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...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
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.
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).
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).
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:
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 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:
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 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).
Each row below states one rule and where it comes from.
| Rule | Value | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum age for permitless carry | 21 | Ohio Revised Code 2923.111(A)(2)(a) | |
| Minimum age for a concealed handgun license | 21 | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(b) | |
| Issue standard | Shall issue | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1) | |
| Residency required | No | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B) | |
| License term | 5 years from issuance | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(a) | |
| Fee, Ohio resident for five or more years | $67, nonrefundable | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i) | |
| Fee, resident under five years or nonresident employed in Ohio | $67 plus actual FBI background check cost | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) | |
| Training course length | At least 8 hours | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1) |
A qualifying adult may carry concealed without a license, and a qualifying adult must be 21 or older.
It expires five years after the date of issuance.
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.
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.
No. The sheriff must issue the license once you meet all the listed criteria in Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1).
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.
This page covers one part of our Ohio concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Ohio guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.