Open carry of firearms is legal in Ohio for qualifying adults without any permit. Ohio Constitution Article I § 4 protects the right to bear arms ("The...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Open carry of firearms is legal in Ohio for qualifying adults without any permit. Ohio Constitution Article I § 4 protects the right to bear arms ("The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security"), and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 2923 regulates only concealed carry, prohibited places, and prohibited persons - there is no general open-carry prohibition. Open carry by adults 18+ (long guns) and 21+ (handguns from FFL purchase) is permitted in any non-prohibited place. Critically, the R.C. § 2923.12(B) statutory duty-to-inform applies ONLY to CONCEALED carry - an open carrier is NOT statutorily required to inform a peace officer that they are armed.
Open carry is legal in Ohio not because a statute affirmatively grants the right, but because the Crimes Code does not prohibit it. R.C. § 2923.12(A) prohibits only "concealed" carry of a handgun (with a constitutional-carry carve-out for qualifying persons 21+ under SB 215, effective June 13, 2022, and a longstanding CHL exception). It does not reach a holstered handgun visible on the hip or a long gun slung over the shoulder. R.C. § 9.68(A), strengthened by SB 58 of the 135th General Assembly (effective April 9, 2025), declares that any person, "without further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process," may "transport, store, carry, sell, transfer, manufacture, or keep any firearm" except as specifically restricted by state or federal law. R.C. § 9.68(C)(1) extends the preemption to "the possession, transporting, or carrying, openly or concealed on a person's person or concealed ready at hand, of firearms."
Bottom line: open carry of a handgun or long gun is lawful for any non-prohibited adult who meets the federal age threshold and is not in a place off-limits under R.C. § 2923.122 (school safety zones), § 2923.123 (courthouses), § 2923.126(B), or federal law. No CHL is required.
Open carry of a firearm in Ohio requires no state license. The eligibility test is whether you can lawfully possess the firearm under federal and state law and whether you meet the minimum age. There is no application, fee, training requirement, or state-issued endorsement.
Ohio does not set a statutory minimum age for open carry. The practical floor for long-gun open carry is 18, the federal minimum age to purchase a long gun from a licensed dealer under 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1). For handgun open carry, the practical floor is 21 under § 922(b)(1). Ohio law does not categorically prohibit possession or open carry of a lawfully acquired handgun by a non-prohibited 18-to-20-year-old, but the lawful acquisition path is narrower than for long guns. The SB 215 constitutional-carry framework retains a 21-year minimum for concealed carry under R.C. § 2923.125; that threshold has no parallel in the open-carry analysis.
Federal and state firearm prohibitions apply in full. You may not openly carry if disqualified under R.C. § 2923.13 ("having weapons while under disability"), which reaches persons under indictment or convicted of a felony of violence or felony drug offense, persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence against a family or household member, persons adjudicated mentally incompetent, and persons subject to a qualifying domestic-violence civil protection order. Federal disabilities under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) cover convicted felons, persons under felony indictment, unlawful drug users, persons adjudicated mentally defective, dishonorably discharged service members, persons subject to qualifying domestic-violence orders or convictions, fugitives, persons who have renounced U.S. citizenship, and illegal aliens.
Ohio does not require state residency for open carry. A non-resident who meets the federal age threshold, can lawfully possess the firearm, and is not subject to an Ohio § 2923.13 disability may openly carry under the same rules as a resident.
Ohio does not statutorily define "concealed" in R.C. § 2923.12. Courts apply the ordinary-observer test: a handgun is concealed if it is not readily observable to a casual observer in normal public interaction, and openly carried if it is visible. An outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster on the belt, exposed to view, is open carry. An inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster covered by a tucked shirt or a closed jacket is concealed. A handgun in a closed bag, backpack, or purse on the person is concealed under longstanding Ohio case law construing "ready at hand" in § 2923.12(A).
If you are 21 or older and constitutional-carry-eligible under R.C. § 2923.12(C)(2), or you hold a valid CHL, the open/concealed line is much less consequential because both modes are lawful - but it matters for the duty-to-inform rule below.
R.C. § 2923.16 is the operative motor-vehicle carry statute and applies to open carry as well as concealed. § 2923.16(A) prohibits discharge of a firearm in or on a motor vehicle (with narrow agricultural and hunting carve-outs in § 2923.16(F)). § 2923.16(B) prohibits transporting a loaded firearm "accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle." § 2923.16(C) requires an unloaded firearm in a vehicle to be in a closed case, in a compartment reached only by leaving the vehicle, in a permanent rack, or (for qualifying long guns) in plain sight with the action open. § 2923.16(F)(5) exempts CHL holders and constitutional-carry-eligible persons from § 2923.16(B) and (C). § 2923.16(D) prohibits transport of a loaded handgun by a person under the influence.
Practical vehicle rule for open carriers:
The critical point for open carriers is that R.C. § 2923.126(B) - the CHL prohibited-places list - is not strictly limited to CHL holders. Several of its component statutes (the school-safety-zone rule in R.C. § 2923.122 and the courthouse rule in R.C. § 2923.123) apply to "any person" carrying a deadly weapon, not just CHL holders. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act in 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) and the federal-facilities rule in 18 U.S.C. § 930 likewise reach all carriers. The list below summarizes where open carry is prohibited in Ohio.
Ohio has one of the strongest state firearm-preemption statutes in the country, and it expressly protects open carriers. R.C. § 9.68(A) - as amended by SB 58 (135th Gen. Assemb.), effective April 9, 2025 - bars any "ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, practice, or other action" of a political subdivision that imposes a "further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process" beyond what the U.S. Constitution, Ohio Constitution, state law, or federal law specifically provides. § 9.68(C)(1) defines the protected conduct to "include, but are not limited to, the possession, transporting, or carrying, openly or concealed on a person's person or concealed ready at hand, of firearms" - a textual lock-in for open carriers.
§ 9.68(B) provides a private right of action: a person adversely affected by a conflicting ordinance may sue for damages, declaratory or injunctive relief, and reasonable expenses including attorney's fees, court costs, expert witness fees, and lost income. Local "no open carry" ordinances on city streets, in parks, or on transit systems are unenforceable. The narrow exceptions in § 9.68(D) cover only zoning of commercial firearm sales, not carry rules.
This is the most important rule for an Ohio open carrier to understand. R.C. § 2923.12(B) imposes a statutory duty to inform on a person "stopped for a law enforcement purpose and . . . carrying a concealed handgun." The duty has two operative components: (1) the person must, "before or at the time a law enforcement officer asks" whether they are carrying a concealed handgun, "knowingly disclose" that they are; and (2) the person must keep their hands in plain sight and refrain from contact with the handgun while the officer is approaching. R.C. § 2923.16(E) imposes the mirror rule during a vehicle stop where a CHL holder or constitutional-carry-eligible carrier has a loaded handgun in the vehicle.
By its express terms, § 2923.12(B) reaches a person "carrying a concealed handgun." A person openly carrying a holstered handgun visible to a casual observer is not "carrying a concealed handgun" within the meaning of the statute, and the duty to inform does not apply. § 2923.16(E) likewise attaches only to a CHL holder or active-duty servicemember with a loaded handgun in the vehicle; it does not reach a person openly carrying outside the vehicle context.
Practical implications for an open carrier:
The conservative recommendation is still to identify yourself and the firearm calmly. That is officer-safety etiquette, not a statutory requirement.
Long-gun open carry is unregulated by state firearm law except for prohibited places. A non-prohibited adult 18+ may openly carry a rifle or shotgun on foot in any non-prohibited place. The § 2923.122 and § 2923.123 prohibitions reach "any deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance" - long guns included. § 2923.126(B) is by its terms primarily a CHL handgun list; long-gun open carry into a government building, higher-education campus, or place of worship is governed by the underlying premises rule (trespass under § 2911.21 if posted, aggravated trespass under § 2911.211 if a day-care). The § 2923.16(B) and (C) vehicle rules apply to long guns and are stricter than for handguns.
Ohio's open-carry posture aligns closely with Texas (post-HB 1927), Arizona, and Alaska. Like Texas, Ohio requires no permit; unlike Texas, Ohio imposes no statutory holster requirement. Like Arizona and Alaska, Ohio combines permitless concealed carry (SB 215, June 13, 2022) with permitless open carry. The distinctive Ohio feature is the § 9.68 preemption with a § 9.68(B) private right of action and fee-shifting.
The Ohio CHL still confers practical advantages: federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption under 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(B)(ii), reciprocity in roughly 30 other states under R.C. § 109.69, and the § 2923.122(D)(3)-(4) safe harbor for school-safety-zone transit and parking-lot storage.
Do I need a CHL or any permit to open carry? No. Open carry of a handgun or long gun by a qualifying non-prohibited adult is lawful without any state permit.
Do I have to inform a peace officer I'm openly carrying? No. R.C. § 2923.12(B) imposes a duty to inform only on a person "carrying a concealed handgun."
Can a city ban open carry on public streets or in parks? No. R.C. § 9.68(A) preempts local firearm regulation, and § 9.68(C)(1) expressly extends the preemption to carrying "openly or concealed."
Can a private business ban open carry? Yes. R.C. § 2923.126(C)(3) authorizes posting; a knowing violation is criminal trespass under R.C. § 2911.21(A)(4).
Can I open carry into a school? No. R.C. § 2923.122 prohibits any person from possessing a deadly weapon in a school safety zone. The CHL transit and locked-vehicle carve-outs in § 2923.122(D)(3)-(4) are not available to non-CHL carriers.
Can I open carry in my vehicle? A constitutional-carry-eligible person 21+ or a CHL holder may. A non-eligible carrier must comply with R.C. § 2923.16(B) and (C) - unloaded and in a case, the trunk, or a permanent rack.
Can I open carry a long gun? Yes, on foot, in any non-prohibited place. Vehicle carry under § 2923.16(B) and (C) is stricter than for handguns.
| Statute | Subject |
|---|---|
| Ohio Const. Art. I § 4 | Right to bear arms |
| R.C. § 9.68 | State preemption of local firearm regulation; private right of action |
| R.C. § 2923.11 | Definitions (firearm, deadly weapon, dangerous ordnance) |
| R.C. § 2923.12 | Carrying concealed weapons; duty to inform (concealed only) |
| R.C. § 2923.122 | Illegal conveyance/possession in school safety zone |
| R.C. § 2923.123 | Illegal conveyance/possession in courthouse |
| R.C. § 2923.125 | CHL application and issuance |
| R.C. § 2923.126 | CHL prohibited places; private posting |
| R.C. § 2923.13 | Having weapons while under disability |
| R.C. § 2923.16 | Improperly handling firearms in motor vehicle |
| R.C. § 2911.21 | Criminal trespass |
| R.C. § 2911.211 | Aggravated trespass (day-care premises) |
| SB 215 (134th Gen. Assemb., 2022) | Constitutional carry; effective June 13, 2022 |
| SB 58 (135th Gen. Assemb., 2025) | Strengthened R.C. § 9.68 preemption; effective April 9, 2025 |
| 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) | Federal minimum age for FFL purchase |
| 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) | Federal prohibited persons |
| 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) | Gun-Free School Zones Act |
| 18 U.S.C. § 930 | Federal facility firearm prohibition |
| 39 C.F.R. § 232.1 | Postal-property firearm prohibition |
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.