Under permitless carry, a qualifying adult may carry a concealed handgun anywhere a concealed handgun license holder may carry one. Those places do not...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
| Place | Rule | Who is exempt | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| School safety zone (Ohio) | No knowing conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, R.C. 2923.122 | Only those within the division (D) exceptions | |
| School zone (federal) | No knowing possession of a firearm, 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(A) | A person licensed by the State where the zone is located, if its law requires law enforcement to verify eligibility first | |
| D-permit liquor premises | No firearm in a room where anyone is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor, R.C. 2923.121(A) | A licensee, qualifying active-duty member, or qualifying adult who is not consuming and not under the influence | |
| State and local government buildings | Off limits, R.C. 2923.126(B)(7) | Where the governing body enacts a statute, ordinance, or policy permitting licensees; shelters, restrooms, parking and rest facilities excluded |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.