Florida Statute § 790.06(12) prohibits firearm carry - even by Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) holders or permitless carriers under §...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Florida Statute § 790.06(12) prohibits firearm carry - even by Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) holders or permitless carriers under § 790.013 - at 15 enumerated locations including schools, courts, polling places, government meetings, the bar portion of liquor establishments, college campuses, and airport passenger terminals. § 790.115 separately criminalizes K-12 school-property carry. Federal law adds postal property, federal buildings, and the 1,000-foot Gun-Free School Zone.
The list applies identically to license holders and permitless carriers. § 790.013(2) makes a person carrying concealed without a license "subject to s. 790.06(12) in the same manner as a person who is licensed." Constitutional carry under HB 543 (2023) did not alter the prohibited-places map. The 15-category list, the vehicle-storage exception, and the 2nd-degree misdemeanor penalty all run on the same terms for both groups.
There is one practical asymmetry. The CWFL still buys two privileges that permitless carriers do not get. § 790.06(13) authorizes a CWFL holder to carry on church, synagogue, or other religious-institution property, subject to the institution's right to control its premises. § 790.115(2)(e) reduces a knowing and willful school-property violation by an authorized § 790.01(1) carrier from a third-degree felony to a second-degree misdemeanor.
§ 790.06(12)(a) is the operative list. The text says a CWFL "does not authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm into" the locations that follow. Read with § 790.013(2), the same list applies to permitless carriers.
| § 790.06(12)(a) | Prohibited location |
|---|---|
| 1 | Any place of nuisance as defined in § 823.05 |
| 2 | Any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station |
| 3 | Any detention facility, prison, or jail |
| 4 | Any courthouse |
| 5 | Any courtroom (judge's specific permission allowed) |
| 6 | Any polling place |
| 7 | Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district |
| 8 | Any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof |
| 9 | Any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms |
| 10 | Any elementary or secondary school facility or administration building |
| 11 | Any career center |
| 12 | Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose |
| 13 | Any college or university facility (narrow exception for a registered student, employee, or faculty member carrying a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon designed solely for defensive purposes that does not fire a dart or projectile) |
| 14 | The inside of the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport (encased-baggage exception for legal firearms being checked) |
| 15 | Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law |
§ 790.06(12)(b) preserves the right to carry or store a firearm in a vehicle for lawful purposes, and § 790.06(12)(c) confirms that the prohibited-places rule does not modify the parking-lot employer-protection statute at § 790.251(7). § 790.06(12)(d) makes a knowing and willful violation of subsection (12) a second-degree misdemeanor punishable as provided in § 775.082 or § 775.083 - up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. The penalty default is the same regardless of which of the 15 categories was violated, so long as the conduct is a § 790.06(12) violation rather than a separate § 790.115 school-property charge.
The list is comprehensive but not exhaustive of all carry restrictions. Federal law imposes additional off-limits places that operate independently of state law. § 790.115 imposes its own school-property regime that runs alongside item 10. And private property owners retain the right to ask a carrier to leave under general trespass principles. The map below works through each.
The first category points outside the firearms statute to the public-nuisance definition in § 823.05. § 823.05(1) reaches a building or place "manifestly injurious to the morals or manners of the people"; a house of prostitution, assignation, or lewdness; an unlawful gambling location; and "a place where any law of the state is violated." § 823.05(2) adds locations used by criminal gangs. § 823.05(4) adds rental property used on more than two occasions in 6 months as the site of stolen-property dealing, assault and battery, burglary, theft, or robbery by sudden snatching.
For a daily carrier, this category is mostly theoretical. The designation is a civil-abatement label that runs through the chapter 60 injunction process. A § 790.06(12)(a)1. charge is rare and usually overlaps with another category.
§ 790.06(12)(a)2. prohibits carry in any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station. § 790.06(12)(a)3. prohibits carry in any detention facility, prison, or jail. The (a)2. category reaches the public-facing reception areas of police stations and sheriff offices, not just the secure interior. A carrier walking into a police-department lobby to file a report has crossed into a § 790.06(12) location. There is no LE-station carve-out for license holders. Many Florida sheriff's offices will accept a firearm at the front desk and store it during the visit; some will not. The cleaner practice is to leave the firearm secured in the vehicle under § 790.06(12)(b) before approaching the building. The (a)3. category applies to the entire detention or correctional facility, including jail visitor entrances and prison receiving lobbies.
§ 790.06(12)(a)4. prohibits carry in any courthouse. § 790.06(12)(a)5. prohibits carry in any courtroom, with the narrow exception that "nothing in this section precludes a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm or determining who will carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in his or her courtroom." The reach is broad - the entire courthouse building, not just the courtroom itself. Clerks' offices, prosecutors' offices, mediation rooms, and connecting corridors all fall within (a)4. The (a)5. judicial-permission carve-out operates only inside the courtroom and only at the discretion of the presiding judge.
The penalty for a § 790.06(12) courthouse violation is a second-degree misdemeanor under § 790.06(12)(d) - up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Most Florida county courthouses provide gun lockers at the security checkpoint; if you are carrying when you arrive, return to your vehicle and store the firearm there before approaching the metal detector. Crossing the screening line with a firearm is the violation.
§ 790.06(12)(a)6. prohibits carry at any polling place during election day or early voting. § 790.06(12)(a)7. prohibits carry at any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district - county commissions, school boards, city councils, and the boards of taxing districts, water management districts, and similar special districts. The rule applies during the meeting itself, not at all hours when the building is open. A carrier paying a property-tax bill at a county administration building on a non-meeting day is not in a § 790.06(12)(a)7. location; walking into the same building during a commission session is. § 790.06(12)(a)8. prohibits carry at any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof, reaching the Florida Capitol during sessions and committee meeting rooms during scheduled committee work.
The notice mechanism for these three categories is the same: the carrier is presumed to know the location is a polling place, governing-body meeting, or legislative session by the activity itself. There is no statutory posting requirement that displaces the offense.
§ 790.06(12)(a)9. prohibits carry at any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms. The "not related to firearms" qualifier carves out shooting matches and similar firearm-centered competitions. Everything else - high school football, collegiate basketball, professional baseball, concerts at sports venues - is covered. Modern Florida sports venues operate metal-detector screening, so the practical line is the screening checkpoint regardless of any signage. A CWFL holder or permitless carrier who walks past the line with a firearm commits the second-degree misdemeanor offense.
§ 790.06(12)(a)10. covers any elementary or secondary school facility or administration building. § 790.115 builds out a separate, more elaborate school-property framework and is the active enforcement tool for almost every school-property firearm offense.
§ 790.115(1) is the brandishing rule. A person who exhibits a firearm or other weapon "in a rude, careless, angry, or threatening manner and not in lawful self-defense, at a school-sponsored event or on the grounds or facilities of any school, school bus, or school bus stop, or within 1,000 feet of the real property that comprises a public or private elementary school, middle school, or secondary school, during school hours or during the time of a sanctioned school activity" commits a third-degree felony. The 1,000-foot perimeter is the strict-liability brandishing trigger.
§ 790.115(2)(a) is the possession rule. No person may possess a firearm, electric weapon, destructive device, or other weapon as defined in § 790.001 - including a razor blade or box cutter - except as authorized in support of school-sanctioned activities, at a school-sponsored event or on the property of any school, school bus, or school bus stop. "School" for § 790.115(2) means "any preschool, elementary school, middle school, junior high school, secondary school, career center, or postsecondary school, whether public or nonpublic." The reach is broader than § 790.06(12)(a)10. - it covers preschools, junior highs, and career centers, and it covers "property" rather than only "facilities."
Three statutory carry exceptions: (1) a firearm in a case to an approved firearms program (the JROTC and approved-firearms-class pathway), (2) a firearm in a case to a career center having a firearms training range, and (3) a firearm in a vehicle pursuant to § 790.25(4), except that school districts may waive the vehicle exception for student and campus parking privileges. A securely encased handgun in a private vehicle in the school parking lot falls within § 790.25(4) and is not a § 790.115(2) violation for adult parents and visitors. High school students parking on campus must follow the district's written policy.
Penalties: § 790.115(2)(b) makes possession of an electric weapon or non-firearm weapon a third-degree felony. § 790.115(2)(c)1. makes possession of a firearm a third-degree felony. § 790.115(2)(d) makes discharge a second-degree felony. § 790.115(2)(e) is the CWFL/§ 790.01(1) penalty reduction: an authorized § 790.01(1) carrier who willfully and knowingly violates (b) or (c)1. "commits a misdemeanor of the second degree." Both CWFL holders and § 790.01(1)-eligible permitless carriers get the reduction; non-eligible carriers do not. § 790.115(3) exempts active law enforcement officers.
The practical map: vehicle in the lot under § 790.25(4), carrier walks in unarmed. Even the (e) misdemeanor is a § 790.06 license-revocation trigger. Avoidance is the clean answer.
§ 790.06(12)(a)11. prohibits carry in any career center. § 790.115(2)(a) reaches career centers under its definition of "school." § 790.115(2)(a)2. allows cased carry into a career center "having a firearms training range" but only under the cased-firearm condition; ordinary concealed carry into the rest of the campus is still a § 790.06(12)(a)11. violation. Career-center campuses are off-limits except for an approved firearms program with documented authorization.
§ 790.06(12)(a)12. prohibits carry in "any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose." The establishment must hold a license to dispense alcohol for on-premises consumption, and the carry must occur in the portion primarily devoted to alcohol service.
Florida does not impose a percentage threshold in statute. The line is a portion-of-the-establishment line: the bar area itself, where the establishment's primary activity is dispensing alcohol. A restaurant with a separate bar can be a § 790.06(12)(a)12. location in the bar area but a permissible carry location in the dining room. A pure cocktail lounge or nightclub is a § 790.06(12)(a)12. location throughout; a restaurant where patrons drink wine with meals generally is not.
The "portion primarily devoted to" line is fact-specific and unforgiving at the edges. The safe rule is to treat any visibly bar-focused area - extended bar seating, a separate bar room, a designated lounge - as off-limits and to remain in the dining-only portion of mixed-use establishments. There is no statutory posted-sign defense.
§ 790.06(12)(a)13. prohibits carry in any college or university facility, with one narrow exception: "the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile." The carrier must have an academic affiliation, and the instrument must be a non-projectile-discharging stun gun. A handgun is not within the carve-out. Florida public and private colleges and universities are off-limits to concealed handgun carry by both license holders and permitless carriers.
§ 790.115(2)(a) reaches "postsecondary school," so college and university property also falls within the § 790.115 vehicle-storage exception under § 790.115(2)(a)3. A carrier may keep a firearm in a private vehicle in a campus parking lot under § 790.25(4) without violating either § 790.06(12)(a)13. or § 790.115. Carry into any campus building is prohibited.
§ 790.06(12)(a)14. prohibits carry inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport. The structural exception: "no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft."
The Florida line is broader than the federal sterile-area rule. The federal rule begins at the TSA checkpoint; the Florida rule begins at the terminal entrance. A carrier who walks into the terminal with a concealed handgun on the body has committed the offense before approaching TSA. The encased-baggage exception runs from the curb to the airline check-in counter. The TSA checkpoint penalty and 49 U.S.C. § 46505 operate independently. Never bring a firearm near a terminal except in a TSA-compliant locked hard case at the curb-to-counter handoff.
§ 790.06(12)(a)15. is the federal-incorporation hook. Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law is also prohibited under Florida state law. The categories that matter for daily carry:
18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(A) makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess a firearm at a place the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe is a school zone. A "school zone" is the grounds of a public, parochial, or private K-12 school and the area within 1,000 feet of those grounds.
§ 922(q)(2)(B)(ii) exempts a person "licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located" if the state requires a background check and qualifications determination before issuance. A Florida CWFL qualifies; § 790.06 requires a fingerprint-based background check and a § 790.06(2) qualifications determination. Permitless carriers do not qualify. A Florida adult carrying under § 790.013 without a CWFL can still violate § 922(q) inside the 1,000-foot federal zone. § 922(q) is punishable by up to five years.
This is the single biggest federal-law advantage of holding a CWFL in a constitutional-carry environment. K-12 zones blanket large portions of residential areas; the CWFL removes the federal exposure, permitless carry does not.
§ 790.06(12)(b) is the parking-lot safety valve: "A person licensed under this section is not prohibited from carrying or storing a firearm in a vehicle for lawful purposes." § 790.013(2) places permitless carriers on the same § 790.06(12) terms, and § 790.25(4) provides the parallel rule for any adult lawfully in possession of a handgun.
§ 790.25(4)(a) authorizes a person 18 or older in lawful possession of a handgun to possess it within a private conveyance if it is "securely encased or otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use" (the carrier may not carry on the person under that paragraph). § 790.25(4)(b)(2) preserves the right of a § 790.01(1)-authorized person to carry concealed on the person in a private conveyance. § 790.25(4)(c) directs liberal construction in favor of lawful use.
The combined effect: drive to the parking lot, secure the firearm under § 790.25(4)(a) if storing during the visit, and walk in unarmed. The parking lot itself is not a § 790.06(12) location. § 790.06(12)(c) preserves the employer-parking-lot protections of § 790.251(7). On K-12 school property, § 790.115(2)(a)3. references § 790.25(4) and lets school districts waive the exception for student and campus parking.
§ 790.06(13) is a CWFL-only privilege: "Notwithstanding any other law, for the purposes of safety, security, personal protection, or any other lawful purpose, a person licensed under this section may carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm on property owned, rented, leased, borrowed, or lawfully used by a church, synagogue, or other religious institution." A permitless carrier under § 790.013 does not get the (13) carve-out. The institution retains the right to control its own property; refusal to leave when asked converts a permitted carry into trespass under chapter 810.
The "[n]otwithstanding any other law" clause is the operative phrase. It displaces the (a)10. school rule when the school is part of religious-institution property: a CWFL holder carrying at a religious-school facility under § 790.06(13) is not violating § 790.06(12)(a)10. § 790.115 still governs the discharge and brandishing rules. The (13) carve-out is one of the most concrete reasons for a Florida adult to keep a CWFL in a constitutional-carry environment.
Florida does not have a statutory regime that gives a "no firearms" sign on private property the force of a Title XLVI firearm offense. There is no trespass-by-licensee mechanism. Carry into a posted private business is not, by itself, a § 790.06(12) violation.
The mechanism is general trespass under chapter 810. A property owner or authorized person may ask a carrier to leave because of the firearm; refusal after notice is the enforceable conduct. A carrier who promptly complies has not committed a Florida crime. The cleanest path is to disarm and store under § 790.25(4) before entering, or choose a different location. If asked to leave, leave.
| Offense | Penalty | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| § 790.06(12) violation (any of the 15 categories) | Second-degree misdemeanor; up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine | § 790.06(12)(d); § 775.082; § 775.083 |
| § 790.115(1) brandishing on school grounds or within 1,000 feet | Third-degree felony | § 790.115(1) |
| § 790.115(2) possession on school property - non-firearm weapon | Third-degree felony | § 790.115(2)(b) |
| § 790.115(2) possession on school property - firearm by non-§ 790.01(1) carrier | Third-degree felony | § 790.115(2)(c)1. |
| § 790.115(2) possession on school property - firearm by authorized § 790.01(1) carrier | Second-degree misdemeanor | § 790.115(2)(e) |
| § 790.115(2)(d) discharge of a firearm on school property | Second-degree felony | § 790.115(2)(d) |
| 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) federal Gun-Free School Zone | Federal crime up to 5 years | § 922(q)(4) |
| 18 U.S.C. § 930(a) federal facility | Federal misdemeanor up to 1 year | § 930(a) |
| 18 U.S.C. § 930(e) federal courthouse | Federal felony up to 2 years (5 with intent to commit a crime) | § 930(e) |
| 39 C.F.R. § 232.1 postal property | Federal misdemeanor up to 30 days; fine up to $50 | § 232.1(p)(2) |
A § 790.06(12) conviction is also a § 790.06 license-revocation trigger. A CWFL holder convicted of a knowing and willful violation of subsection (12) faces administrative revocation of the license under § 790.06(10) on top of the criminal penalty.
A Florida CWFL removes categories of legal exposure that a permitless carrier under § 790.013 faces:
The map of off-limits locations under § 790.06(12) is identical for both groups. § 790.013(2) makes that explicit. The defenses, the carve-outs, and the federal-law exposure are not.
This page covers one part of our Florida concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Florida 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.