Pennsylvania Concealed Carry Laws

Pennsylvania Concealed Carry Laws

Concealed carry in Pennsylvania requires a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF). Under 18 Pa.C.S. 6106, carrying a firearm concealed on or about your person off your own property, or carrying any firearm in a vehicle (loaded or unloaded, concealed or visible), is an offense without a valid LTCF. The default grade is a felony of the third degree, but a person who is otherwise eligible to possess a license and has committed no other criminal violation is graded down to a misdemeanor of the first degree under 6106(a)(2). This is the rule that catches most lawful Pennsylvania gun owners off guard. The state does not have permitless concealed carry, and it does not have a general "vehicle exception" the way some neighboring states do.

The LTCF is the only generally available license for civilian concealed carry. It is issued under 18 Pa.C.S. 6109 by your county sheriff (or, in Philadelphia, by the chief of police). Once issued, an LTCF authorizes you to carry a firearm concealed on or about your person, or in a vehicle, anywhere in the Commonwealth where carry is otherwise lawful. Pennsylvania is a "shall issue" state. The sheriff has 45 days to issue or deny, and denial must be in writing with specific reasons sent by certified mail.

The 6106 rule that drives everything else

Under 6106(a)(1), any person who carries a firearm in any vehicle, or carries a firearm concealed on or about their person, except in their place of abode or fixed place of business, without a valid and lawfully issued LTCF, commits a felony of the third degree in Pennsylvania.

Section 6106(a)(2) carves out one exception to the felony grading. A person who is otherwise eligible to possess a valid license (not a prohibited person under 6105) and who has not committed any other criminal violation drops to a misdemeanor of the first degree for the same conduct. A prohibited person carrying without a license, or anyone caught while committing another offense, faces felony charges.

Three things about 6106 that students consistently miss:

1. The vehicle rule is broader than the concealed-on-person rule. 6106 does not require concealment in a vehicle. Carrying any firearm "in any vehicle" without an LTCF is the offense, even if the firearm is unconcealed on the passenger seat.
2. "Place of abode" and "fixed place of business" are narrow. Your home and your business premises are exempt. A friend's house, a vacation rental, a hotel, or a public sidewalk in front of your house is not.
3. Open carry on public streets is not a 6106 problem outside Philadelphia, but it becomes one the moment the firearm is in a vehicle or concealed. 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 separately restricts public-street carry in Philadelphia (a "city of the first class"). The Superior Court declared 6108 unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977 (Pa. Super. 2025), decided June 23, 2025. Confirm the current status with counsel before relying on either side of that ruling.

6106(b) exceptions to the license requirement

6106(b) lists 16 categories of persons or activities that are exempt from the LTCF requirement. The ones a CCW student is most likely to encounter:

• (b)(1) Constables, sheriffs, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, Pennsylvania police officers, and other law-enforcement officers.
• (b)(2) Members of the U.S. armed forces, National Guard, or organized reserves when on duty.
• (b)(3) Regularly enrolled members of any organization duly organized to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or the Commonwealth.
• (b)(4) Persons engaged in target shooting, while at or going to or from a place of assembly or target practice. The firearm must be unloaded while in transit under this exception.
• (b)(5) Officers or employees of the United States duly authorized to carry a concealed firearm.
• (b)(6) Agents, messengers, and other employees of common carriers, banks, or business firms whose duties require them to protect money, valuables, or other property in the discharge of those duties (security guards, armored-car personnel, bank messengers).
• (b)(7) Firearms manufacturers, dealers, repairers, and their agents in the usual or ordinary course of business.
• (b)(8) Transport of an unloaded firearm in a secure wrapper, between the place of purchase, your home, your business, a place of repair, sale or appraisal, when moving from one place of abode or business to another, to or from a vacation or recreational home or dwelling, to a place of instruction in the safe handling, use or maintenance of firearms, to recover stolen property under 6111.1(b)(4), or to and from a location for relinquishment of firearms under a PFA order pursuant to 23 Pa.C.S. 6108, 6108.2, or 6108.3. This is the rule that lets an unlicensed Pennsylvania gun owner move firearms lawfully.
• (b)(9) Persons licensed to hunt, take furbearers, or fish in Pennsylvania, while actually engaged in that activity or going to or from the places where they intend to do it. A sportsman's firearm permit under 6106(c) is required to use this exception (see below).
• (b)(10) Persons training dogs, while actually training during the regular training season. A sportsman's firearm permit under 6106(c) is required to use this exception (see below).
• (b)(11) Carry in a vehicle under a valid license to carry issued by the United States or any other state. This is the federal-or-other-state-license vehicle carve-out, distinct from full reciprocity under 6109(k).
• (b)(12) A person whose Pennsylvania LTCF expired within six months prior to the date of arrest and who is otherwise eligible for renewal.
• (b)(13) A person otherwise eligible to possess a firearm who is operating a vehicle registered to themselves, a spouse, or a parent, where the firearm has a valid LTCF issued to the spouse or parent owning the firearm.
• (b)(14) Lawful interstate transport under 18 U.S.C. 926A (federal FOPA transport, with the firearm unloaded and inaccessible, separate from ammunition, while passing through Pennsylvania between two states where carry is lawful).
• (b)(15) Carry under an out-of-state license, regardless of whether a reciprocity agreement exists under 6109(k), provided the issuing state extends a reciprocal privilege to Pennsylvania LTCF holders and the Attorney General has determined the issuing state's firearm laws are similar to Pennsylvania's. This is the "unilateral recognition" path distinct from a 6109(k) reciprocity agreement.
• (b)(16) A person holding a license in accordance with 6109(f)(3) (the military deployment extension for LTCF holders deployed overseas).

Sportsman's Firearm Permit

6106(c) creates a separate document called the Sportsman's Firearm Permit that some hunters and trappers obtain. Before a person 18 or older can rely on the 6106(b)(9) or (b)(10) exceptions (hunting, trapping, fishing, training dogs), they must secure a sportsman's firearm permit from the county treasurer. Key facts:

• The county treasurer may collect a fee of no more than $6, and the permit is issued immediately.
• It is valid for 5 years statewide.
• It only works in conjunction with a valid hunting, furtaking, or fishing license (or permit relating to hunting dogs).
• It is not a concealed carry license. It does not authorize general concealed carry, and it does not authorize carry in a vehicle outside the hunting context.

A sportsman's firearm permit and an LTCF are different documents, with different scopes. Do not let a student conflate the two.

Who can get an LTCF (6109(e)(1))

Under 6109(b), an applicant must be at least 21 years old. Under 6109(e)(1), the sheriff shall not issue an LTCF if the applicant falls into any of the following categories:

• (i) Character and reputation such that the individual would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety. This is the discretionary "character clause," and it has been the subject of significant litigation. The sheriff must articulate specific facts; a general suspicion will not survive appeal.
• (ii) Conviction of an offense under The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act.
• (iii) Conviction of a crime enumerated in 6105 (the prohibited-persons list).
• (iv) Within the past 10 years, adjudicated delinquent for a 6105 crime or a Controlled Substance Act offense.
• (v) Not of sound mind, or ever committed to a mental institution.
• (vi) Addicted to or an unlawful user of marijuana, or a stimulant, depressant, or narcotic drug. This includes marijuana use that is legal under state medical-marijuana law, because federal law still treats marijuana as a controlled substance and 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3) bars firearm possession by unlawful users.
• (vii) Habitual drunkard.
• (viii) Charged with or convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year, unless relief is granted under 6123.
• (ix) Resident of another state who does not hold a current carry license from that state, where that state issues such licenses.
• (x) Alien illegally in the United States.
• (xi) Discharged from the U.S. armed forces under dishonorable conditions.
• (xii) Fugitive from justice (excluding fugitive status based on nonmoving or moving summary offenses under Title 75).
• (xiii) Otherwise prohibited from possessing, using, manufacturing, controlling, purchasing, selling, or transferring a firearm under 6105.
• (xiv) Prohibited from possessing or acquiring a firearm under the statutes of the United States.

Federal disqualifiers under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) flow into Pennsylvania through subsections (xiii) and (xiv). A federal misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, an active protection-from-abuse order with a firearm prohibition, an involuntary mental health commitment, an unlawful-drug-user finding, or any other 922(g) status disqualifies the applicant in Pennsylvania, even if 6105 would not have reached the conduct on its own terms.

Application process

6109(b) and (c) set the procedure. You apply to the sheriff of the county where you reside (or to the chief of police if you live in Philadelphia). The application is on a uniform form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police. Issuing authorities must use only that form and may not demand documents beyond what 6109 authorizes.

The application requires:

• A stated reason from this list: self-defense, employment, hunting and fishing, target shooting, gun collecting, or "another proper reason."
• A signed certification that you have never been convicted of a crime that prohibits firearm possession under federal or state law, that you are of sound mind and have never been committed to a mental institution, and that you will promptly notify the sheriff if you become ineligible.
• The biographical information that appears on the license: name, address, date of birth, race, sex, citizenship, height, weight, hair color, eye color, and signature.
• A photograph compatible with the Commonwealth Photo Imaging Network for the license card.

The sheriff then conducts the 6109(d) investigation: a criminal conviction record check, a check for any indictment or conviction for a crime punishable by more than one year, a character and reputation review, a check of the 6109(e)(1) and 6105(h) disqualifiers, and a criminal background, juvenile delinquency, and mental health check following the procedures in 6111. Pennsylvania runs these checks through its own Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), operated by the Pennsylvania State Police, rather than contacting the federal NICS directly. The sheriff has 45 days from application to issue or deny under 6109(g).

Fees (6109(h))

The fee for a 5-year LTCF is $19, which by statute includes:

• A renewal notice processing fee of $1.50.
• An administrative fee of $5 under section 14(2) of the Sheriff Fee Act.
• An additional $1 fee remitted to the Firearms License Validation System Account.

No fee other than that provided by 6109(h) or the Sheriff Fee Act may be assessed by the sheriff for the background check. If your application is denied, all fees are refunded except the $5 Sheriff Fee Act administrative fee. If you receive a license and it is later revoked, no fees are refunded. A person who sells or attempts to sell an LTCF for a fee in excess of the statutory amount commits a summary offense. See the FEES_COSTS section for current totals including any county-level specifics.

Term and renewal

Under 6109(f), an LTCF is valid for 5 years unless revoked. At least 60 days before expiration the issuing sheriff must mail you a renewal application, but failure to receive it does not relieve you of the duty to renew. A member of the U.S. armed forces or Pennsylvania National Guard on federal active duty deployed overseas, whose license is scheduled to expire during deployment, gets an automatic extension to 90 days after deployment ends. The license plus military orders showing the deployment dates serves as a defense to any 6106 or 6108 charge during the extension period.

If your LTCF expires and you carry concealed within the next six months while otherwise eligible for renewal, 6106(b)(12) provides a defense. After six months, you are unlicensed and a 6106 violation can be charged.

Denials and appeals

The sheriff must refuse in writing by certified mail, stating the specific reasons. You may appeal a denial or revocation to the court of common pleas for the judicial district in which you reside. The sheriff bears the burden to justify denial under 6109(e)(1).

Temporary emergency LTCF (6109(m.1))

If you face imminent danger, 6109(m.1) allows you to apply for a temporary emergency LTCF. You must submit:

1. Evidence of imminent danger to you or your minor child (a written document prepared by the Attorney General, a district attorney, a chief law enforcement officer, a judicial officer, or their designees, or a police report).
2. A sworn affidavit containing the standard application information and attesting that you are 21 or older, not prohibited under 6105 or any other federal or state law, and not currently subject to a protection-from-abuse order or an out-of-state protection order.
3. A temporary emergency license fee, set by the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, not to exceed the actual cost of the background check or $10, whichever is less, in addition to the regular 6109(h) fee.
4. The standard application form.

The sheriff immediately conducts a criminal history, juvenile delinquency, and mental health record check and, if the applicant meets the criteria, issues the emergency LTCF immediately. The emergency LTCF:

• Is valid for 45 days and may not be renewed.
• Cannot be issued to the same person again unless at least 5 years have passed since the prior emergency license.
• Carries the same rights and is subject to all the same duties, restrictions, and penalties as a regular LTCF while in effect.
• Is clearly marked "Temporary."

During the 45 days, the sheriff completes the full investigation and either issues a regular LTCF effective for the balance of the five-year period or revokes the emergency license under 6109(i).

Carrying with an LTCF: the operational rules

Where it works

A Pennsylvania LTCF authorizes carry concealed on or about your person, or in a vehicle, anywhere in the Commonwealth where carry is otherwise lawful. The vehicle authorization is the most important practical difference between Pennsylvania and permitless states: in Pennsylvania, the LTCF is what makes vehicle carry lawful. There is no separate "no-license vehicle carry" rule.

Proof of license (6122)

Under 6122(a), when carrying concealed on your person or in a vehicle, an LTCF holder must produce the license for inspection upon lawful demand of a law enforcement officer. Failure to produce the license either at the time of arrest or at the preliminary hearing creates a rebuttable presumption of nonlicensure. As a practical matter, carry the physical license card whenever you are armed so you can produce it on demand.

If you are relying on a 6106(b) exception (hunting, transport, federal-or-other-state license under (b)(11), and so on) instead of an LTCF, 6122(b) requires you to produce satisfactory evidence of qualification for that exception upon lawful demand.

Duty to inform

Pennsylvania does not impose a proactive duty to inform. You are not required by statute to volunteer that you are armed when stopped by police. If an officer makes a lawful demand for your LTCF while you are carrying concealed or in a vehicle, however, 6122 obligates you to produce it.

Practical CCW-instructor advice for traffic stops in Pennsylvania:

1. Pull over promptly. Turn off the engine. Turn off any music.
2. Keep both hands visible on the steering wheel until the officer requests documents.
3. If asked whether you have any weapons in the vehicle, answer truthfully and tell the officer where the firearm is and where your LTCF is.
4. Do not reach for the firearm. Wait for officer instructions.
5. Produce your LTCF and driver's license on demand.

Alcohol, controlled substances, and carry

Pennsylvania has no statute setting a specific blood-alcohol limit for carrying a firearm on foot, but federal law and 6105 still apply. Carrying while an unlawful user of a controlled substance is an 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(3) federal offense and a 6105 disqualifier. State DUI law (75 Pa.C.S. 3802) applies to operating a vehicle while impaired, regardless of whether you are armed. A 6109(e)(1)(vii) "habitual drunkard" finding can support revocation, and impaired or threatening use of a firearm can be charged under Pennsylvania's general assault and disorderly-conduct statutes. Treat carrying after drinking as something to avoid.

Prohibited locations

The PROHIBITED_PLACES section covers prohibited locations in detail. The high-level rule for an LTCF holder: federal facilities and federal courthouses are off-limits under federal law (18 U.S.C. 930), Pennsylvania courts and detention facilities are restricted (18 Pa.C.S. 913), K-12 school property is restricted under 18 Pa.C.S. 912 (and the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, 18 U.S.C. 922(q), with its exemption for carriers licensed by the state where the school is located), and private property owners can post or verbally exclude under criminal trespass principles (18 Pa.C.S. 3503). The LTCF does not override any of these.

Emergency-declared carry (6107)

Under 6107, when a state or municipal governmental executive proclaims an emergency, no person may carry a firearm on the public streets or public property during the emergency unless that person is (1) actively engaged in defense of their life or property from peril or threat, or (2) licensed under 6109 or exempt under 6106(b). LTCF holders are exempt from the emergency restriction. 6107(b) also bars seizure, taking, or confiscation of firearms, accessories, or ammunition during an emergency unless the seizure would be authorized absent the emergency.

Reciprocity and out-of-state holders (6109(k))

Pennsylvania recognizes out-of-state carry permits in two distinct ways:

1. 6109(k) reciprocity agreements. The Attorney General has the power and duty to negotiate mutual-recognition agreements with other states. Under 6109(m), the Attorney General maintains and publishes a current list of reciprocity states, states that allow Pennsylvania licensees to carry, and states where a licensee may apply for a permit. Check the Attorney General's published list for the current partner states before relying on reciprocity, and confirm whether any given state is included. That list is published on the Attorney General's Concealed Carry Reciprocity page (https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/resources/concealed-carry-reciprocity/), reachable from attorneygeneral.gov by selecting Resources and then Concealed Carry Reciprocity. The page carries an interactive state selector and download links for the written agreements. The Attorney General's older Reciprocity-Summary PDF, which used to hold the same state-by-state material, is no longer posted, and the Pennsylvania State Police page that once reproduced it has been rebuilt as a short question-and-answer page that points readers to the Attorney General instead.

   Neither the Attorney General's page nor the State Police page cites 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(k) or 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(m) any more. The authority and the annual-review duty are unchanged, so cite them to the statute rather than to either agency page.

2. 6106(b)(15) unilateral recognition. Even without a reciprocity agreement, Pennsylvania recognizes an out-of-state license if the issuing state extends a reciprocal privilege to Pennsylvania LTCF holders and the Attorney General has determined that the issuing state's firearm laws are similar to Pennsylvania's.

Two rules an out-of-state LTCF student needs to know:

• Pennsylvania residents must use a Pennsylvania LTCF. 6109(e)(1)(ix) requires a current carry license from your state of residence if your home state issues licenses. A Pennsylvania resident cannot lawfully rely on a Florida or Utah nonresident permit alone to carry in Pennsylvania.
• The vehicle exception under 6106(b)(11) is broader than full reciprocity. It allows out-of-state license holders to carry in a vehicle in Pennsylvania based on any valid United States or other-state license, regardless of whether the issuing state has a reciprocity agreement. It does not authorize concealed carry on the person outside the vehicle.

Revocation and notice (6109(i), (i.1))

The sheriff revokes an LTCF for any 6109(e)(1) reason that arises during the term of the license, and may revoke for good cause. Revocation must be in writing, sent by certified mail, and must state the specific reason. You have 5 days from receipt of the notice to surrender the license to the issuing authority. Violating this section is a summary offense.

Under 6109(i.1), courts and mental health authorities must notify the sheriff within 7 days of:

• A conviction for a crime specified in 6105(a) or (b).
• A conviction for any crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year.
• A determination that a person's conduct meets the 6105(c)(1), (2), (3), (5), (6), or (9) criteria.
• An adjudication of incompetence or involuntary commitment to a mental institution under the Mental Health Procedures Act, or involuntary treatment under 6105(c)(4).

Once the sheriff receives notice, revocation typically follows. You may appeal to the court of common pleas in the county where you reside. The Pennsylvania State Police are notified electronically that the license is no longer valid, and the Firearms License Validation System (the 24/7 toll-free line operated by the State Police under 6109(l)) reflects the revocation for any law-enforcement query.

Open carry contrast (brief)

Open carry is a separate topic covered in OPEN_CARRY. The bottom-line distinction: outside Philadelphia, an adult who is not prohibited under 6105 may openly carry a firearm on foot in public without an LTCF, because no Pennsylvania statute requires a license for open carry there. The moment that firearm is in a vehicle, however, 6106 requires an LTCF, and the moment it becomes concealed (under a coat, in a bag against the body, in a holster covered by a jacket), 6106 also requires an LTCF. Many lawful open carriers run into 6106 problems precisely because they get into a car or because cold weather forces concealment.

In Philadelphia, 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 historically required an LTCF or a 6106(b) exemption for any carry of a firearm, rifle, or shotgun on the public streets or public property. The Superior Court declared 6108 unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977 (Pa. Super. 2025). Until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court resolves the issue or the legislature acts, treat Philadelphia public-streets carry as legally unsettled and carry an LTCF if you intend to carry in the city.

Quick-reference penalty grid

Federal context

N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen (2022). Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022), eliminated "proper cause" and "good cause" discretionary CCW frameworks and required states to apply objective issuance criteria. Pennsylvania was already a shall-issue state with objective 6109 criteria, so the decision did not change its licensing standard. Pennsylvania experiences Bruen mainly through its broader historical-tradition test for evaluating later Second Amendment challenges, including the as-applied challenge to 6108 in Sumpter.