.C. 922(g), and they apply in Ohio alongside the state's own list.

A person in any of these categories may not ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm or ammunition in or affecting commerce:

• Convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year.
• A fugitive from justice.
• An unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
• Adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution.
• An alien unlawfully in the United States, or one admitted under a nonimmigrant visa, subject to federal exceptions.
• Discharged from the armed forces under dishonorable conditions.
• A former citizen who renounced citizenship.
• Subject to a qualifying protective order restraining the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child.
• Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

When a license is suspended or revoked

A license you already hold can be taken back. A sheriff must revoke a concealed handgun license on becoming aware of any of the eight grounds in Ohio Revised Code 2923.128(B)(1):

• The licensee is under twenty-one years of age.
• At the time the license was issued, the licensee did not satisfy one of the listed eligibility requirements of the licensing statute.
• On or after the date the license was issued, the licensee is convicted of or pleads guilty to one of the offenses the revocation statute lists.
• On or after the date the license was issued, the licensee becomes subject to a civil protection order, or to an order from another state that is substantially equivalent.
• The licensee knowingly carries a concealed handgun into a place the licensee knows is an unauthorized place.
• On or after the date the license was issued, the licensee is under adjudication of mental incompetence or is committed to a mental institution.
• At the time the license was issued the licensee did not meet, and still does not meet, the residency requirements the licensing statute describes in division (D)(1).
• The competency certificate the licensee submitted was forged or otherwise fraudulent.

The residency ground in that list is not a test of Ohio residency. Ohio does not require residency for the license, and a nonresident may apply if employed in Ohio.

A suspension is the lighter step, and a sheriff must impose one in two situations:

• The licensee is arrested for or charged with a listed offense, or becomes subject to a temporary protection order or to an order from another state that is substantially equivalent.
• The licensee is convicted of or pleads guilty to one of the specified misdemeanor violations.

A suspension based on an arrest, charge, or protection order ends when the charges are dismissed, the licensee is found not guilty, or the court terminates the protection order. Under Ohio Revised Code 2923.128(A)(2)(b), a suspension imposed for a misdemeanor violation of Ohio Revised Code 2923.12(B)(2) or 2923.16(E)(3) ends 1 year after the conviction or guilty plea. Under that same division, Ohio Revised Code 2923.128(A)(2)(b), a suspension imposed for a misdemeanor violation of 2923.12(B)(4) or 2923.16(E)(5) ends 2 years after the conviction or guilty plea.

What the license changes, and the training it takes

What the license buys you is a fixed term of authority: it expires five years after the date of issuance under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(a).

Getting there takes training. A concealed handgun license cannot issue until the applicant submits a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(l). The Ohio peace officer training commission prepares that pamphlet.

A qualifying firearms course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1).

Ohio carry rules at a glance

Each row below states one rule and where it comes from.

Common questions

Do I need a concealed handgun license to carry in Ohio?

A qualifying adult may carry concealed without a license, and a qualifying adult must be 21 or older.

How long does a concealed handgun license last?

It expires five years after the date of issuance.

Can I get a license if I do not live in Ohio?

Yes, if you work in Ohio, because Ohio does not require residency for the license. You apply to the sheriff of the county where you work or of an adjacent county.

Will Ohio honor my license from another state?

If you are not an Ohio resident and you are temporarily in Ohio, Ohio recognizes a valid concealed handgun license from any other license-issuing state under Ohio Revised Code 109.69(B)(3). This applies whether or not that state has a reciprocity agreement with the Ohio attorney general.

Can the sheriff refuse me if I meet every requirement?

No. The sheriff must issue the license once you meet all the listed criteria in Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1).

Does a license let a prohibited person carry?

No. The federal bars in 18 U.S.C. 922(g), including a felony conviction or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence conviction, apply in Ohio.

Permitless carry in Ohio

Yes. If you are a qualifying adult, you may carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm in Ohio without a concealed handgun license. A qualifying adult must be 21 or older. You carry under the same restrictions that apply to a license holder. The place rules and vehicle rules that bind license holders still bind you.

Who may carry without a license

R.C. 2923.111(A)(2) calls a person who may carry without a license a "qualifying adult". Under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2)(a), a qualifying adult must be twenty-one years of age or older. The definition requires a person to meet every condition it lists, and age is only the first. Read the full definition before you carry without a license.

The rule

Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1), a qualifying adult does not need a concealed handgun license to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm. Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2), a qualifying adult may carry anywhere in Ohio that a license holder may carry. Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(3), that right is the same right a license holder has. A qualifying adult is also subject to the same restrictions as a license holder. Where a license holder may not carry, you may not carry either.

Exceptions and limits

A valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into this place:

• A courthouse or other building with a courtroom, where carrying would violate the courthouse statute, under R.C. 2923.126(B)(3).

Federal law, 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2), makes it unlawful to knowingly possess a firearm in a place you know or have reasonable cause to believe is a school zone.

Vehicle rules apply to every carrier. The table sets out the main ones.

R.C. 2923.16 governs motor vehicles, and boats fall under a separate statute. All-purpose vehicles appear in R.C. 2923.16 only in two hunting exceptions for holders of an all-purpose vehicle permit. Aircraft and snowmobiles are not named in R.C. 2923.16.

Penalties

The penalties here are the ones the vehicle statute sets. Discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle is a felony of the fourth degree under R.C. 2923.16. Having a loaded firearm accessible without leaving the vehicle is a felony of the fourth degree. Violating the unloaded transport rule is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Having a loaded handgun in a vehicle while under the influence is a felony of the fifth degree. That offense is a felony of the fourth degree if the handgun is concealed on the person.

The statute also sets duties during a stop. A violation of division (E)(1) or (E)(2) of R.C. 2923.16 is a misdemeanor of the second degree. A violation of division (E)(4) is a felony of the fifth degree. A violation of division (E)(3) or (E)(5) is a misdemeanor of the first degree. With a prior conviction for a violation of division (E)(3) or (E)(5), it is a felony of the fifth degree.

What training or the license changes

Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l), a license applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), that course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), the course must cover the rules for safe handling and storage of handguns and ammunition, safe handling of ammunition, the knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot safely, gun handling training, and a minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live-fire training. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e), the required course must include live-fire training.

Common questions

Do I need a license to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio?

No, if you are a qualifying adult and the handgun is not a restricted firearm.

How old must I be to carry without a license?

You must be 21 or older to be a qualifying adult.

Can I carry in more places if I get a license?

Under Ohio law, no. A qualifying adult may carry anywhere in Ohio that a license holder may carry.

Can I keep an unloaded gun in my glove box without a license?

R.C. 2923.16 names no glove box or console, and one a driver can reach from the seat is not a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle.

Can I keep a loaded rifle within reach in my truck?

No. A rifle or shotgun may not be loaded and accessible in a motor vehicle, and the license exemption reaches only a handgun.

Does the vehicle statute cover my boat?

No. R.C. 2923.16 governs motor vehicles, and boats fall under a separate statute.

Concealed carry

Yes, you can carry a concealed handgun in Ohio without a concealed handgun license if you are a qualifying adult and the handgun is not a restricted firearm. A qualifying adult must be 21 or older. You carry with the same rights, and under the same restrictions, as a concealed handgun license holder. If you are stopped and an officer asks, you must disclose the handgun.

Who may carry concealed

Ohio's statute calls a person who may carry without a license a "qualifying adult" in R.C. 2923.111(A)(2). Under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2)(a), one requirement is age, since the person must be 21 or older. Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1), a qualifying adult need not obtain a concealed handgun license to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm.

Ohio still issues the concealed handgun license through the county sheriff under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1). Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(b), an applicant must be at least 21 to receive one.

The rule

R.C. 2923.12(A) makes it an offense to knowingly carry or have, concealed on your person or concealed ready at hand, a deadly weapon other than a handgun, a handgun other than a dangerous ordnance, or a dangerous ordnance. Under R.C. 2923.12(C)(2), the handgun part of that offense does not apply to a person whose concealed handgun license is valid at the time, or to an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a valid military identification card and documentation of firearms training. That exemption does not reach a person who is knowingly in a restricted place.

A qualifying adult may carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm anywhere in Ohio a licensee may carry one, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2). R.C. 2923.111(B)(3) gives the qualifying adult the same right as a licensee and the same restrictions.

A valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into this place:

• A courthouse, or another building or structure in which a courtroom is located, if the carrying violates R.C. 2923.123, under R.C. 2923.126(B).

On foot, a licensee stopped for any law enforcement purpose while carrying a concealed handgun must disclose it before or at the time an officer asks, under R.C. 2923.12(B)(1). A qualifying adult is treated as a licensee for that duty while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm, concealed on the person or ready at hand.

In a vehicle, a licensee who is the driver or an occupant of a stopped vehicle must disclose a loaded handgun before or when the officer asks, under R.C. 2923.16(E)(1). It is not a violation if you already told another officer during the same stop. The vehicle duty also applies to an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training.

During a vehicle stop, a licensee with a loaded handgun must remain in the vehicle, keep hands in plain sight, not touch the handgun, and obey lawful orders, unless an officer directs otherwise, under R.C. 2923.16(E)(3).

Exceptions and vehicle rules

In a motor vehicle, R.C. 2923.16 lets a concealed handgun license holder transport or have a loaded handgun, unless the handgun is knowingly in a restricted place. An active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training has the same exemption. A qualifying adult gets it only while the handgun is concealed on the person or ready at hand and is not a restricted firearm.

A person who is not a licensee, not an active-duty member with training documentation, and not a qualifying adult carrying under that exemption may not knowingly transport or have a loaded firearm that the operator or any passenger can reach without leaving the vehicle. Anyone outside the exemption may transport or have a firearm in a motor vehicle only if it is unloaded and stowed in a listed way. The listed ways are a closed package, box, or case; a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle; in plain sight secured in a rack or holder made for the purpose; or, for a long gun of the stated size, in plain sight with the action open or the weapon stripped.

The unloaded transport rule in R.C. 2923.16(C) is open only to a person who may lawfully possess the firearm under state or federal law. The statute does not name a glove box or console, and one a driver can reach from the seat is not a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle.

A rifle or shotgun may not be loaded and accessible in a motor vehicle, because the license exemption reaches only a handgun. A long gun rides unloaded and stowed in one of the listed ways.

Penalties

The grades below come from the carry and vehicle statutes.

Under R.C. 2923.12(F)(1), carrying concealed weapons is a misdemeanor of the first degree unless another division applies. A licensee charged with carrying a concealed handgun who presents a license valid at arrest within ten days, and was not knowingly in a restricted place, is guilty only of a minor misdemeanor. If the license expired within the two years before arrest, presenting a license within forty-five days with a written speedy trial waiver, when the person was not knowingly in a restricted place, results in a misdemeanor and a $500 fine. R.C. 2923.16(I) makes failing to disclose a loaded handgun in a vehicle a misdemeanor of the second degree. Touching the loaded handgun during a stop is a felony of the fifth degree. The license suspension for stop conduct reaches a qualifying adult only if that person was actually issued a license.

What training or the license changes

Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l), an applicant for a concealed handgun license must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before the license can issue. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), that course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), the course must cover the rules for safe handling of a handgun and proper storage of handguns and ammunition, safe handling of ammunition, the knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot a handgun safely, gun handling training, and a minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live-fire training. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e), the required course must include live-fire training.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio?

No, not if you are a qualifying adult aged 21 or older carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm.

Do I have to tell an officer I am carrying?

Yes, you must disclose the handgun before or at the time an officer asks during a stop. On a commercial motor vehicle stop, the duty runs to an employee of the motor carrier enforcement unit who asks.

What do I do with my hands at a traffic stop?

Keep your hands in plain sight from the time the officer begins approaching until the officer leaves, unless the officer directs otherwise. Do not touch the handgun unless the officer directs you to.

Will the officer keep my handgun if I hand it over?

Under R.C. 2923.16(J), the officer must return a surrendered firearm when the stop ends if there is no charge under that section and no arrest, you may lawfully possess it, and it is not contraband.

Can I keep an unloaded handgun in my glove box without a license?

The statute does not name a glove box or console, and one a driver can reach from the seat is not a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle. A qualifying adult is outside the unloaded transport rule only while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand.

Can I keep a loaded rifle within reach in my truck?

No. A rifle or shotgun may not be loaded and accessible in a motor vehicle, even with a license, because the license exemption reaches only a handgun.

Does a license let me carry in places a permitless carrier cannot?

No. A qualifying adult may carry a concealed handgun anywhere in Ohio that a licensee may carry one.

Open carry

We found no Ohio statute that authorizes carrying a handgun openly, having read R.C. 2923.12 in full. The carrying offense in R.C. 2923.12(A) is written about a weapon concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand. We did not find a division of R.C. 2923.12 that speaks to a weapon carried openly.

The rule

R.C. 2923.12(A) makes it an offense to knowingly carry or have, concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand, a deadly weapon other than a handgun, a handgun other than a dangerous ordnance, or a dangerous ordnance. Under R.C. 2923.12, the handgun offense in division (A)(2) does not reach a person carrying a concealed handgun under a license valid at the time who is not knowingly in a place listed in R.C. 2923.126(B), and R.C. 2923.111(C)(1) deems a qualifying adult carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand to hold such a license.

Exceptions and limits

• R.C. 2923.16(B) bars knowingly transporting or having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in a manner that makes it accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle, and division (F)(5) lifts that bar only for the people it names, among them a licensee and a qualifying adult while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand, and only while they are not knowingly in a place described in R.C. 2923.126(B).
• A valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into any of the eight kinds of place R.C. 2923.126(B) lists, among them police and sheriff stations, detention facilities, secured airport terminal areas, places of worship that do not post or permit otherwise, and any place where federal law prohibits carrying handguns; the school safety zone, courthouse and D-permit entries reach a licensee only where the carry would violate R.C. 2923.122, R.C. 2923.123 or R.C. 2923.121, and under R.C. 2923.121(B)(1)(e) a licensee who is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse does not violate R.C. 2923.121.
• R.C. 2923.122 bars knowingly conveying a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone and knowingly possessing one there, with the exceptions listed in division (D).

Common questions

Is open carry legal in Ohio?

We found no Ohio statute that authorizes carrying a handgun openly, having read R.C. 2923.12 in full. The offense that statute creates is written about a weapon concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand.

Do I need a concealed handgun license to carry openly?

We did not find a license requirement for carrying a handgun openly in R.C. 2923.12, which we read in full. A license does matter for concealed carry, because R.C. 2923.12 puts a person carrying a concealed handgun under a license valid at the time, who is not knowingly in a place listed in R.C. 2923.126(B), outside the handgun offense, and R.C. 2923.111(C)(1) deems a qualifying adult carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand to hold such a license.

Can I have a loaded handgun in my car while carrying openly?

R.C. 2923.16(B) bars knowingly transporting or having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in a manner that makes it accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle, and that bar is written about a loaded firearm rather than a concealed one. Division (F)(5) of R.C. 2923.16 lifts it only for the people it names, among them a licensee and a qualifying adult while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand, and only while they are not knowingly in a place described in R.C. 2923.126(B).

Does carrying openly change where I may go?

The place list in R.C. 2923.126(B) is written about what a valid concealed handgun license does not authorize. The school safety zone rule in R.C. 2923.122 is written about a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, with the exceptions listed in division (D).

Training requirements

Yes, you need training before Ohio will issue a concealed handgun license. You must submit a competency certification and a certification that you read the safety pamphlet. A qualifying course includes at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. For most certifications, the training must fall within the 3 years before you apply.

Who needs training

No license issues until the applicant submits a competency certification and a safety pamphlet certification under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l). The Ohio peace officer training commission prepares that pamphlet.

The training rule

Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), a qualifying course includes at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. The course must include live-fire training under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e).

A qualifying course must cover each of these topics:

• Rules for safe handling and storage of handguns and ammunition, R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(a).
• Safe handling of ammunition, R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(b).
• Knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot safely, R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(c).
• Gun handling training, R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(d).
• A minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live-fire training, R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e).

Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(3), most competency certifications must reflect training completed within the three years immediately preceding the application.

A course taken under R.C. 2923.125(B)(3)(b)(ii) must use instructors certified by a national gun advocacy organization, the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission, or a governmental official or entity of another state. Other certification routes have their own terms.

Exceptions

We found no Ohio statute that sets how long a competency certification stays good once it has been issued to a retired peace officer or a retired federal law enforcement officer: the ten-year condition in R.C. 2923.125(B)(3) dates the retirement the certification relates to, not the certification itself, having read that statute in full on September 23, 2026.

Training rules at a glance

What training or the license changes

A competency certification is one of the conditions for a concealed handgun license to issue under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l).

Common questions

How many hours of training does Ohio require?

A qualifying course includes at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm.

How much of the course happens on the range?

The course must include at least two hours of in-person range time and live-fire training.

How old can my training certificate be?

For most certifications, the qualifying course must have been completed within the 3 years before the application.

I qualified through military service. Does my certification expire?

We found no Ohio statute that puts a ten-year limit, or any other time limit, on a competency certification based on military service, retirement from military service, or an honorable discharge, having read R.C. 2923.125 in full on September 23, 2026.

How old must I be to get the license?

You must be at least 21 years old to receive a concealed handgun license.

What does the license application cost?

A resident of Ohio for five or more years pays a $67 nonrefundable fee under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i). A resident of less than five years, or a nonresident employed in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual FBI background check cost under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii).

Applying for a concealed handgun license

You apply for a concealed handgun license through a county sheriff, who issues the license to people who qualify. You file a completed application form and the supporting documents with that sheriff. If the sheriff denies you, the sheriff must give written grounds, and you may appeal.

Who issues the license and where you apply

Ohio sheriffs issue concealed handgun licenses on a form described in Ohio Revised Code 109.731(A)(2)(a). You do not apply to a state office. You file with the sheriff of the county where you live, or with the sheriff of any adjacent county, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B). If you live in another state, you file with the sheriff of the Ohio county where you work, or with the sheriff of a county adjacent to it.

What you submit and how the sheriff decides

Along with a completed application form, you must submit each of the following:

• A nonrefundable license fee.
• A color photograph of you taken within 30 days before the application date.
• One or more competency certifications.
• A certification that you have read the safety pamphlet prepared by the Ohio peace officer training commission.
• A set of fingerprints, taken with an electronic fingerprint reading device or, if the sheriff has no such device and no ready access to one, on a standard impression sheet.
• If you are not a U.S. citizen or national, your country of citizenship and your alien registration number.
• If you live in another state, adequate proof of employment in Ohio.

An applicant who has lived in Ohio for five or more years pays a nonrefundable license fee of $67 under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i). Our fees page sets out the rest of what an application costs.

Reading Ohio Revised Code 2923.125 on September 23, 2026, we found no deadline for a sheriff to decide an application: the 45-day clock in division (D)(1) is a duty to issue the license once an applicant meets every criterion in that division, and division (D)(3) stops the processing of an application while a disqualifying charge is pending.

A sheriff who denies an application because the applicant does not meet the criteria in division (D)(1) must state the grounds in a written notice, and you may appeal that denial under Ohio Revised Code 119.12 in the county served by the sheriff who denied it, as Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) provides. If the denial came from the criminal records check, a challenge to those records under Ohio Revised Code 2923.127 is a separate remedy, and Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) tolls the time to file the Ohio Revised Code 119.12 appeal while that challenge is pending.

Exceptions for newer residents and nonresidents

Some applicants pay a different fee. An applicant who has lived in Ohio for less than five years, or a nonresident who works in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii). A nonresident who works in Ohio applies in the county of employment or an adjacent county.

Most competency certifications must reflect training completed within the 3 years immediately before the application.

What training changes for your application

Before a license can issue, you must submit a competency certification and a certification that you read the safety pamphlet, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(l).

A qualifying course must include at least 8 hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1). The course must cover each of the following:

• Naming, explaining, and demonstrating the rules for safe handling of a handgun and proper storage of handguns and ammunition.
• Demonstrating and explaining how to handle ammunition safely.
• Demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to shoot a handgun safely.
• Gun handling training.
• A minimum of two hours of in-person training made up of range time and live-fire training.

The course must include live-fire training, as Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1)(e) requires. Our training page sets out who may teach each competency route and what each route requires.

Application numbers at a glance

Common questions

Do I apply to a state agency or to a sheriff?

You apply to a sheriff, because sheriffs issue the concealed handgun license to people who qualify.

Can I apply in a county other than the one I live in?

Yes, you may apply to the sheriff of any county adjacent to your county of residence.

Is there a deadline for the sheriff to decide my application?

We found no deadline in Ohio Revised Code 2923.125 for a sheriff to decide an application, because the 45-day clock in division (D)(1) runs to the duty to issue a license to an applicant who meets every criterion in that division.

Do I get my fee back if I am denied?

No, the $67 license fee for a resident of five or more years is nonrefundable.

What can I do if the sheriff denies my application?

You receive a written notice of the grounds, and Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) lets you appeal under Ohio Revised Code 119.12 in the county served by the sheriff who denied it.

How old can my training certificate be?

For most competency certifications, the training must have been completed within the 3 years immediately before you apply.

Fees and costs

If you apply for a concealed handgun license, the sheriff charges a fee set by state law. An applicant who has lived in Ohio for five or more years pays $67. A newer resident, or a nonresident who works in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual FBI background-check cost. Renewal for a resident of five or more years costs $50. Some applicants pay no license fee at all.

Who pays these fees

These fees are the ones a sheriff collects on a new or renewal application for a concealed handgun license. The amount depends on how long you have lived in Ohio, or whether you live elsewhere and work here. Certain service members, veterans and retired officers are exempt from the license fee.

The fee rule

Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i), an applicant who has been an Ohio resident for five or more years pays a $67 nonrefundable license fee. Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii), a resident of less than five years, or a nonresident employed in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check.

Renewal follows the same split. Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(4)(a), a renewal applicant who has been a resident for five or more years pays a $50 nonrefundable renewal fee. Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(4)(b), a renewal applicant resident less than five years, or a nonresident employed in Ohio, pays $50 plus the actual FBI background-check cost.

If your license is lost or destroyed, R.C. 2923.125(E) lets you get a duplicate from the issuing sheriff for $15.

Who is exempt from the license fee

A sheriff waives the license fee for these applicants, subject to the annual limit on waived military payments:

• An active or reserve member of the armed forces of the United States.
• A person who retired from or was honorably discharged from military service in the active or reserve armed forces of the United States.
• A retired peace officer.
• A retired person described in division (B)(1)(b) of section 109.77 of the Revised Code.
• A retired federal law enforcement officer who was authorized under federal law to carry a firearm on duty.

Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(c), the waiver covers both initial and renewal applications, but not a retired officer or person who retired as the result of a mental disability.

Fee table

What training changes

Training changes whether a sheriff can issue the license at all. Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l), an applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), that course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e), the course must include live-fire training.

Common questions

Is the license fee refundable?

No. A resident of five or more years pays a $67 nonrefundable license fee. The $50 renewal fee for that resident is also nonrefundable.

Why would a newer resident pay more than a long-time resident?

A resident of less than five years pays $67 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check. The FBI check is the added cost.

What does it cost to replace a lost license?

You pay the issuing sheriff $15 and submit an affidavit stating the license was lost or destroyed.

When can I renew and pay the renewal fee?

Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(a), you may renew at any time before your license expires, with no early-filing limit.

Do honorably discharged veterans pay the license fee?

Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(c), a sheriff waives the license fee for a person honorably discharged from the active or reserve armed forces of the United States. Once a sheriff is informed that the payments waived reached one million five hundred thousand dollars in a year, the sheriff stops waiving the license fee for military applicants for the rest of that year.

Where does my fee go?

Under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(d), the sheriff deposits license fees into the sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance fund, and the county distributes them as state law directs.

Renewing your concealed handgun license

You can renew your Ohio concealed handgun license at any time before it expires. You can also file at any time after it expires, and there is no cutoff date. You file with a county sheriff and certify that you reread the state safety pamphlet. You do not retake the firearms course. The renewed concealed handgun license runs five years from the date it is issued.

Who can renew

A person who holds or held an Ohio concealed handgun license may file for renewal, subject to the bars described below. The sheriff renews it if you still meet the original eligibility requirements, except the competency certification. An applicant must be at least 21 years old. A person who lives in another state may apply if employed in Ohio.

You file with the sheriff of the county where you live or with the sheriff of an adjacent county. If you live in another state, you file with the sheriff of the county that issued your previous concealed handgun license.

The renewal rule

Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(a), a licensee may renew at any time before the expiration date, with no early-filing limit. The same division lets you file at any time after the expiration date and sets no late deadline. With the application, you certify that since the concealed handgun license was issued you reread the Ohio peace officer training commission pamphlet on firearms, dispute resolution, and use of deadly force.

If you have lived in Ohio for five or more years, the nonrefundable renewal fee is $50 under R.C. 2923.125(F)(4)(a). If you have lived in Ohio for less than five years, or you live elsewhere and work in Ohio, the fee is $50 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check under R.C. 2923.125(F)(4)(b).

Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(2), a renewed concealed handgun license expires five years after the date it is issued. Under R.C. 2923.126(A), your concealed handgun license remains valid for a grace period of thirty days after it expires. After those thirty days, the expired concealed handgun license authorizes nothing, because it must be valid while you carry it. A holder who still meets every condition of a qualifying adult, which means being at least 21, not being barred from possessing a firearm under federal or Ohio law, and satisfying the eligibility criteria the licensing statute lists, may carry concealed as a qualifying adult without a concealed handgun license.

Exceptions and bars

A licensee who no longer lives in Ohio, or no longer works in Ohio where the concealed handgun license rested on employment, may not renew under R.C. 2923.125(F)(5). That concealed handgun license stays valid until the expiration date printed on it.

If your concealed handgun license expires during a suspension for certain misdemeanor carry convictions, you may not apply for a new one or renew until the suspension ends. Under Ohio Revised Code 2923.128(A)(2)(b), a suspension imposed for a misdemeanor violation of Ohio Revised Code 2923.12(B)(2) or 2923.16(E)(3) ends 1 year after the conviction or guilty plea. Under that same division, Ohio Revised Code 2923.128(A)(2)(b), a suspension imposed for a misdemeanor violation of 2923.12(B)(4) or 2923.16(E)(5) ends 2 years after the conviction or guilty plea. The renewal division does not address renewing a revoked concealed handgun license.

Under R.C. 2923.128(C), a sealed or expunged conviction, or one from which you were legally relieved of disability, does not count toward suspension or revocation.

Under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(b), a licensee, spouse, or dependent on active military, Peace Corps, VISTA, or foreign service duty is exempt from the license requirements during that duty and for six months after.

If you are charged with carrying a concealed handgun after the grace period, a concealed handgun license that expired within the two years before the arrest, presented within forty-five days of the arrest with a written speedy-trial waiver, reduces the offense to a misdemeanor with a $500 fine.

Renewal at a glance

What training or the license changes

A concealed handgun license issued under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(a) expires 5 years after the date of issuance, and that is the term a renewal buys. Getting the license the first time takes a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(l). The qualifying course must include at least 8 hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1). Under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1)(e), that course must include live-fire training.

Frequently asked questions

Can I renew months before my concealed handgun license expires?

Yes, you may renew at any time before the expiration date, with no early-filing limit.

Does renewing early change when the new concealed handgun license expires?

The renewed concealed handgun license expires five years after the date it is issued.

My concealed handgun license already expired. Can I still renew?

Yes, you may file for renewal at any time after the expiration date. A suspension or a move out of Ohio can bar renewal, as described above.

Can I carry while my concealed handgun license is expired?

Your concealed handgun license stays valid for thirty days after it expires. After that, the concealed handgun license itself authorizes nothing, though a person who is at least 21, is not barred from possessing a firearm under federal or Ohio law, and satisfies the eligibility criteria the licensing statute lists may still carry concealed as a qualifying adult.

Do I have to take a firearms class again?

No, a routine renewal does not require a new competency certification. You certify that you reread the Ohio peace officer training commission pamphlet.

Which sheriff do I file with?

You file with the sheriff of your county of residence, an adjacent county, or, if you live in another state, the sheriff who issued your previous concealed handgun license.

I moved out of Ohio. Can I renew?

No, a licensee who no longer lives or works in Ohio, as applicable, may not renew, though the concealed handgun license stays valid until its printed expiration date.

Where you cannot carry in Ohio

Under permitless carry, a qualifying adult may carry a concealed handgun anywhere a concealed handgun license holder may carry one. Those places do not include a school safety zone, where no deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance may be conveyed or possessed outside the stated exceptions. Carrying in a school safety zone or a courthouse against those rules is a felony of the fifth degree. Learn each place before you carry.

Who this applies to

Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2), a qualifying adult may carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm anywhere in Ohio that a license holder may carry one. The statute ties your reach to the license holder's reach. The place rules in this section apply to you whether you hold a concealed handgun license or carry without one.

The rule

Under R.C. 2923.126(B), a valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into eight kinds of place. Those places are the following:

The first is police stations, sheriff's offices, state highway patrol stations, BCI premises, correctional institutions, jails, workhouses and other detention facilities, secured or screened areas of airport passenger terminals, and state psychiatric or developmental-disability institutions. The second is a school safety zone, where carrying would violate the school safety zone law. The third is a courthouse or other building with a courtroom, where carrying would violate the courthouse law. The fourth is premises or open-air arenas holding a D liquor permit, but only where carrying would violate the liquor-premises law, which a licensee or qualifying active-duty member does not violate while not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse. The fifth is premises of a public or private college, university, or other institution of higher education, unless the handgun is in a locked motor vehicle, you are in the immediate process of placing it there, or the institution's governing body has adopted a written policy authorizing you or your class of persons to carry. The sixth is a church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship, unless it posts or permits otherwise. The seventh is a building that is a state or political-subdivision government facility, other than a shelter, restroom, parking facility, rest facility, or courthouse, unless the governing body has enacted a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees to carry inside. The eighth is any place where federal law prohibits carrying a handgun.

R.C. 2923.122 bars knowingly conveying a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone, and knowingly possessing one there. Federal law separately makes it unlawful to knowingly possess a firearm that has moved in or affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place you know, or have reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone, 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(A).

R.C. 2923.121(A) bars possessing a firearm in any room where anyone is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor on D-permit premises, or in a D-permit open-air arena. That ban does not reach a person with a valid concealed handgun license, a qualifying active-duty member, or a qualifying adult treated as a licensee, as long as the person is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse.

R.C. 2923.126(B)(7) puts state and political-subdivision government buildings off limits unless the governing body enacts a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees to carry inside. Buildings used primarily as a shelter, restroom, parking facility, or rest facility are not covered, and a courthouse falls under its own rule.

Exceptions

Under R.C. 2923.122(D)(3)-(4), a person with a valid concealed handgun license or a qualifying active-duty service member has two school safety zone exceptions. The exceptions work as follows:

• A person with a valid concealed handgun license, an active-duty service member with military ID and qualifying training documentation, or a qualifying adult treated as a licensee while carrying a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand, who stays out of the school building and off school premises, is not at a school activity, is in the zone in accordance with federal law, and is not knowingly in any other place on the prohibited list except a school safety zone.
• A licensee or qualifying active-duty member who leaves the handgun in a motor vehicle, keeps it in the vehicle, and locks the vehicle on getting out, with a qualifying adult treated as a licensee for this exception while carrying or having a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand.

Under R.C. 2923.121(B)(1)(e), the liquor-premises ban does not apply to a person with a valid concealed handgun license, or a qualifying active-duty member, who is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse. A qualifying adult carrying a non-restricted handgun concealed or ready at hand is treated as a licensee for that exemption.

The federal school-zone ban does not apply to a person licensed by the State where the zone is located, if that State's law requires law enforcement to verify eligibility before issuing the license, 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B)(ii). Other federal exceptions cover private property outside school grounds, an unloaded firearm in a locked container or locked rack on a motor vehicle, school-approved programs and contracts, officers on duty, and unloaded transit to hunting land.

Penalty

R.C. 2923.122(E)(1) makes illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a school safety zone a felony of the fifth degree. With a prior conviction under that section, the offense is a felony of the fourth degree. Illegal conveyance into, or possession in, a courthouse is graded the same way.

Places at a glance

What training or the license changes

Frequently asked questions

Can I carry into a restaurant that serves alcohol?

If the restaurant holds a D liquor permit, the ban covers any room where anyone is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor. A licensee, qualifying active-duty member, or qualifying adult treated as a licensee does not violate that section as long as the person is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse.

Can I drop my child off at school with a handgun in the car?

Ohio's school safety zone law does not apply to a licensee or qualifying active-duty member who leaves the handgun in the motor vehicle, keeps it there, and locks the vehicle on getting out. A qualifying adult is treated as a licensee for that exception while carrying or having a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand. Federal law separately exempts an unloaded firearm in a locked container or locked rack on a motor vehicle.

Can I carry in church?

A church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship is off limits unless it posts or permits otherwise. Ask the place of worship before you carry there.

Can I carry on a college campus?

College and university premises are off limits unless the handgun is in a locked motor vehicle, you are in the immediate process of placing it there, or the governing body has adopted a written policy authorizing you or your class of persons to carry.

Can I carry into city hall?

A city hall is a political-subdivision government building, so it is off limits unless the governing body has enacted a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees to carry inside. A building used primarily as a shelter, restroom, parking facility, or rest facility is not covered by that ban.

What happens if I walk into a courthouse while carrying?

Illegal conveyance into, or possession in, a courthouse is a felony of the fifth degree, or of the fourth degree with a prior conviction under the same section. Leave the handgun secured elsewhere before you go to court.

Vehicle carry in Ohio

A concealed handgun license holder or a qualifying adult may transport or have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle under R.C. 2923.16. Anyone else, other than an active-duty member carrying military identification and firearms training documentation, must carry the firearm unloaded and stowed one of the ways division (C) lists. A rifle or shotgun rides unloaded either way. A driver stopped with a loaded handgun must disclose that fact to the officer when asked.

Who this applies to

Ohio still issues a concealed handgun license through the county sheriff under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1). Under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2)(a), a person must be twenty-one years of age or older to meet the age element of that definition. The statute calls that class of person a qualifying adult. A qualifying adult is not required to obtain a concealed handgun license to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1).

That right is the same right granted to a person issued a concealed handgun license, and it carries the same restrictions, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(3). A qualifying adult may carry anywhere in the state where a license holder may carry a concealed handgun, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2). The unloaded-transport route in R.C. 2923.16(C) is open only to a person who may lawfully possess that firearm under applicable law of this state or the United States.

The rule in the car

Under R.C. 2923.16(F)(5), divisions (B) and (C) do not apply to a concealed handgun license holder who transports or possesses a handgun in a motor vehicle. Under R.C. 2923.16(F)(5)(b), that exemption stops when the handgun is knowingly in a place described in division (B) of section 2923.126 of the Revised Code. Without that status, an unloaded firearm may be carried in a closed package, box, or case, or in a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle. R.C. 2923.16 names no glove box or console, and a glove box or console a driver can reach from the seat is not such a compartment.

Under R.C. 2923.16(B), a person outside that exemption may not knowingly transport or have a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in such a manner that it is accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle. That reaches anyone who is neither a license holder nor an active-duty member with training documentation, and it reaches a qualifying adult whenever the handgun is not a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand, and it reaches any of them while knowingly in a place described in section 2923.126(B) of the Revised Code. A person under twenty-one, or one who may not lawfully possess the handgun, is never a qualifying adult and so cannot reach the exemption as a qualifying adult.

A person who is not within that exemption may transport or have a firearm in a motor vehicle only if the person may lawfully possess it under state or federal law, it is unloaded, and it is carried in one of the ways division (C) lists. A qualifying adult is treated as a license holder, and so falls outside division (C), only while carrying or having a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand.

Division (C) lists four ways to carry that unloaded firearm: in a closed package, box, or case; in a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle; in plain sight secured in a rack or holder made for the purpose; or, if the firearm is at least twenty-four inches in overall length with a barrel of at least eighteen inches, in plain sight with the action open or the weapon stripped. Ohio requires no locked container. Under R.C. 2923.16(C), that route turns on lawful possession, an unloaded firearm, and a listed manner of carry, and not on why the firearm is being transported. The section does not ask the purpose of the trip or where it is going.

We found no Ohio statute that requires a handgun in a motor vehicle to be concealed, holstered, or kept out of plain sight, having read Ohio Revised Code 2923.16, the statute that would carry such a rule, on September 21, 2026.

A rifle or shotgun may not be loaded and accessible in a motor vehicle, because the license exemption in R.C. 2923.16(F)(5) reaches only a handgun. A long gun therefore rides unloaded and stowed one of the ways division (C) lists.

The disclosure duty is keyed to the officer's question, and it reaches the driver or an occupant of a motor vehicle stopped for a traffic stop or another law enforcement purpose with a loaded handgun in the vehicle. A qualifying adult is treated as a license holder for that duty only while carrying or having, concealed on the person or ready at hand, a handgun that is not a restricted firearm. A licensee, or a qualifying military member, must then disclose possession of the loaded handgun to the officer. Under R.C. 2923.16(E)(1), disclosure must come before or at the time the officer asks, unless the person already notified another officer during the same stop.

Exceptions

An active-duty member of the armed forces who carries a military identification card and documentation of firearms training may transport or have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle on the same terms as a license holder. Under R.C. 2923.16(F)(5), a qualifying adult is deemed a license holder for that exemption, through section 2923.111(C)(1)(a) of the Revised Code, only while carrying or having, concealed on the person or ready at hand, a handgun that is not a restricted firearm.

Two hunting exceptions reach an all-purpose vehicle for a person holding a valid all-purpose vehicle permit: discharge from a stationary all-purpose vehicle during the open hunting season under (F)(3), and (F)(6), which lifts divisions (B) and (C) only if all of the following apply: the person holds the permit, is on or in an all-purpose vehicle or a motor vehicle during the open hunting season for a wild quadruped or game bird, and is on or in an all-purpose vehicle on private or publicly owned lands or in a motor vehicle parked on a road owned or administered by the division of wildlife. Boats are governed separately from R.C. 2923.16, by R.C. 1547.69, the vessel firearm statute: no person may knowingly transport or have a loaded firearm in a vessel in a manner that it is accessible to the operator or any passenger, and a firearm in a vessel must otherwise be unloaded and carried in a closed package, box, or case, or in plain sight with the action opened or the weapon stripped.

In a school safety zone, a licensee, an active-duty service member with military identification and qualifying training documentation, or a qualifying adult treated as a licensee while carrying a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand may possess a handgun in only these situations:

• Under R.C. 2923.122(D)(3), the person stays out of the school building and off school premises, is not at a school activity, is in the school safety zone in accordance with 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B), and is not knowingly in a place listed in section 2923.126(B)(1) or (B)(3) to (8) of the Revised Code
• Under R.C. 2923.122(D), the person leaves the handgun in a motor vehicle, the handgun does not leave the vehicle, and the person locks the vehicle on exiting it

Penalty

Improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle is graded by division in R.C. 2923.16(I). Discharging a firearm from the vehicle under (A) and having a loaded firearm accessible without leaving the vehicle under (B) are felonies of the fourth degree. A violation of the unloaded-transport conditions in division (C) is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. A loaded handgun while under the influence under (D) is a felony of the fifth degree, or a felony of the fourth degree if the loaded handgun is concealed on the person.

Failing to disclose the loaded handgun in violation of division (E)(1) or (E)(2) is a misdemeanor of the second degree. Neither nondisclosure offence suspends the license, because the suspension reaches the stop-conduct offences instead. Under R.C. 2923.16(I), a violation of (E)(4) is a felony of the fifth degree, and a violation of (E)(3) or (E)(5) is a misdemeanor of the first degree, or a felony of the fifth degree on a prior conviction, with the license suspended under section 2923.128 of the Revised Code. If a person surrenders a firearm during a stop, the officer files no charge and makes no arrest, the person is not otherwise prohibited from possessing it, and the firearm is not contraband, R.C. 2923.16(J) requires the officer to return it at the termination of the stop.

Vehicle rules at a glance

What training or the license changes

Under R.C. 2923.16(F)(5), holding a concealed handgun license means divisions (B) and (C) do not apply to you when you transport or possess a handgun in a motor vehicle. Under R.C. 2923.16(F)(5), a qualifying adult reaches that same vehicle exemption, through section 2923.111(C)(1)(a) of the Revised Code, only while the handgun is concealed on the person or ready at hand and is not a restricted firearm. Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2), a qualifying adult may carry anywhere in the state where a license holder may carry a concealed handgun. Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l), an applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), that course must include at least 8 hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm.

Common questions

Can I keep a loaded handgun in my glove box or center console?

R.C. 2923.16 names no glove box or console, and a glove box or console the driver can reach from the seat is not a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle. A license holder or a qualifying adult may have a loaded handgun in the vehicle under the exemption in R.C. 2923.16. Anyone relying on division (C) must be able to lawfully possess the firearm under state or federal law.

Do I have to tell the officer about the gun during a traffic stop?

The duty applies to the driver or an occupant of a vehicle stopped for a traffic stop or another law enforcement purpose while a loaded handgun is in the vehicle. You must disclose before or at the time the officer asks, unless you already notified another officer during the same stop. Failure to disclose under (E)(1) or (E)(2) is a misdemeanor of the second degree.

Can my rifle or shotgun stay loaded in the truck?

A rifle or shotgun may not be loaded and accessible in a motor vehicle, and the license exemption reaches only a handgun. The section's all-purpose vehicle provisions are the hunting exceptions in (F)(3) and (F)(6) for a person holding a valid all-purpose vehicle permit.

Do these vehicle rules cover my boat, aircraft, or snowmobile?

Ohio Revised Code 2923.16 governs a motor vehicle as Ohio Revised Code 4511.01 defines it. Boats are governed separately from R.C. 2923.16, by R.C. 1547.69, the vessel firearm statute, which bars a loaded firearm accessible to the operator or any passenger in a vessel and otherwise requires the firearm to be unloaded and carried in a closed package, box, or case, or in plain sight with the action opened or the weapon stripped. Aircraft and snowmobiles are not named in R.C. 2923.16.

What happens if I hand my handgun to the officer?

If the officer does not charge you with a violation of this section or arrest you for any offense, you are not otherwise prohibited from possessing the firearm, and the firearm is not contraband, the officer must return it at the termination of the stop under R.C. 2923.16(J).

Can I leave the handgun in my car at a school?

Under R.C. 2923.122(D), a concealed handgun license holder may leave the handgun in a motor vehicle if the handgun does not leave the vehicle and the person locks the vehicle on exiting it. A qualifying adult is treated as a license holder for that exception while carrying or having a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand.

Does Ohio care why I am carrying the firearm in the car?

Under R.C. 2923.16(C), the unloaded-transport route turns on lawful possession, an unloaded firearm, and a listed manner of carry, and not on why the firearm is being transported. A locked container is not one of the listed ways, and none of the four requires a lock.

Transporting a firearm in a vehicle

If you hold a concealed handgun license, you are an active-duty member carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training, or you are a qualifying adult Ohio treats as a license holder, you may keep a loaded handgun in your vehicle. That exemption ends if you knowingly enter a place where the license does not authorize carry. Everyone else carries a firearm unloaded, stowed in one of four listed ways, with no locked container required.

Who this applies to

These rules apply to anyone who transports or has a firearm in a motor vehicle, and R.C. 2923.16(F)(5) splits people into two groups. In this guide, permitless carry means carrying without a license.

The first group, which may have a loaded handgun in the vehicle, is made up of these people:

• A person who holds a concealed handgun license that is valid at the time.
• An active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training.
• A qualifying adult under permitless carry, whom Ohio treats as a license holder while carrying a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand.

Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(b), an applicant must be at least 21 years old to receive the license. Everyone else is in the second group: a person who is not a license holder, not an active-duty member with training documentation, and not a qualifying adult carrying or having a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand. A person who may not lawfully possess the firearm has no lawful way to transport it under R.C. 2923.16(C).

The rule

For the first group, R.C. 2923.16(F)(5) lifts divisions (B) and (C), so a loaded handgun may ride in the vehicle. That holds only while the person is not knowingly in a place where a concealed handgun license does not authorize carry.

For the second group, R.C. 2923.16(B) bars a loaded firearm the operator or any passenger can reach without leaving the vehicle. A person in this group may transport a firearm only if the person may lawfully possess it and it is unloaded. It must also be carried in one of four ways listed in R.C. 2923.16(C).

• In a closed package, box, or case.
• In a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle.
• In plain sight and secured in a rack or holder made for the purpose.
• For a firearm at least 24 inches long overall with a barrel of at least 18 inches, in plain sight with the action open or the weapon stripped, or in plain sight if the action will not stay open or it cannot easily be stripped.

Ohio requires no locked container. R.C. 2923.16(C) has no purpose test and does not ask why the firearm is being transported or where it is going.

Violations are graded by division under R.C. 2923.16(I). An unloaded-transport violation of division (C) is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. A loaded firearm accessible without leaving the vehicle, in violation of division (B), is a felony of the fourth degree.

Exceptions and limits

The exemption reaches only a handgun, so a rifle or shotgun rides unloaded and stowed in one of the four listed ways. A qualifying adult counts as a license holder only while the handgun is concealed on the person or ready at hand and is not a restricted firearm.

Even inside the exemption, division (D) of R.C. 2923.16, which bars a loaded handgun while under the influence, still applies. The stop duties in division (E) of R.C. 2923.16 also still apply.

Under 18 U.S.C. 926A, a person not otherwise prohibited may transport a firearm for any lawful purpose between two places where the person may lawfully possess and carry it. The firearm must be unloaded, and neither it nor its ammunition may be readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment.

Vehicle rules at a glance

What training or the license changes

Under R.C. 2923.16, a concealed handgun license holder, or an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training, may transport or have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle, except while the handgun is knowingly in a place described in R.C. 2923.126(B). A qualifying adult is treated as a license holder for that exemption only while carrying or having, concealed on the person or ready at hand, a handgun that is not a restricted firearm. Under R.C. 2923.111(B)(3), a qualifying adult carrying without a license has the same carry rights, and is subject to the same restrictions, as a person who has been issued a concealed handgun license. Under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l), a license applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), that course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1), the course must cover safe handling and storage of handguns and ammunition, safe handling of ammunition, the knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot safely, gun handling training, and a minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live-fire training. Under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e), the required course must include live-fire training. Under R.C. 109.69(B)(3), Ohio recognizes a valid concealed handgun license from any other license-issuing state for a nonresident who is temporarily in Ohio, whether or not Ohio has a formal reciprocity agreement with that state.

Common questions

If I am outside the exemption, can I use the glove box?

An unloaded firearm may go in a closed package, box, or case, or in a compartment reachable only by leaving the vehicle. R.C. 2923.16 names no glove box or console, and one the driver can reach from the seat is not such a compartment.

Do I need a locked case?

No. Ohio requires no locked container for unloaded transport.

Can I keep a loaded rifle or shotgun in my truck?

No. R.C. 2923.16(B) forbids a loaded, accessible long gun, and the license exemption reaches only a handgun.

Does my license let me have a loaded handgun in the car while under the influence?

No. Division (D) of R.C. 2923.16 still applies to a person in the exemption. A violation is a felony of the fifth degree, or of the fourth degree if the loaded handgun is concealed on the person.

Do I need a reason to have a firearm in my car?

No. R.C. 2923.16(C) turns on lawful possession, an unloaded firearm, and a listed manner of carry, not on why the firearm is being transported.

Do these rules cover my boat or all-purpose vehicle?

R.C. 2923.16 governs a motor vehicle. A boat is governed by a separate Ohio statute, which bars a loaded firearm accessible to the operator or any passenger. Otherwise a firearm in a boat must be unloaded and carried in a closed package, box, or case, or in plain sight with the action opened or the weapon stripped. An all-purpose vehicle appears in R.C. 2923.16 only in two hunting exceptions for a person holding an all-purpose vehicle permit.

Storage

If your firearm is lost or stolen, Ohio requires you to report it to law enforcement forthwith. We found no Ohio statute that tells you how to store an ordinary firearm, and R.C. 2923.19(A) instead requires proper precautions from anyone who has dangerous ordnance. When you buy a firearm, the dealer must offer you a lock for sale. You may also choose to store a firearm with a dealer or a law enforcement agency.

Who this applies to

These rules reach different people in different roles.

• Anyone with a firearm or dangerous ordnance in their possession or control must report its loss or theft.
• We found no Ohio storage duty on the owner of an ordinary firearm, and the duty in R.C. 2923.19(A) reaches anyone acquiring, possessing, carrying, or using dangerous ordnance.
• A federally licensed firearms dealer who sells a firearm has point-of-sale duties under R.C. 2923.25.
• An owner of a lawfully possessed firearm, or a person the owner authorizes, may use voluntary storage.

The rule

Under R.C. 2923.20(A)(7), a person may not knowingly fail to report the loss or theft of a firearm in the person's possession or control to law enforcement forthwith. The statute sets no fixed number of hours; the duty is to report forthwith.

We found no Ohio statute that requires an ordinary firearm to be stored securely, having read R.C. 2923.19(A) in full, which instead says that no person, in acquiring, possessing, carrying, or using any dangerous ordnance, shall negligently fail to take proper precautions to secure it against theft or unauthorized or incompetent use and to insure the safety of persons and property.

At the time of a sale, R.C. 2923.25 requires a federally licensed firearms dealer to do the following:

• Offer for sale a trigger lock, gun lock, or gun locking device appropriate for that firearm.
• Post the poster the law furnishes for this purpose in a conspicuous location in the place of business.
• Make the brochure the law furnishes for this purpose available to all purchasers.

The statute does not require the dealer to give a lock away or to supply a case. It borrows its dealer definition from a poster-supply statute that, on its face, describes destructive-device licensees. No Ohio authority we reviewed settles whether these duties reach every licensed dealer or only those licensees.

Under R.C. 2923.26(B), an owner of a lawfully possessed firearm, or a person the owner authorizes, may store it with a dealer or a law enforcement agency on application and agreement. The dealer option uses the same borrowed definition, so whether it reaches every licensed dealer is unsettled. Storage with a law enforcement agency does not depend on that definition.

A dealer may not agree to store a firearm if its federal firearms license will expire during the storage term, unless it filed a timely renewal and may keep operating under federal law, R.C. 2923.26(C)(1). A storing dealer must follow all federal laws on acquisition, transfer, and disposition of firearms, R.C. 2923.26(C)(2). No dealer may return a firearm if the return would directly violate state or federal law, R.C. 2923.26(C)(4).

A law enforcement agency may set its own policies on returning stored firearms, R.C. 2923.26(D)(1). No law enforcement agency may return a firearm if the return would directly violate state or federal law, R.C. 2923.26(D)(2).

Information in a storage application or agreement is confidential and is not a public record, R.C. 2923.26(J). It may be used only as the voluntary storage statute describes.

Exceptions and limits

Nothing in the voluntary storage statute requires a dealer or law enforcement agency to accept a firearm for storage, R.C. 2923.26(E). Nothing in it requires them to store a firearm free of charge, R.C. 2923.26(F).

A dealer that accepts a firearm for storage is immune from civil liability for injury, death, or loss related to accepting, storing, or returning it, R.C. 2923.26(G). That immunity does not apply if the dealer acts with malicious purpose or intent to withhold the firearm without legal cause.

A law enforcement agency or political subdivision is immune from civil liability for the same kinds of injury, death, or loss, R.C. 2923.26(H). That immunity runs only to the extent and in the manner another chapter of the Revised Code provides.

Penalty

Knowingly failing to report a lost or stolen firearm is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, R.C. 2923.20.

We found no Ohio penalty for failing to store an ordinary firearm, having read R.C. 2923.19(B) in full, which makes failure to secure dangerous ordnance a misdemeanor of the second degree.

If a court finds a dealer or agency withheld a stored firearm after demand without legal cause, it must award reasonable costs and attorney's fees, R.C. 2923.26(I). That award comes in addition to any other relief the court orders.

Storage rules at a glance

Common questions

How quickly must I report a lost or stolen gun?

Ohio requires a report forthwith, and the statute sets no fixed number of hours. Knowingly failing to report is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

Will the gun store give me a free lock?

The dealer must offer a trigger lock, gun lock, or gun locking device for sale at the time of sale. The statute does not require the dealer to give a lock away or to supply a case.

Can I leave my gun with the police while I travel?

An owner of a lawfully possessed firearm may store it with a law enforcement agency on application and agreement. The agency is not required to accept it. The agency is not required to store it free of charge.

Does a gun shop have to hold my firearm for me?

No dealer is required to accept a firearm for storage. Whether the dealer storage option reaches every licensed dealer or only destructive-device licensees is unsettled.

Will my storage application become public?

Information in a storage application or agreement is confidential and is not a public record.

What if they refuse to give my gun back?

A dealer or agency may not return a firearm if the return would directly violate state or federal law. If a court finds a withholding after demand was without legal cause, it must award reasonable costs and attorney's fees.

Use of force

Ohio law allows you to use force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of your residence. You have no duty to retreat first if you are in a place where you lawfully have a right to be. If trial evidence tends to support self-defense, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not act in self-defense.

Who these rules apply to

The statute text quoted in this section says "a person." It does not mention a concealed handgun license or permitless carry. The burden rule applies at the trial of a person accused of an offense that involved the person's use of force against another. For purposes of any Revised Code provision that sets forth a criminal offense, a person has no duty to retreat in a residence or anywhere else the person lawfully has a right to be. The rules also cover force used to protect another person, not only yourself.

The rule

R.C. 2901.05(B)(1) allows a person to act in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of that person's residence. Once trial evidence tends to support any of those defenses, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused did not act in that defense. The accused does not carry the burden of proving self-defense.

The Revised Code does not set out the elements of when deadly force is justified in self-defense, such as a reasonable belief of imminent danger, and those elements come from Ohio case law apart from the residence and vehicle presumption. That presumption is the subject of our Ohio Castle Doctrine section.

The same structure applies to defense of another. Statute authorizes force in defense of another and puts the burden on the prosecution under R.C. 2901.05(B)(1). The conduct standard for when force in defense of another is permitted is not set out in the Revised Code and comes from Ohio case law.

On retreat, you have no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of your residence if you are lawfully present, R.C. 2901.09(B). A trier of fact shall not consider the possibility of retreat when deciding whether you reasonably believed the force was necessary, R.C. 2901.09(C).

Having read O.R.C. 2901.05 in full, the statute that would carry such a rule, we found no Ohio statute that sets a standard for using force other than deadly force to defend a person. The R.C. 2901.05(B)(2) presumption covers only defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, and force short of that is judged under the general self-defense rule without the presumption.

Ohio adds a presumption for the places you occupy. A person is presumed to have acted in self-defense or defense of another when using deadly or great-bodily-harm-level force against someone unlawfully entering the residence or vehicle the person occupies. Our Ohio Castle Doctrine section sets that presumption out in full, including the places it protects and the entries that trigger it.

Exceptions: when the presumption does not apply

The presumption does not apply if either of these is true:

• The person against whom force is used has a right to be in, or is a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle, R.C. 2901.05(B)(3).
• The person using the force is themselves unlawfully and without privilege present in the residence or vehicle.

The presumption is rebuttable by a preponderance of the evidence, R.C. 2901.05(B)(4). Even so, the prosecution's burden of proof remains proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

The rules at a glance

Each row states one rule and where it comes from.

What training or the license changes

The statute text quoted in this section speaks of "a person." It does not mention a concealed handgun license or permitless carry. What Ohio's training requirement does reach is the license itself: an applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue, R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l).

Common questions

Do I have to try to get away before I defend myself?

No, if you are in a place where you lawfully have a right to be. Ohio law states that you have no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of your residence in that place, R.C. 2901.09(B).

Can a jury hold it against me that I could have left?

The trier of fact shall not consider the possibility of retreat when deciding whether you reasonably believed the force was necessary, R.C. 2901.09(C).

Do I have to prove I acted in self-defense?

No. Once evidence at trial tends to support self-defense, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not act in self-defense, R.C. 2901.05(B)(1).

What if someone breaks into my car while I am inside it?

You are presumed to have acted in self-defense when using deadly or great-bodily-harm-level force against someone unlawfully entering the vehicle you occupy, R.C. 2901.05(B)(2). The prosecution may rebut that presumption by a preponderance of the evidence, R.C. 2901.05(B)(4).

Does the home presumption apply against someone who lives with me?

The presumption does not apply where the other person has a right to be in, or is a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle, or where the person using the force is themselves unlawfully present there, R.C. 2901.05(B)(3). Without the presumption, the prosecution still must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not act in self-defense once evidence tends to support it, R.C. 2901.05(B)(1).

Can I use force to protect another person?

Ohio statute states that a person is allowed to act in defense of another, R.C. 2901.05(B)(1). The standard for when that force is permitted comes from Ohio case law, not the Revised Code.

Castle doctrine

If someone is unlawfully entering, or has unlawfully entered, the home or vehicle you occupy, Ohio law presumes you acted in self-defense when you use force intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm against that person. A prosecutor can rebut that presumption by a preponderance of the evidence. You have no duty to retreat inside your residence before using defensive force.

Who the rule protects

The presumption protects a person who uses defensive force in the residence or vehicle that person occupies, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(2). It applies to force used in self-defense and to force used in defense of another person. You must be lawfully in the residence or vehicle for the presumption to help you. The person you use force against must not have a right to be there.

The presumption is written for any person who meets these conditions. Its text does not ask whether you carry openly, carry concealed, or carry at all.

The rule

Ohio's castle presumption applies only to one level of force. It covers defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another. Force below that level is judged without the presumption.

The presumption protects these places:

• Residence
• Vehicle

The presumption starts when the other person is in either of these situations:

• In the process of unlawfully and without privilege entering the residence or vehicle
• Has unlawfully and without privilege entered the residence or vehicle

Inside a residence you occupy, the presumption for deadly-level force against an unlawful entrant is rebuttable. It is also subject to limits on who may claim it and against whom.

Retreat is not required either. Under R.C. 2901.09(B), a person has no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of that person's residence. That rule applies wherever the person lawfully has a right to be, including the person's residence.

Exceptions

The presumption does not apply if either of the following is true:

• The person you use force against has a right to be in, or is a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(3)
• You are yourself unlawfully and without privilege present in the residence or vehicle when you use the force

Even when neither exception applies, the presumption is not final. Under R.C. 2901.05(B)(4), the presumption may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. The prosecution's burden of proof still remains proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

The rules at a glance

What training or the license changes

None of the facts we verified for this rule tie the castle presumption to a concealed handgun license or to completed training.

Common questions

Do I have to retreat inside my home before I defend myself?

No. A person has no duty to retreat before using force in defense of that person's residence if the person lawfully has a right to be there. Under R.C. 2901.09(C), a trier of fact shall not consider the possibility of retreat when deciding whether your belief that force was necessary was reasonable.

Does the presumption cover my car?

Yes, if you occupy it. The presumption covers the residence or vehicle occupied by the person using the defensive force. The same limits apply in a vehicle, so the presumption does not apply against someone with a right to be in it.

What if the person I use force against lives with me?

The presumption does not apply if that person is a lawful resident of the residence or has a right to be there. Without the presumption, once evidence tends to support that you acted in self-defense, the prosecution must still prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not.

Can a prosecutor still challenge my claim if the presumption applies?

Yes. The presumption is rebuttable by a preponderance of the evidence. Under R.C. 2901.05(B)(1), once evidence at trial tends to support that you used force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of your residence, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not.

Does the rule cover defending a family member or guest?

The presumption applies to self-defense and to defense of another person. If there is evidence that you used force in defense of another, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not.

Does the presumption apply if I use less than deadly force?

No. The presumption covers only defensive force intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm. We found no Ohio statute that sets a standard for using force other than deadly force to defend a person, having read Ohio Revised Code 2901.05, the statute that would carry such a rule, on September 23, 2026.

Duty to inform

Yes. Ohio requires a person carrying a concealed handgun to tell an officer about it when the officer asks during a stop. You must disclose before or at the time the officer asks whether you are carrying, on foot or in a vehicle. In a vehicle, you must also stay in the car, keep your hands in plain sight, leave the handgun alone, and follow lawful orders unless the officer directs otherwise.

Who must disclose

The person covered by the duty differs on foot and in a vehicle.

On foot, a concealed handgun license holder stopped for any law enforcement purpose while carrying a concealed handgun must disclose it, R.C. 2923.12(B)(1). Division (B) of that section names no active-duty branch.

In a vehicle, the duty covers a license holder, or an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training. That person must be the driver or an occupant of a vehicle stopped for a traffic stop or another law enforcement purpose, with a loaded handgun in the vehicle in any manner, R.C. 2923.16(E)(1). On a commercial motor vehicle stop, the question may come from an employee of the motor carrier enforcement unit, R.C. 2923.16(E)(2).

In both settings, a qualifying adult is treated as a license holder only while carrying or having a handgun that is not a restricted firearm, concealed on the person or ready at hand, R.C. 2923.111(C)(1).

The rule during a stop

In a vehicle, you must disclose possession of a loaded handgun before or when an officer asks during the stop. In every setting, the duty is keyed to the officer's question and must be met before or at the time it is asked.

A license holder transporting a loaded handgun must remain in the vehicle during the stop, R.C. 2923.16(E)(3). You must keep your hands in plain sight from the time the officer begins approaching until the officer leaves. You must not touch the loaded handgun with your hands or fingers during that time, R.C. 2923.16(E)(4). You must comply with any lawful order an officer gives while the vehicle is stopped, R.C. 2923.16(E)(5).

R.C. 2923.16 grants no power to seize a firearm for a violation of the section. If a person in the vehicle surrenders a firearm, voluntarily or at the officer's request, the officer must return it at the end of the stop in certain cases, R.C. 2923.16(J). Return is required when there is no charge under R.C. 2923.16, no arrest for any offense, the person may lawfully possess the firearm, and it is not contraband.

Exceptions

In a vehicle, it is not a violation to skip telling an officer if you already notified another officer during the same stop. Staying in the vehicle, keeping your hands in plain sight, and leaving the handgun alone all yield to the officer's own directions, so leaving the vehicle or touching the handgun is allowed when the officer directs it. A qualifying adult whose loaded handgun is elsewhere in the vehicle, not on the person or ready at hand, is not deemed a license holder by R.C. 2923.111(C)(1).

Penalty

Failing to disclose on foot under R.C. 2923.12(B)(1) is a misdemeanor of the second degree. Failing to disclose in a vehicle is also a misdemeanor of the second degree, R.C. 2923.16(I). Neither nondisclosure offense suspends the concealed handgun license.

Failing to remain in the vehicle, keep hands in plain sight, or obey lawful orders is a misdemeanor of the first degree. It becomes a felony of the fifth degree on a previous conviction for the same stop conduct, R.C. 2923.16(I). A misdemeanor conviction for failing to remain in the vehicle, to keep hands in plain sight, or to obey a lawful order also suspends the concealed handgun license, R.C. 2923.16(I). Touching the loaded handgun during the stop is a felony of the fifth degree. Under R.C. 2923.111(C)(2), that suspension reaches a qualifying adult only if a license was actually issued to that person.

Stop duties and their grades

The table sets each vehicle stop duty beside its grade.

What training or the license changes

The license is what puts a driver inside the vehicle rule in the first place. A concealed handgun license holder, or an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying a military identification card and documentation of firearms training, may transport or have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle, R.C. 2923.16. A qualifying adult carrying without a license has the same carry rights, and is subject to the same restrictions, as a person who has been issued a concealed handgun license, R.C. 2923.111(B)(3). Those are the circumstances the disclosure duty and the stop duties above are written for.

Common questions

Do I have to speak up before the officer asks?

The law requires disclosure before or at the time the officer asks whether you are carrying.

What if I already told the first officer on the scene?

In a vehicle, you do not violate the rule by staying silent with a later officer if you already notified another officer during the same stop.

Can I reach for my wallet or registration?

You must keep your hands in plain sight from the time the officer begins approaching until the officer leaves, unless the officer directs otherwise.

Will the officer keep my handgun?

If you surrender it and are not charged under R.C. 2923.16 or arrested, may lawfully possess it, and it is not contraband, the officer must return it when the stop ends.

Does failing to disclose cost me my license?

Neither nondisclosure offense suspends the concealed handgun license, though each is a misdemeanor of the second degree.

Does the duty apply when I am on foot?

Yes. A person stopped for a law enforcement purpose while carrying a concealed handgun must disclose it when asked, R.C. 2923.12.

Carrying Under the Influence

You may not carry or use a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse. In a vehicle, you also may not have a loaded handgun while impaired or with a prohibited blood, breath, or urine concentration, even as a passenger. Using weapons while intoxicated is a misdemeanor of the first degree. An arrest for it suspends a concealed handgun license.

Who this applies to

These rules apply to every person. They apply whether you carry under a concealed handgun license or by permitless carry. They also reach passengers, not only drivers.

The rule

R.C. 2923.15(A) says no person under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse may carry or use any firearm or dangerous ordnance. The offense covers carrying or using a firearm, not mere possession.

R.C. 2923.16(D) bars knowingly transporting or having a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle in two situations. Either one is enough:

• You are under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of them.
• Your whole blood, blood serum or plasma, breath, or urine contains a concentration of alcohol, a listed controlled substance, or a listed metabolite that is prohibited for vehicle operators.

The vehicle rule applies whether you are the operator or a passenger.

Exceptions

We found no Ohio statute that lets a person under the influence transport a firearm unloaded or cased, the vehicle offense in Ohio Revised Code 2923.16(D) reaching a loaded handgun, having read that statute, the one that would carry such a rule, on September 23, 2026. The separate rule in Ohio Revised Code 2923.15(A) still bars carrying or using any firearm while under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse.

Penalty

R.C. 2923.15(B) makes using weapons while intoxicated a misdemeanor of the first degree. Under R.C. 2923.16(I), the vehicle offense is a felony of the fourth degree if the loaded handgun is concealed on your person.

A licensee arrested for or charged with using weapons while intoxicated has the concealed handgun license suspended by the issuing sheriff under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1). The suspension runs from the date of the arrest or charge until the charge is dismissed or you are found not guilty, and then the sheriff returns the license. On conviction, the revocation provisions in R.C. 2923.128(B) govern.

Penalties at a glance

What training or the license changes

None of the facts we verified for this rule tie it to a concealed handgun license or to completed training.

Common questions

Can I carry after one drink?

The carry rule turns on whether you are under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse. In a vehicle, a prohibited concentration of alcohol also triggers the loaded-handgun offense.

Does the vehicle rule apply if I am only a passenger?

Yes. The loaded-handgun rule applies whether you are the operator or a passenger.

Is owning a gun at home while drinking covered?

The offense covers carrying or using a firearm, not mere possession.

Can I keep an unloaded handgun in my car while under the influence?

We found no Ohio statute that allows it, the vehicle offense in Ohio Revised Code 2923.16(D) reaching a loaded handgun. Ohio Revised Code 2923.15(A) still bars carrying or using any firearm while under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse.

What happens to my concealed handgun license if I am charged?

The issuing sheriff suspends it from the date of the arrest or charge until the charge is dismissed or you are found not guilty.

Restrictions

Ohio bars some people from having or carrying any firearm, whether they carry under permitless carry or with a concealed handgun license. Finishing a sentence does not by itself end that bar. A temporary protection order suspends a license, and a civil protection order revokes it. Altering a firearm's serial number is a crime. So is possessing a firearm with reasonable cause to believe its serial number was altered.

Who is barred from having a firearm

Under R.C. 2923.13(A), no person may knowingly acquire, have, carry, or use any firearm or dangerous ordnance if a listed condition applies, unless relieved from disability under operation of law or legal process. The bar applies whether or not you hold a license.

The conditions are these:

• You are a fugitive from justice.
• You are under indictment for or convicted of a felony offense of violence. The same applies if you were adjudicated a delinquent child for an offense that would be a felony offense of violence if committed by an adult.
• You are under indictment for or convicted of a felony offense involving the illegal possession, use, sale, administration, distribution, or trafficking in any drug of abuse, or you have the matching delinquency adjudication.
• You have a drug dependency, are in danger of drug dependence, or have chronic alcoholism.
• You are under adjudication of mental incompetence, were committed to a mental institution, were found by a court to be a person with a mental illness subject to court order, or are an involuntary patient other than one held only for observation.

The rule

A disability under R.C. 2923.13(C) continues until you are relieved by operation of law or legal process. Finishing a criminal sentence does not by itself count as that relief. Neither does having the sentence terminate or expire.

Some rules apply to the firearm itself. Under R.C. 2923.201(B)(1), changing, altering, removing, or obliterating a firearm's manufacturer name, model, serial number, or other identifying mark is the offense of defacing identification marks of a firearm. Under R.C. 2923.201(B)(2), possessing a firearm while knowing or having reasonable cause to believe those marks were changed, altered, removed, or obliterated is the offense of possessing a defaced firearm.

Protection orders reach the license. Under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1), a licensee who becomes subject to a temporary protection order, or an equivalent order of another state, has the license suspended from the date the order issues. The suspension lasts until the court terminates the order, and then the sheriff returns the license. A licensee who instead becomes subject to a civil protection order, or an equivalent out-of-state order, has the license revoked and must surrender it, R.C. 2923.128. An applicant currently subject to a civil protection order, a temporary protection order, or an out-of-state protection order does not meet the issuance criteria.

Exceptions

The bar in R.C. 2923.13(A) does not apply to a person relieved from disability under operation of law or legal process. A court can grant that relief, but only once certain conditions are met.

Your disability may rest on an indictment, conviction, or adjudication. If so, a court may grant relief only after you are fully discharged from imprisonment, community control, post-release control, and parole, under R.C. 2923.14(D)(1)(a). If you are under indictment, you must instead have been released on bail or recognizance.

Your disability may instead rest on some other factor. A court may then grant relief only once that factor no longer applies to you, under R.C. 2923.14(D)(1)(b).

Penalty

Having weapons while under disability is a felony of the third degree under R.C. 2923.13(B). The section carries no recidivist enhancement keyed to the number of prior convictions. The offense stays a felony of the third degree regardless of prior count.

Defacing identification marks of a firearm is a misdemeanor of the first degree. It is a felony of the fourth degree if you were previously convicted of or pleaded guilty to the same offense. Possessing a defaced firearm is also a misdemeanor of the first degree. It is likewise a felony of the fourth degree if you were previously convicted of or pleaded guilty to the same offense.

Ohio law can also classify a person as a violent career criminal. Under R.C. 2923.132(A)(2), only convictions for enumerated violent felony offenses count toward that classification.

These categories count:

• A violation of Revised Code 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2909.02, 2909.23, 2911.01, 2911.02, or 2911.11, R.C. 2923.132(A)(2)(a).
• A violation of division (A)(1) or (A)(2) of Revised Code 2911.12, R.C. 2923.132(A)(2)(b).
• A felony violation of Revised Code 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, or 2907.05, R.C. 2923.132(A)(2)(c).
• A felony violation of Revised Code 2909.24, or a violation of Revised Code 2919.25 that is a felony of the third degree, R.C. 2923.132(A)(2)(d).
• A felony violation of any existing or former ordinance or law of Ohio, another state, or the United States that is or was substantially equivalent to an offense in the categories above.
• A conspiracy or attempt to commit, or complicity in committing, an offense in the categories above, if the conspiracy, attempt, or complicity is a felony of the first or second degree.

Offense grades at a glance

What training or the license changes

None of the facts we verified for this rule tie the disability bar to a concealed handgun license or to completed training. What Ohio's training requirement does reach is the license itself: an applicant must submit a competency certification and a certification of having read the safety pamphlet before a license can issue, R.C. 2923.125(D)(1)(l).

Common questions

Does finishing my sentence restore my right to have a gun?

No. Under R.C. 2923.13(C), completing a criminal sentence, or having it terminate or expire, does not by itself count as relief by operation of law or legal process. For a conviction-based disability, a court may grant relief only after you are fully discharged from imprisonment, community control, post-release control, and parole.

What happens to my license if a protection order is entered against me?

A sheriff suspends the license when you become subject to a temporary protection order. The sheriff then notifies you by certified mail that you must surrender the license at the sheriff's office within ten days of the date the notice was mailed, under R.C. 2923.128(A)(3). If the suspension ends because the court terminates the order, the sheriff returns the license under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1)(b). A license revoked for a civil protection order must be surrendered to the sheriff under R.C. 2923.128.

Do federal firearm bars apply in Ohio too?

Yes. Federal law bars a person from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving a firearm or ammunition in or affecting commerce if the person falls in one of the categories listed in 18 U.S.C. 922(g), and those federal bars apply in Ohio alongside the state list in R.C. 2923.13.

Is it a crime to own a gun with a scratched-off serial number?

It is a crime if you know or have reasonable cause to believe the serial number or other identifying mark was changed, altered, removed, or obliterated. Possessing a defaced firearm is a misdemeanor of the first degree. It is a felony of the fourth degree if you were previously convicted of or pleaded guilty to the same offense.

Does a prior record raise the grade of having weapons while under disability?

No. Under R.C. 2923.13(B), the offense is a felony of the third degree regardless of prior count, and the section carries no recidivist enhancement keyed to the number of prior convictions.

NFA items

Ohio lets a private resident own a machine gun, short-barreled rifle or shotgun, or suppressor only through an exemption from its dangerous ordnance ban. For an ordinary resident the path is federal: once the item is registered to you in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, you are exempt under R.C. 2923.17(C)(5). Ohio adds no state registration, permit, or law enforcement sign-off for that item. Without an exemption, possession is a felony of the fifth degree.

Who this applies to

Ohio groups automatic firearms, sawed-off firearms, and firearm mufflers or suppressors with explosive and incendiary devices as dangerous ordnance under R.C. 2923.11(K). Each class is read with the exceptions in division (L) of that section. This part applies to anyone who owns or plans to acquire one of these items.

An automatic firearm is any firearm designed or specially adapted to fire a succession of cartridges with a single function of the trigger, and it is dangerous ordnance under R.C. 2923.11(K)(1). Any combination of parts the owner intends for converting a firearm or other device into dangerous ordnance is itself dangerous ordnance under R.C. 2923.11(K).

Ohio calls a short-barreled long gun a sawed-off firearm, R.C. 2923.11(F). That means a shotgun with a barrel under 18 inches, a rifle with a barrel under 16 inches, or either gun under 26 inches overall. The term excludes a firearm at least 26 inches overall that ATF has both approved for sale under the Gun Control Act and found not regulated under the National Firearms Act. Under R.C. 2923.11, a sawed-off firearm is dangerous ordnance.

Ohio classes a firearm muffler or suppressor as dangerous ordnance.

Ohio treats a destructive device as dangerous ordnance through two of the classes in R.C. 2923.11: any explosive device or incendiary device, and any firearm, rocket launcher, mortar, artillery piece, grenade, mine, bomb, torpedo, or similar weapon designed and manufactured for military purposes, with its ammunition. A device expressly excepted from the federal definition of a destructive device under 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(4) is not dangerous ordnance, R.C. 2923.11(L)(6). Those classes also exclude a pistol, rifle, or shotgun designed or suitable for sporting purposes, including a military weapon as issued or as modified, unless it is an automatic or sawed-off firearm, R.C. 2923.11(L). Ohio has no any-other-weapon category of its own, so a federal any-other-weapon is dangerous ordnance in Ohio only if it falls within one of those classes, R.C. 2923.11.

The same list also reaches these items:

• A zip-gun or ballistic knife, R.C. 2923.11(K)(1).
• The listed high explosives, explosive compositions, and blasting agents, R.C. 2923.11(K)(3).

The rule

R.C. 2923.17 bars knowingly acquiring, having, carrying, or using dangerous ordnance unless an exemption applies. A violation is unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, a felony of the fifth degree, R.C. 2923.17(D).

No person may manufacture or process an explosive anywhere in Ohio without a license, certificate of registration, or permit from a local fire official or the state fire marshal's office, R.C. 2923.17(B). Doing so without it is a separate offense, a felony of the second degree, R.C. 2923.17.

Ohio imposes no state registration, permit, or law enforcement sign-off on a person who holds a federally registered NFA item. Federal registration in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record is itself the exemption under R.C. 2923.17(C)(5).

An exemption in R.C. 2923.17(C) lifts only that possession ban. It does not lift Ohio's weapons under disability law, so a person under disability may not acquire or have a suppressor. Carrying dangerous ordnance concealed on your person or ready at hand is still carrying concealed weapons, a felony of the fourth degree. The concealed handgun license exception to that offense reaches only handguns.

Exceptions

The possession ban does not apply to the following:

• Officers, agents, and employees of Ohio, another state, or the United States, members of the armed forces or organized militia, and law enforcement officers, when authorized and acting within the scope of their duties.
• Importers, manufacturers, dealers, and users of explosives holding a license or user permit under the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.
• Importers, manufacturers, and dealers licensed to deal in destructive devices or their ammunition under the Gun Control Act of 1968.
• Persons who received surplus ordnance from the secretary of the army under federal law.
• Owners of dangerous ordnance registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
• Carriers, warehouses, and others in the business of transporting or storing goods for hire.
• Holders of a state dangerous ordnance license or temporary permit, for the purposes and manner it specifies.
• Owners of a suppressor attached to a gun authorized for hunting who are authorized to use it.

Ohio's own dangerous ordnance license or temporary permit is separate from federal registration and is available only for the purposes the licensing statute lists. An issuing authority may issue one only if all of these apply:

• The applicant is not otherwise prohibited by law from acquiring, having, carrying, or using dangerous ordnance, R.C. 2923.18(C)(1).
• The applicant is age twenty-one or over, if a natural person, R.C. 2923.18(C)(2).
• The applicant appears competent to handle the ordnance safely and will take proper security and safety precautions, R.C. 2923.18(C)(3).
• The ordnance will be lawfully acquired, possessed, carried, and used for a legitimate purpose, R.C. 2923.18(C)(4).

A license holder may use the dangerous ordnance anywhere in Ohio, R.C. 2923.18(F). A temporary permit holder may use it only within the issuing authority's territorial jurisdiction.

At a glance

Common questions

Do I need an Ohio permit or registration for my federally registered suppressor?

No. Ohio imposes no state registration, permit, or law enforcement sign-off on a person who holds a federally registered NFA item. Registration in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record is itself the exemption under R.C. 2923.17(C)(5).

Does my concealed handgun license let me carry a suppressor concealed?

No. Carrying dangerous ordnance concealed on your person or ready at hand is carrying concealed weapons, a felony of the fourth degree. The concealed handgun license exception reaches only handguns.

Can I use a suppressor for hunting?

A person who owns a suppressor attached to a gun authorized for hunting, and who is authorized to use it, is exempt under R.C. 2923.17(C). That exemption does not lift the weapons under disability bar.

Who is exempt from the possession ban?

The statute lists these categories:

• Officers, agents, or employees of Ohio, another state, or the United States, members of the armed forces or organized militia, and law enforcement officers, to the extent each is authorized to acquire, have, carry, or use dangerous ordnance and is acting within the scope of that person's duties.
• Importers, manufacturers, dealers, and users of explosives licensed under the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.
• Importers, manufacturers, and dealers licensed to deal in destructive devices under the Gun Control Act of 1968.
• Persons who received surplus ordnance from the secretary of the army under federal law.
• Owners of dangerous ordnance registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
• Carriers, warehouses, and others in the business of transporting or storing goods for hire.
• Holders of a state dangerous ordnance license or temporary permit, for dangerous ordnance lawfully acquired, possessed, carried, or used for the purposes and in the manner that license or permit specifies.
• Owners of a firearm muffler or suppressor attached to a gun authorized for hunting, who are authorized to use that dangerous ordnance.

What does an application for the state license ask for?

The application must contain the following:

• Name, age, address, occupation, and business address for a natural person, or name, address, and principal place of business for a corporation, R.C. 2923.18(B)(1).
• A description of the dangerous ordnance for which a permit is requested, R.C. 2923.18(B)(2).
• A description of where and how the dangerous ordnance will be kept, carried, and used, R.C. 2923.18(B)(3).
• A statement of the purposes for which the dangerous ordnance is to be acquired, possessed, carried, or used, R.C. 2923.18(B)(4).
• Any other information the issuing authority requires, R.C. 2923.18(B)(5).

What happens if I have one without an exemption?

Knowingly acquiring, having, carrying, or using dangerous ordnance outside the exemptions is unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, a felony of the fifth degree, R.C. 2923.17(D).

Red flag orders in Ohio

We found no Ohio statute that creates an extreme risk protection order, the court order often called a red flag law. Ohio does have protection orders, and they reach your concealed handgun license. A temporary protection order suspends a license. A civil protection order revokes it. A mental-health adjudication or commitment can also bar a person from having a firearm, whether or not the person holds a license.

Who this affects

Ohio still issues a concealed handgun license through the county sheriff. An applicant must be at least 21 years old to receive one. The protection-order rules reach people who hold a license or apply for one. The mental-health firearm disability reaches a person in the categories R.C. 2923.13(A)(5) lists, whether or not that person holds a license.

The rule

We found no Ohio statute that creates an extreme risk protection order, having read Ohio Revised Code 2923.128 in full. We found no Ohio statute that says who may petition for such an order. We found no Ohio statute that sets the standard a court applies before entering such an order. We found no Ohio statute that lets a court enter such an order without notice to the respondent. We found no Ohio statute that sets how long an ex parte order or a final order lasts. We found no Ohio statute that says how a respondent moves to terminate, modify, or appeal such an order, or how a petitioner extends one. We found no Ohio statute that sets a penalty for violating such an order, for a false petition, or for giving a firearm to a person restrained by such an order. Ohio uses other routes instead.

Under R.C. 2923.13(A)(5), a person under adjudication of mental incompetence or committed to a mental institution may not acquire, have, carry, or use a firearm. The same bar applies to a person found by a court to be a person with a mental illness subject to court order, or an involuntary patient other than for observation.

A licensee who becomes subject to a temporary protection order, or an equivalent order of another state, has the license suspended under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1). The suspension runs from the date the order issues until the court terminates the order. The sheriff notifies the licensee of the suspension by certified mail. Under R.C. 2923.128(A)(3), the licensee must surrender the license at the sheriff's office within ten days of the date the notice was mailed.

A licensee who becomes subject to a civil protection order, or an equivalent order of another state, has the license revoked under R.C. 2923.128. A revoked license is surrendered under R.C. 2923.128.

An applicant currently subject to a civil protection order, a temporary protection order, or a protection order of another state cannot be issued a license.

Exceptions and limits

None of the Ohio routes lets a court order firearms removed from a person on a dangerousness petition alone. What the protection-order rules require you to surrender is the license. If a suspension ends because the court terminates the protection order, the sheriff must return the license under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1)(b).

Ohio sets conditions before a court may grant relief ending a firearm disability. If the disability is based on an indictment, conviction, or adjudication, the applicant must be fully discharged from imprisonment, community control, post-release control, and parole. An applicant under indictment must instead have been released on bail or recognizance. If the disability is based on another factor, a court may end it only once that factor no longer applies, under R.C. 2923.14(D)(1)(b).

Disabilities, protection orders and your license at a glance

Common questions

Can an Ohio court take my guns because someone says I am dangerous?

We found no Ohio statute that creates an extreme risk protection order. None of the routes Ohio does have lets a court order firearms removed from a person on a dangerousness petition alone.

What happens to my license if a temporary protection order is issued against me?

The sheriff suspends it from the date the order issues until the court terminates the order. You must surrender it at the sheriff's office within ten days of the date the notice was mailed.

Will I get my license back?

If the suspension ends because the court terminates the temporary order, the sheriff must return the license. A civil protection order works differently. It revokes the license.

Can I be issued a license while a protection order is in effect?

No. An applicant currently subject to a civil protection order, a temporary protection order, or a protection order of another state does not meet the issuance criteria.

Does an order from another state count?

Yes. A licensee subject to an out-of-state order equivalent to a temporary protection order has the license suspended. A licensee subject to an out-of-state order equivalent to a civil protection order has the license revoked.

Local gun rules and state preemption

A local government in Ohio may not add its own license, permission, restriction, delay, or process to the state's gun rules. Ohio preempts local regulation of firearms, their components, ammunition, and knives under R.C. 9.68(A). A conflicting local ordinance is null and void by the statute itself. The same holds whether you carry with a concealed handgun license or under permitless carry.

Who the rule binds

The preemption binds any political subdivision whose ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, practice, or other action conflicts with state firearm and knife law, under R.C. 9.68(B). The section does not separately define or exclude bodies such as school districts.

The statute protects a person, group, or entity adversely affected by a conflicting local action. You do not need a concealed handgun license to rely on it.

What the state controls

The state reserves to itself the uniform regulation of firearms, their components, their ammunition, and knives in these areas:

• Ownership
• Possession
• Purchase
• Other acquisition
• Transport
• Storage
• Carrying
• Sale
• Other transfer
• Manufacture
• Taxation
• Keeping
• Reporting of loss or theft

No political subdivision may impose any further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process on owning, possessing, purchasing, transporting, storing, carrying, selling, transferring, manufacturing, or keeping a firearm or knife. The bar reaches any ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, practice, or other action, and any threat of citation, prosecution, or other legal process.

A political subdivision may not require you to carry firearm liability insurance. It also may not charge a fee for possessing a firearm, its parts, its components, its ammunition, or a knife.

The zoning exceptions local governments keep

The preemption section does not apply to these local zoning ordinances:

• A zoning ordinance that regulates or prohibits the commercial sale of knives, firearms, firearm components, or ammunition in areas zoned residential or agricultural, R.C. 9.68(D)
• A zoning ordinance that specifies the hours of operation or geographic areas for commercial sale, if it is consistent with other retail zoning and is not a de facto prohibition

The hours and areas exception applies only if the ordinance matches zoning for other retail establishments in the same area, under R.C. 9.68(D)(2). The ordinance also may not result in a de facto prohibition of the commercial sale of firearms, components, ammunition, or knives in areas zoned commercial, retail, or industrial. Both exceptions concern the commercial sale of arms, not carry by an individual.

Preemption at a glance

What training or the license changes

None of the facts we verified for this rule tie state preemption to a concealed handgun license or to completed training.

Common questions

Can my city pass its own ban on carrying a handgun?

No. Carrying is within the field the state reserves, and a conflicting local rule is null and void.

Can a city make me buy insurance or pay a fee to own a gun?

No. A political subdivision may not require firearm liability insurance or charge a fee for possessing a firearm, its parts, its components, its ammunition, or a knife.

What can I do if a local rule conflicts with state law?

If you are adversely affected, you may sue the political subdivision for damages, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, or a combination. The court must award you reasonable expenses, paid by the political subdivision, if you prevail. The same award applies if the political subdivision repeals or rescinds the challenged action before final judgment. Those expenses include attorney's fees, court costs, expert witness fees, and lost income.

Can a city limit where gun stores operate?

Yes, through zoning, within limits. A rule on sale hours or areas must match zoning for other retail establishments and may not be a de facto prohibition of commercial sale.

Can a city keep concealed handguns out of city hall?

State law already says a concealed handgun license does not authorize carry into a state or political-subdivision government building, under R.C. 2923.126(B)(7). The governing body with authority over the building may enact a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees to carry inside. Buildings used primarily as a shelter, restroom, parking facility, or rest facility are not covered by that rule. Courthouses and buildings with a courtroom fall under a separate rule.

Does preemption cover school districts?

The section binds any political subdivision and does not separately define or exclude bodies such as school districts. Separately from preemption, R.C. 2923.122 bars knowingly conveying a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone and knowingly possessing one there, with the exceptions listed in division (D).

Does preemption cover knives too?

Yes. The state's uniform regulation extends to knives as well as firearms, their components, and their ammunition.

Resources

This page is the directory for the rest of the Ohio guide. It lists the sections of the Ohio Revised Code that the other pages quote, each one linked to the state's own page for that section, and it lists the state and county pages that publish Ohio concealed carry material. Read the linked page yourself before you rely on what any guide, ours included, says about it.

The statutes behind this guide

Each row links to the page the state publishes for that section at codes.ohio.gov.

Where the class comes from

A course offered under the competency route at R.C. 2923.125(B)(3)(b) must use qualified instructors certified by a national gun advocacy organization, by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission, or by a governmental official or entity of another state. The commission's academy publishes its course catalog.

The Ohio Attorney General

The attorney general must publish each determination that another state's license is substantially comparable, in the same manner that written reciprocity agreements are published, under R.C. 109.69(C). These are the Attorney General pages this guide read.

• Concealed carry
• Concealed carry reciprocity agreements
• Concealed carry opinions
• Concealed carry license application

The sheriff's office and the state pages

These are among the county and state pages this guide read.

• Ohio concealed carry page for residents
• Cuyahoga County sheriff
• Franklin County sheriff
• Hamilton County sheriff
• Stark County sheriff
• Clermont County sheriff

A sheriff's page tells you what that office wants from an applicant. The statute pages above tell you what the law says. When the two read differently, ask the sheriff's office and read the statute page yourself.

Ohio concealed carry questions

Ohio lets a qualifying adult carry a concealed handgun with no license. A qualifying adult must be 21 or older. Without a license you may carry where a licensee may carry, and you carry under the same restrictions. The county sheriff still issues the license. These answers cover the license, stops, vehicles, posted property, and self-defense.

Common questions

Who may carry a concealed handgun in Ohio without a license?

Ohio's statute calls the class of people who may carry without a license a qualifying adult, under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2). One of the conditions is being 21 or older, under R.C. 2923.111(A)(2)(a). A qualifying adult need not obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(1). See also: constitutional carry.

Where may I carry without a license?

A qualifying adult may carry anywhere in Ohio that a licensee may carry, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(2). A qualifying adult has the same right to carry as a licensee and is under the same restrictions, under R.C. 2923.111(B)(3). See also: prohibited places.

Does Ohio still issue a concealed handgun license?

Yes, the county sheriff still issues the license, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(1). The sheriff must issue it once the applicant meets every listed statutory criterion, which is what makes Ohio a shall-issue state. The license expires five years after the date of issuance, under R.C. 2923.125(D)(2)(a). See also: permit basics.

What does the license cost?

A resident of Ohio for five or more years pays a $67 nonrefundable license fee, under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i). A resident of less than five years, or a nonresident employed in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual cost of the FBI background check, under R.C. 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii). A renewal applicant who has been a resident for five or more years pays a $50 nonrefundable renewal fee, under R.C. 2923.125(F)(4)(a). See also: fees and costs.

Where do I apply, and do I have to live in Ohio?

A resident applicant files with the sheriff of the county of residence or an adjacent county, under R.C. 2923.125(B). Ohio does not require residency, and a nonresident may apply if employed in Ohio. A nonresident applicant files with the sheriff of the county of employment or an adjacent county. See also: application process.

What training does the application require?

A qualifying firearms course must include at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm, under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1). The course must include live-fire training, under R.C. 2923.125(G)(1)(e). Most competency certifications must reflect training completed within the three years immediately before the application, under R.C. 2923.125(B)(3). See also: training requirements.

When can I renew my license?

A licensee may renew at any time before the license expires, with no early-filing limit, under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(a). A licensee who goes on active duty in the armed forces, or into service with the Peace Corps, VISTA, or the foreign service, is exempt from the license requirements for the period of that duty and for six months afterward, under R.C. 2923.125(F)(1)(b). See also: renewal process.

Do I have to tell an officer I am carrying?

On foot, a person stopped for a law enforcement purpose while carrying a concealed handgun must disclose that fact before or at the time an officer asks, under R.C. 2923.12(B)(1). In a stopped vehicle, the disclosure covers a loaded handgun and is owed before or when the officer asks, unless another officer was already told during the same stop, under R.C. 2923.16(E)(1). Failing to disclose is a misdemeanor of the second degree in either setting, and neither nondisclosure offense suspends the license. See also: duty to inform.

What must I do if I am stopped in a vehicle with a loaded handgun?

Remain in the vehicle, keep your hands in plain sight, do not touch the handgun, and comply with the officer's lawful orders, under R.C. 2923.16(E)(3). Failing to remain, keep hands in sight, or comply is a misdemeanor of the first degree, or a felony of the fifth degree with a prior conviction for the same conduct, and touching the loaded handgun during the stop is a felony of the fifth degree. A misdemeanor conviction for that stop conduct also suspends a concealed handgun license, which reaches a qualifying adult only if a license was actually issued. See also: duty to inform.

How do I carry a firearm in a car without a license?

A person the statute does not treat as a licensee must keep the firearm unloaded and stowed in one of the ways the statute lists, and may carry it only if entitled to possess it lawfully, under R.C. 2923.16(C). A closed package, box, or case is one of the listed ways, and so is a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle, while the statute names no glove box or console. A rifle or shotgun rides unloaded and stowed, because the license exemption reaches only a handgun. See also: vehicle carry.

Can I carry where alcohol is served?

No firearm may be in any room where anyone is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor on D-permit premises, or in a D-permit open-air arena. A valid licensee, and a qualifying adult treated as one, does not violate that section while not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse, under R.C. 2923.121(B)(1)(e). See also: prohibited places.

What happens if I ignore a "no guns" sign on private property?

Knowingly carrying onto posted private land or premises after a sign prohibits firearms is criminal trespass, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree, under R.C. 2923.126(C)(3)(a). If the posted land is primarily a parking lot or parking facility, a knowing violation is not criminal trespass but only a civil cause of action for trespass. At a child care center or a type A or type B family child care home it is aggravated trespass, unless the person is a licensee who resides at that home. See also: prohibited places.

Can I carry into a government building?

A license does not authorize carry into a building that is a government facility of Ohio or a political subdivision, unless the governing body with authority over it has enacted a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees, under R.C. 2923.126(B)(7). Buildings used primarily as a shelter, restroom, parking facility, or rest facility are not covered by that rule. See also: prohibited places.

Can I carry in a school safety zone?

No person may knowingly convey a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone, or knowingly possess one there, under R.C. 2923.122. Division (D) of that section lists the exceptions, and one of them lets a person holding a valid concealed handgun license, an active-duty member of the armed forces carrying military identification and documentation of qualifying training, or a qualifying adult carrying or having a non-restricted handgun concealed on the person or ready at hand, leave the handgun in a motor vehicle if the handgun does not leave the vehicle and the person locks the vehicle on getting out, under R.C. 2923.122(D). See also: prohibited places.

Do I have to retreat before defending myself?

You have no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of your residence, in any place you lawfully have a right to be, under R.C. 2901.09(B). A trier of fact may not consider the possibility of retreat when deciding whether your belief that the force was necessary was reasonable, under R.C. 2901.09(C). See also: use of force.

Who must prove self-defense, and where do the rules come from?

Once evidence tends to support self-defense, defense of another, or defense of residence, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you did not act in that defense, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(1). The statute allows the defense and assigns that burden, but the elements of when deadly force is justified, such as a reasonable belief of imminent danger, are not set out in the Revised Code and come from Ohio case law, apart from the residence and vehicle presumption covered below. See also: use of force.

What if someone breaks into my home or vehicle?

You are presumed to have acted in self-defense when you use deadly force against a person who is unlawfully entering, or has unlawfully entered, the residence or vehicle you occupy, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(2). The presumption covers only force intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm, and force short of that is judged under the general self-defense rule without the presumption. See also: castle doctrine.

When does that presumption not apply?

It does not apply if the person you used force against has a right to be in, or is a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle, or if you used the force while unlawfully and without privilege present there yourself, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(3). The presumption is also rebuttable by a preponderance of the evidence, under R.C. 2901.05(B)(4). See also: castle doctrine.

Does Ohio honor my out-of-state license?

A nonresident temporarily in Ohio may carry on a valid concealed handgun license from any other license-issuing state, whether or not Ohio has a reciprocity agreement with that state, under R.C. 109.69(B)(3). A new Ohio resident holding a license from a state with no reciprocity agreement may rely on it for six months after becoming a resident, under R.C. 109.69(B)(2). After that period, a person who meets the qualifying-adult conditions may still carry without any license. See also: reciprocity.

What makes a sheriff suspend my license?

A sheriff must suspend the license on an arrest, charge, or protection order of the kinds the statute names, and on a misdemeanor conviction or guilty plea for the stop-conduct offenses it names, under R.C. 2923.128(A)(1)(a). The sheriff notifies you by certified mail, and you must surrender the license at the sheriff's office within ten days, under R.C. 2923.128(A)(3). A conviction that a court has sealed or expunged, or from which you were legally relieved of disability, is not counted for suspension or revocation, under R.C. 2923.128(C). See also: permit basics.

Other Ohio gun rules

This page carries the Ohio rules the rest of the guide does not: what a carrying concealed weapons conviction costs, what a weapon in a courthouse costs, and what notice a sheriff owes a licensee before taking a license back. Read the linked statute page yourself before you rely on what any guide, ours included, says about it.

What a carrying concealed weapons conviction costs

A violation of division (A) is a felony of the fourth degree if the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of that section or of any offense of violence, if the weapon involved is a firearm that is either loaded or for which the offender has ammunition ready at hand, or if the weapon involved is dangerous ordnance, R.C. 2923.12(F)(1). A violation committed aboard an aircraft, or with purpose to carry a concealed weapon aboard an aircraft, is a felony of the third degree regardless of the weapon involved, R.C. 2923.12(F)(1).

Two of the penalties turn on producing a license after the arrest. A person arrested for a violation of division (A)(2) is guilty of a minor misdemeanor if, within ten days after the arrest, the person presents to the law enforcement agency that employs the arresting officer a concealed handgun license that was valid at the time of the arrest, and if at the time of the arrest the person was not knowingly in a restricted location, R.C. 2923.12(F)(2)(a). A person whose concealed handgun license expired within the two years immediately preceding the arrest is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined five hundred dollars if, within forty-five days after the arrest, the person presents a concealed handgun license to that agency and waives in writing the right to a speedy trial, and if at the time of the commission of the offense the person was not knowingly in a restricted location, R.C. 2923.12(F)(2)(b).

A weapon in a courthouse

A first violation of illegally possessing or having under your control a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a courthouse is a felony of the fifth degree, R.C. 2923.123(D)(2). If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (A) or (B) of that section, illegal possession or control of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a courthouse is a felony of the fourth degree, R.C. 2923.123(D)(2).

What a sheriff owes you before a revocation

Before revoking a license, the sheriff who issued it must notify the licensee, by certified mail, return receipt requested, at the licensee's last known residence address, that the license is subject to revocation and that the licensee may come to the sheriff's office and contest the proposed revocation within fourteen days of the date on which the notice was mailed, R.C. 2923.128(B)(2).

The rest of the Ohio rules, and the statutes they rest on, are on the other pages of this guide.