Washington Gun Laws And Concealed Carry Guide

Washington is not a permitless carry state. You need a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) to carry a pistol concealed or to have a loaded pistol in a vehicle. You must be 21 to get one. Open carry without a license is generally legal for adults 21 and older, with important limits.

Washington state gun laws are also changing. Today there is no training requirement for a CPL. Starting May 1, 2027, new CPL applicants will need a state-certified course with live fire, and a new permit-to-purchase system takes effect. This guide explains both, plus reciprocity, open carry, vehicle carry, places you can’t carry, and Washington’s self-defense law.

Do You Need A Permit To Carry In Washington?

Yes, for concealed carry. Under RCW 9.41.050, “a person shall not carry a pistol concealed on his or her person without a license to carry a concealed pistol.” The rule does not apply in your home or fixed place of business.

You also need a CPL to carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle. That rule applies whether the pistol is visible or not.

Age matters. Under RCW 9.41.240, people 18 to 20 may possess a pistol only at home, at their fixed place of business, or on real property they control, unless another exception applies. They also cannot buy a pistol.

You cannot get a CPL if you are prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law. Under RCW 9.41.070, the licensing agency checks NICS, Washington State Patrol records, and Health Care Authority records before issuing a license.

How To Get A Washington Concealed Pistol License

You apply to the chief of police of your city or the sheriff of your county. Many agencies take appointments or online pre-applications. The steps under RCW 9.41.070 are:

1. Confirm you qualify. You must be 21 or older and not prohibited from possessing firearms.
2. Contact your local police department or sheriff. Ask how they take applications and fingerprints.
3. Submit the application and fingerprints. Bring a valid ID.
4. Pay the fee. An original CPL costs $36, plus any FBI fingerprint charges passed on to you.
5. Wait for the decision. The agency must issue or deny within 30 days. That extends to 60 days if you don’t have a valid permanent Washington driver’s license or ID, or haven’t lived in Washington for the previous 90 consecutive days.

A CPL is valid for five years. Renewal costs $32 and may be filed within 90 days before or after expiration. A late renewal adds a $10 penalty. A replacement license costs $10.

From May 1, 2027, the process adds a training certificate (see the next section). Applicants who already hold a valid permit to purchase will not need new fingerprints.

Do You Need A Class For A Washington Carry Permit?

Not today. Through April 30, 2027, Washington has no training requirement for a CPL. You can apply without taking a course.

What Changes On May 1, 2027

The permit-to-purchase law passed in 2025 (2025 c 370, amended by 2026 c 36) rewrites RCW 9.41.070. Starting May 1, 2027, an applicant must show a certificate from a concealed carry firearms safety training program completed within the last five years. Under the new subsection (5):

• The program must be certified by the Washington State Patrol under RCW 43.43.575.
• It must include live-fire shooting exercises on a firing range.
• It must include “a minimum of 50 rounds of ammunition firing training at a firing range under the supervision of an instructor.”
• No minimum number of hours is set in the statute.

Peace officers, active-duty military, and licensed armed private investigators and security guards are exempt under RCW 9.41.1132(5).

The new text ties training to issuing a license. It does not clearly say whether people renewing an existing CPL must also take the course. Check with your licensing agency before your renewal date.

Because the 50 rounds must be fired on a range under an instructor’s supervision, an online-only course will not satisfy the 2027 requirement. The statute does not say whether a certified program can teach its classroom portion online.

The Permit To Purchase Also Requires Training

The same law creates a permit to purchase firearms under RCW 9.41.121, effective May 1, 2027. The State Patrol issues it, and it lasts five years. Applicants must complete a certified firearms safety course within the last five years. Under RCW 9.41.1132, that course covers topics such as safe handling, secure storage, suicide prevention, state and federal law, and deadly force law, and it includes live fire on a range. The section does not list a CPL as a substitute for the permit to purchase, and a permit to purchase does not let you carry concealed. Watch for State Patrol guidance before May 2027.

If you want to carry in Washington, a short online safety course is a good primer now, before you apply or before you book a certified in-person class. It does not satisfy the 2027 training requirement and is not a license.

Can Non-Residents Get A Washington Carry Permit?

Yes. Under RCW 9.41.070, nonresidents may apply for a CPL anywhere in the state. Fees are the same. Without a Washington driver’s license or ID, the agency has up to 60 days to decide.

A nonresident CPL is worth having because Washington honors only a short list of other states’ permits. Note that Michigan does not recognize nonresident Washington CPLs, according to the Washington Attorney General.

Which States Honor The Washington Concealed Pistol License?

About 24 states honor a Washington CPL, according to handgunlaw.us. These include Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan (resident CPLs only). Oregon and California do not honor it.

Washington honors permits from only 10 states, according to the Washington Attorney General’s reciprocity list, last updated July 10, 2026:

• Idaho (enhanced permit only)
• Kansas (standard license only)
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Montana (enhanced permit only)
• North Carolina
• North Dakota (Class 1 only)
• Ohio
• South Dakota (unrestricted enhanced and gold permits only)
• Utah (not the provisional permit)

Under RCW 9.41.073, a recognized out-of-state license only works if you are not a Washington resident. Once you move here, you need a Washington CPL.

Going next door? See our guides to Oregon gun laws and Idaho gun laws, or browse gun laws by state.

Can You Open Carry In Washington?

Generally, yes, for adults 21 and older. Washington’s license requirement in RCW 9.41.050 covers concealed carry and loaded pistols in vehicles. It does not cover open carry on foot.

The limits are real:

• Vehicles. A loaded pistol in a vehicle requires a CPL, open or not.
• Ages 18 to 20. Outside home, business, or their own property, people under 21 generally cannot carry a pistol at all.
• Permitted demonstrations. Open carry is banned at permitted demonstrations, and within 250 feet after police tell you to leave, under RCW 9.41.300(2).
• Capitol and public meetings. Open carry is banned on the west state capitol campus, in state legislative offices and hearings, and at city, town, and county governing body meetings, under RCW 9.41.305. CPL holders may carry concealed there.
• Alarming display. Carrying or displaying a weapon in a way that shows intent to intimidate or “warrants alarm for the safety of other persons” is a gross misdemeanor under RCW 9.41.270. A conviction also costs you your CPL.

A CPL lets you carry concealed and avoids most of these open carry limits.

Can You Keep A Gun In Your Car In Washington?

With a CPL, yes. Under RCW 9.41.050(2), a licensee may have a loaded pistol in a vehicle only if:

• The pistol is on your person, or
• You are in the vehicle the whole time the pistol is there, or
• You are away from the vehicle and the pistol is locked inside and concealed from view.

Without a CPL, you may not carry or place a loaded pistol in a vehicle. Adults 18 and older may leave an unloaded pistol in a vehicle only if it is locked inside and concealed from view, under RCW 9.41.050(3).

Employer parking lots. We found no Washington statute that requires employers to allow guns in employee vehicles. Check your employer’s policy.

School parking lots. Under RCW 9.41.280, adults 18 and older on legitimate business at a school may have a firearm “secured within an attended vehicle or concealed from view within a locked unattended vehicle.” CPL holders may also carry a pistol while picking up or dropping off a student. Otherwise, school premises are off-limits.

Where You Can’t Carry A Gun In Washington

Even with a CPL, you cannot carry in these places:

• Schools. Public and private K-12 school premises, school buses, and facilities used exclusively by schools or for school board meetings (RCW 9.41.280). A firearm violation means losing your CPL for three years.
• Child care centers. Licensed child care center premises and their transportation, except while picking up or dropping off a child with a CPL (RCW 9.41.282).
• Jails and law enforcement facilities. Restricted-access areas (RCW 9.41.300(1)(a)). A CPL holder may check the gun with the facility administrator.
• Courts. Courtrooms, jury rooms, judges’ chambers, court offices, and adjacent areas (RCW 9.41.300(1)(b)). Courthouses must provide a locked box or official to hold your weapon.
• Mental health facilities. Restricted-access areas of public inpatient mental health facilities (RCW 9.41.300(1)(c)).
• Bars and 21+ areas. Any part of an establishment the Liquor and Cannabis Board classifies as off-limits to people under 21 (RCW 9.41.300(1)(d)).
• Airports. Restricted areas of commercial airports, including passenger screening checkpoints (RCW 9.41.300(1)(e)).
• Election facilities. Ballot counting centers, voting centers, student engagement hubs, and county elections offices (RCW 9.41.284). Ballot counting centers are off-limits even to CPL holders. Read the statute before visiting the others.
• Federal property. Federal buildings and other federal facilities follow federal law.

Libraries, accredited zoos and aquariums, and transit stations are off-limits under RCW 9.41.300(1)(f) through (h), but CPL holders are exempt. Cities may also restrict firearms in municipal stadiums and convention centers, but not for CPL holders.

Duty to inform: Washington does not require you to tell an officer you are carrying. But under RCW 9.41.050(1)(b), a CPL holder must keep the license in their immediate possession at all times and show it when required. Failing to do so is a civil infraction.

Washington Castle Doctrine And Stand Your Ground Law

Washington has no stand your ground statute. Even so, the Washington Supreme Court has held that there is no duty to retreat before using force when you are attacked, according to the Giffords Law Center, citing State v. Redmond (2003) and earlier cases. The same is true in your home.

Justifiable homicide. Under RCW 9A.16.050, homicide is justifiable in the lawful defense of yourself, certain family members, or anyone in your presence, when there is reasonable ground to fear the attacker intends a felony or great personal injury and the danger is imminent. It is also justified in actually resisting an attempted felony against you, or in a dwelling where you are.

Reimbursement. Under RCW 9A.16.110, if you are charged and then found not guilty by reason of self-defense, the state must reimburse your reasonable defense costs, including legal fees and lost time. A judge may reduce the award if you were engaged in related criminal conduct.

Civil protection. Under RCW 4.24.420, it is a complete defense to a personal injury or wrongful death suit that the injured person was committing a felony at the time and the felony was a proximate cause of the injury.

None of this prevents an arrest, charges, or a trial. Reimbursement comes only after you are acquitted, so you must pay for your defense up front. A legal defense can be expensive, even when you acted lawfully.

Washington Gun Laws FAQ

Is Washington A Constitutional Carry State?

No. You need a Concealed Pistol License to carry a concealed pistol or to have a loaded pistol in a vehicle.

How Much Is A Washington Concealed Pistol License?

An original CPL costs $36 plus FBI fingerprint charges. Renewal costs $32. The license lasts five years.

Do You Need Training For A Washington CPL?

Not before May 1, 2027. After that date, new applicants need a State Patrol-certified course with at least 50 rounds of supervised live fire, completed within the last five years.

What Are The Main Washington State Gun Laws To Know?

Beyond carry rules, Washington bans the sale, manufacture, and import of assault weapons (since April 25, 2023) and of large-capacity magazines. Those laws do not ban possession by current owners. Starting May 1, 2027, buying a firearm involves a new State Patrol permit to purchase with its own training requirement.

Can You Carry A Gun In Church In Washington?

We found no Washington statute that bans CPL holders from carrying in places of worship. A church can set its own policy, and church-run K-12 schools and child care centers fall under the school and child care bans. Ask your church leadership first. If your church has a volunteer safety team, look into legal protection for church security teams.

Can You Carry In A Restaurant That Serves Alcohol In Washington?

You may carry in the dining area, but not in any part of the business that is off-limits to people under 21, such as a bar or lounge area.

Does Washington Honor My Out-Of-State Permit?

Only if it comes from one of the 10 states on the Attorney General’s list and you are not a Washington resident. Otherwise, apply for a nonresident Washington CPL.

Sources

• RCW 9.41.070, Concealed pistol license (current and May 1, 2027 versions)
• RCW 9.41.050, Carrying firearms
• RCW 9.41.073, Concealed pistol license reciprocity
• RCW 9.41.1132, Firearms safety training requirements
• RCW 9.41.121, Permit to purchase firearms
• RCW 43.43.575, Firearms safety training program certification
• RCW 9.41.240, Possession of pistol by person under 21
• RCW 9.41.270, Weapons apparently capable of producing bodily harm
• RCW 9.41.280, Weapons on school premises
• RCW 9.41.282, Weapons at child care centers
• RCW 9.41.284, Weapons at election-related facilities
• RCW 9.41.300, Weapons prohibited in certain places
• RCW 9.41.305, Open carry at capitol and public meetings
• RCW 9.41.370, Large capacity magazines
• RCW 9.41.390, Assault weapons
• RCW 9A.16.050, Justifiable homicide
• RCW 9A.16.110, Defending against violent crime and reimbursement
• RCW 4.24.420, Persons engaged in commission of a felony
• Washington Attorney General, Concealed Weapon Reciprocity
• Giffords Law Center, Stand Your Ground in Washington (backup source)
• Handgunlaw.us, States My State Honors (backup source)