New Jersey Concealed Carry Laws: Overview

New Jersey is one of the most heavily regulated firearms jurisdictions in the country. There is no permitless or "constitutional" carry, and New Jersey does not recognize any out-of-state carry permit. To carry a handgun in public you must hold a New Jersey Permit to Carry a Handgun issued under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4. Carrying a handgun without that permit is a serious felony. The governing law sits mainly in N.J.S.A. Title 2C, Chapter 39 (weapons offenses) and Chapter 58 (firearms licensing).

Licensed carry, not permitless carry

Before 2022, New Jersey required a carry applicant to show a "justifiable need" to carry. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) struck down that kind of discretionary standard. New Jersey responded with P.L. 2022, c. 131 (from Assembly Bill A4769), signed December 22, 2022. That law:

1. Removed the justifiable-need requirement, so the issuing authority must grant a permit to a qualified applicant who is not disqualified.
2. Added detailed application requirements under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4, including in-person processing, personal endorsers, training and qualification, a liability insurance requirement, and a $200 application fee.
3. Created an extensive list of "sensitive places" where carry is prohibited even with a valid permit, at N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6.
4. Set a default rule barring carry on private property unless the owner consents or posts a sign allowing it (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6(a)(24)). As explained below, the Third Circuit later found this private-property default likely unconstitutional, so it is not currently enforced.

Important: several provisions of c. 131 were challenged in federal court (Koons v. Platkin and the related Siegel v. Platkin). On September 10, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (No. 23-1900) decided the appeal of the preliminary injunction. The court upheld most of the sensitive-place categories in N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6 as likely constitutional, so those restrictions are currently enforceable (for example parks and beaches, entertainment and sports venues, health care facilities, libraries and museums, bars and restaurants serving alcohol, and public gatherings that require a permit). The Third Circuit found three provisions likely unconstitutional and not currently enforced: the private-property default that treated all property held open to the public as presumptively off-limits unless the owner affirmatively consented (2C:58-4.6(a)(24)), the restriction on carry in a private vehicle, and the restriction on carry at youth sports events. Update: in December 2025 the full Third Circuit vacated this three-judge panel decision and granted rehearing en banc; the case was argued before the en banc court in February 2026 and, after the Supreme Court's 2026 Second Amendment rulings, awaits a decision as of mid-2026. The panel opinion is therefore no longer controlling. In the interim the sensitive-place restrictions remain in effect while the private-property default, in-vehicle, and youth-sports provisions remain enjoined under the district court's preliminary injunction. Confirm the current status before you rely on any specific provision.

Key statutory framework

• N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1 - Definitions, including handgun, firearm, destructive device, assault firearm (subsection w.), and large capacity ammunition magazine (subsection y., a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3 - Prohibited weapons and devices, including the hollow-nose and dum-dum ammunition restriction (subsection f.) and the large capacity ammunition magazine ban (subsection j.).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5 - Unlawful possession of weapons. Possessing a handgun without first obtaining a permit to carry is a crime of the second degree under subsection b.(1).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:39-6 - Statutory exemptions from the carry and possession offenses (for example, law enforcement, military, and transport for certain lawful purposes).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3 - Permit to purchase a handgun and the Firearms Purchaser Identification Card.
• N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4 - Permit to Carry a Handgun (application, fee, endorsers, training, insurance, issuance, appeals, revocation).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6 - Places where carrying a firearm is prohibited (the c. 131 sensitive-places list).
• N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4 - Use of force in self-protection (duty to retreat before deadly force, with a dwelling exception).

How the Permit to Carry works

Under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4, the application is submitted in the first instance to the chief police officer of the municipality where the applicant resides, or to the Superintendent of State Police if the applicant is a non-resident, lives in a municipality with no chief of police, is an armored car employee, or is a mayor or elected member of the municipal governing body. Each application requires:

• A $200 application fee. For an application to a municipality, $150 stays with the municipality and $50 goes to the Superintendent.
• Endorsement by at least four reputable persons who are not related to the applicant by blood or law and who have known the applicant for at least three years.
• Fingerprinting and a criminal-history and disqualifier review against the standards in N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3(c).
• Proof that the applicant is thoroughly familiar with the safe handling and use of handguns, including completion of the training and proficiency requirements established by the Superintendent under subsection g. (an online course, in-person classroom instruction, and live-fire target training on an approved range, plus instruction on the law of justified use of force).
• Compliance with the liability insurance requirement of section 4 of P.L. 2022, c. 131 (codified at N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.3).

The chief police officer or the Superintendent (not a Superior Court judge) issues the permit if the applicant meets these criteria and is not disqualified. If the issuing authority neither approves nor denies a completed application within 90 days, the application is deemed approved, subject to a possible 30-day extension for good cause. An applicant who is denied may request a hearing in the Superior Court of the county where the applicant resides, or where a non-resident intends to carry, within 30 days of the denial. Permits expire two years from issuance and may be renewed every two years.

What the permit allows, and what it does not

A valid Permit to Carry authorizes the holder to carry a handgun concealed in a holster in all parts of the state, subject to the sensitive-places restrictions. By the plain text of N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4(a), the permit does not authorize open carry by a private citizen. A brief, incidental exposure of the handgun (for example while holstering or because of body movement) is treated as a de minimis matter. New Jersey does not issue separate "open carry" and "concealed carry" permits; the single Permit to Carry covers concealed holster carry only.

Regardless of the permit, the following remain off-limits:

• Carry in any sensitive place that the Third Circuit left in force under N.J.S.A. 2C:58-4.6 (government buildings, courthouses, jails, polling places, schools and school buses, child care and youth facilities, parks and beaches, libraries and museums, bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, cannabis retailers, entertainment and sports venues, casinos, airports and transit hubs, health care facilities, public gatherings that require a permit, and others). A violation is a third-degree crime. After the September 2025 Third Circuit decision, a permit holder may carry in their own private vehicle and is no longer barred from youth sports events, and the private-property default no longer applies, so carry on private property held open to the public is allowed unless the owner affirmatively prohibits it. Verify the current status before relying on any specific item.
• Hollow-nose or dum-dum ammunition outside the narrow exceptions in N.J.S.A. 2C:39-3(f). Possession is a crime of the fourth degree.
• Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds (large capacity ammunition magazines), N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1(y) and 2C:39-3(j). Possession is a crime of the fourth degree absent a registration exception.
• "Assault firearms" as defined in N.J.S.A. 2C:39-1(w), absent a license or registration.

Self-defense and duty to retreat

New Jersey is not a stand-your-ground state. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4, deadly force is justifiable only when the actor reasonably believes it is necessary to protect against death or serious bodily harm, and it is not justifiable if the actor knows he can avoid the necessity of using such force with complete safety by retreating. There is one key exception: a person is not obliged to retreat from his own dwelling unless he was the initial aggressor. The statute also provides, in subsection c., a separate justification for force against an intruder who is unlawfully in a dwelling.

Reciprocity

New Jersey does not honor any other state's concealed carry permit. A Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Florida, or any other out-of-state permit gives you no authority to carry a handgun in New Jersey. If you carry a handgun in New Jersey without a New Jersey Permit to Carry, you are exposed to a second-degree charge under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b), unless a statutory exemption in N.J.S.A. 2C:39-6 applies.

Penalty exposure

Carrying or possessing a handgun without a New Jersey permit is a crime of the second degree under N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b)(1). Second-degree crimes in New Jersey carry an ordinary prison term in the range of 5 to 10 years. Unlawful handgun possession is also a Graves Act offense, which means it carries a mandatory minimum period of parole ineligibility on top of the ordinary sentencing exposure. The exact mandatory minimum, and the availability of any Graves Act waiver or pretrial diversion, depends on the specific charge and prosecutorial discretion. Confirm the current penalty and any waiver mechanism with a New Jersey criminal defense attorney before relying on any number.

Recent developments

• June 2022: Bruen strikes down discretionary "justifiable need" carry standards.
• December 22, 2022: P.L. 2022, c. 131 (A4769) restructures New Jersey carry law, removing justifiable need and adding the sensitive-places list and the private-property default.
• September 10, 2025: In Koons v. Platkin / Siegel v. Platkin (No. 23-1900), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decided the appeal of the preliminary injunction. It upheld most of the c. 131 sensitive-place categories as likely constitutional and currently enforceable, and it found three provisions likely unconstitutional and not currently enforced: the private-property default (2C:58-4.6(a)(24)), carry in a private vehicle, and carry at youth sports events. In December 2025 the full Third Circuit vacated that panel decision and granted rehearing en banc (argued February 2026); as of mid-2026 the en banc court has not ruled and the outcome may turn on the Supreme Court's 2026 Second Amendment cases. The panel opinion is no longer controlling; verify the current status before relying on any specific provision.

Bottom line

If you intend to carry a handgun anywhere in New Jersey, you need a New Jersey Permit to Carry. There is no constitutional carry, no permit reciprocity, and a long list of sensitive places that are off-limits even with the permit. The permit authorizes concealed holster carry, not open carry. After the September 2025 Third Circuit decision, you may carry in your own private vehicle and on private property held open to the public unless the owner affirmatively prohibits it, but the sensitive-place restrictions the court left in force still apply. Because parts of the 2022 law remain in litigation, confirm the current status of any specific restriction before you rely on it, and plan your training, application, and daily carry around one of the most restrictive frameworks in the country.