Ohio concealed carry

Ohio lets qualifying adults carry a concealed handgun without a license, and still issues the concealed handgun license for people who want one. Here is how the two fit together.

General information, not legal advice. The Ohio Attorney General publishes a concealed carry manual that sheriffs hand to every applicant. Read the current edition and the statutes cited below, and ask an Ohio attorney about your own circumstances. Reviewed September 2026.

Permitless carry since June 2022

Senate Bill 215 took effect on June 13, 2022. It did not repeal the offense of carrying concealed weapons in ORC 2923.12. Instead it created the "qualifying adult" in ORC 2923.111 and said that such a person is deemed to hold a license for the purposes of the carry laws. In practice that means a qualifying adult can carry a concealed handgun in the same places, and under the same restrictions, as someone with the plastic card.

A qualifying adult is 21 or older, is not barred from having a firearm by 18 U.S.C. 922(g) or by ORC 2923.13, and meets a list of the eligibility criteria that apply to license applicants in ORC 2923.125(D)(1). The practical warning is that the list is longer than the list of things that stop you from owning a gun. If you have any criminal record at all, check yourself against the statute before you rely on permitless carry.

Two more limits. The law covers handguns, not other concealed weapons and not long guns in a car. And it changed nothing about where carry is off limits.

Why people still get the CHL

• Travel. Other states decide whether to recognise an Ohio license. Without the license you have nothing for them to recognise, unless that state has its own permitless carry law that covers visitors.
• Federal school zones. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (18 U.S.C. 922(q)) exempts people licensed by the state where the zone is located. Permitless carry is not a license, so the card matters when your daily route passes within 1,000 feet of a school.
• Buying. ATF has treated Ohio licenses issued on or after March 23, 2015 as an alternative to the NICS check. It is the dealer's choice whether to use it.
• Training. Eight hours with an instructor covers safe handling and the use-of-force law. Most people carrying for the first time are better for it.

Getting the license

Applications go to the sheriff of the county where you live or of an adjacent county (ORC 2923.125). You bring the application form, a certificate of competency dated within the statutory window, a passport-style photo and the fee, and the office takes fingerprints for the records check. You must be 21, a legal resident of the United States, and an Ohio resident, or employed in Ohio, to apply. The sheriff has 45 days to issue or deny. A license lasts five years, and renewal does not need a new class if you renew in time. People facing an immediate threat can ask for a temporary emergency license under ORC 2923.1213.

Where carry is off limits

These apply to license holders and qualifying adults alike (ORC 2923.126(B) unless noted):

• Police stations, sheriff's offices, highway patrol posts, jails, prisons and airport terminals beyond screening.
• Courthouses and any building with a courtroom (ORC 2923.123).
• School safety zones (ORC 2923.122), apart from the narrow vehicle allowance in the statute.
• Colleges, places of worship and day-care facilities unless the institution allows it.
• State and local government buildings, other than parking areas and shelters, unless the governing body allows it.
• Anywhere federal law bans firearms, and private property posted with a conforming sign.

In the car

A license holder or qualifying adult may carry a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle. If you are stopped and the officer asks, answer truthfully, keep your hands where they can be seen and leave the gun alone unless directed otherwise (ORC 2923.16(E)). Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs with a loaded handgun in the vehicle is a separate offense.

Picking a carry gun

Ohio weather makes the choice easier than it is in warmer states. From October to April a jacket hides a compact double-stack 9mm without effort, so many people here carry a gun a size larger than they would in Florida, and shoot it better because of it. July and August are when the micro-compacts and .380s earn their keep. If you are only buying one, a micro-compact 9mm with 10 to 13 rounds is the middle of the road: small enough for a T-shirt, big enough to get a full grip on with an extended magazine.

Whatever you choose, budget for a rigid holster that covers the trigger guard, a proper gun belt, and enough practice ammunition to learn the trigger. A snub-nose .38 revolver remains a sound choice for a coat pocket or for someone who will not practise clearing malfunctions.