This FAQ answers the questions Tennessee carriers and CCW students ask most often. Every answer is grounded in current Tennessee statute or Tennessee...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
This FAQ answers the questions Tennessee carriers and CCW students ask most often. Every answer is grounded in current Tennessee statute or Tennessee Department of Safety guidance, with cross-references to the dedicated section of this guide that covers the topic in full.
No. Tennessee is a permitless ("constitutional") carry state. Under Tenn. Code 39-17-1307(g), any adult age 18 or older who is lawfully in possession of a handgun and is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm may carry it openly or concealed in public without a permit. The 18-and-older threshold was added by Public Chapter 829 in 2024; before that the floor was 21 (and 18 for active-duty or honorably discharged military). Constitutional carry does not exempt you from the place restrictions in Title 39 Chapter 17 Part 13, and it does not provide reciprocity in other states. See the CONSTITUTIONAL_CARRY section.
Four practical reasons. (1) Reciprocity. Many other states recognize a Tennessee Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (Tenn. Code 39-17-1351); fewer recognize the Concealed-only permit (Tenn. Code 39-17-1366); none recognize Tennessee permitless carry. (2) Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(q), carrying within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school is a federal crime, with a carve-out for holders of a state-issued license that required a background check. A Tennessee Enhanced or Concealed-only permit fits that carve-out; constitutional carry alone does not. (3) NICS-qualifying alternative (Enhanced permit only). The ATF's published Brady Permit Chart currently lists Tennessee's Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit as a NICS alternative at a Tennessee FFL counter. The Concealed-only permit is NOT currently on that chart, so a CHCP-only buyer should expect a NICS check. Verify the chart at atf.gov before relying on this. (4) Demonstrating lawful carry on a traffic stop. Producing the permit is the cleanest way to show an officer you are lawfully armed. See PERMIT_BASICS.
Both are issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (Tenn. Code 39-17-1351) costs $100 for an initial 8-year permit, requires 8 hours of in-person training including a live-fire qualification, and covers both open and concealed carry. The Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (Tenn. Code 39-17-1366) costs $65 for an initial 8-year permit, allows a 90-minute online training option with no live-fire requirement, and covers concealed carry only. Reciprocity for the Enhanced permit is broader than for the Concealed-only permit. See PERMIT_BASICS and CONCEALED_CARRY for the full breakdown.
Yes, if you are either a constitutional carrier under Tenn. Code 39-17-1307(g) (age 18 or older and not prohibited) or an Enhanced permit holder under Tenn. Code 39-17-1351. The Concealed Handgun Carry Permit under Tenn. Code 39-17-1366 does not authorize open carry. See OPEN_CARRY.
Yes. Tenn. Code 39-17-1307(g) does not distinguish between open and concealed carry. Constitutional carriers may carry concealed or openly. See CONCEALED_CARRY.
18 for both the Enhanced and the Concealed-only permit, following the federal court decision in Beeler v. Long and the Tennessee legislature's codification of the lower age in Public Chapter 829 (2024). The Tennessee Department of Safety states the minimum age requirement for a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit is 18. Federal law still requires a person to be 21 to purchase a handgun from an FFL under 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1). Long guns (rifles and shotguns) may be purchased from an FFL at age 18 under federal law.
Yes, permanently, under the Lautenberg Amendment, 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(9). A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence (MCDV) - any misdemeanor that has, as an element, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, committed against a current or former spouse, parent, guardian, person with a child in common, cohabitant, or similarly situated person - triggers a federal lifetime firearm-possession bar that is independent of Tennessee law. The federal bar applies even when the state-court conviction did not involve a firearm and even when no firearm-related penalty was imposed at sentencing. The 2024 U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Rahimi reaffirmed that federal firearm disabilities tied to domestic-violence findings remain constitutional.
Online through the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security at https://dl.safety.tn.gov by selecting "Apply for a Permit" under the Handgun Carry Permits section. Original-permit applicants must be fingerprinted to be processed; fingerprinting is performed at any Tennessee Driver Services Center. Tennessee uses a state-issuing model: sheriffs do not issue handgun carry permits.
Processing time varies with application volume. The Tennessee Department of Safety publishes current processing timelines on its Handgun Carry Permit page; check there for the up-to-date estimate before applying. See APPLICATION_PROCESS.
Both permits issue for 8 years on initial application and on renewal. See RENEWAL_PROCESS.
Enhanced permit: $100 initial fee for an 8-year permit ($65 with active military ID or DD-214 listing honorable discharge), and $50 renewal. Concealed-only permit: $65 initial fee for 8 years; $50 renewal. Fingerprint fees and the training course are separate, and fees are non-refundable. See FEES_COSTS.
Online through the Department of Safety portal. The Tennessee Department of Safety states new fingerprinting is not required for renewals, duplicates, upgrading from an 8-year to Lifetime, or upgrading from Concealed to Enhanced. See RENEWAL_PROCESS.
The Tennessee Department of Safety states you can renew a handgun carry permit up to one renewal cycle (8 years) past the expiration date by completing an application and paying the renewal fee. You may not legally carry on the lapsed permit during that gap; the renewal restores your authority once it is issued. After 8 years past expiration the permit cannot be renewed and you must apply as a new applicant. See RENEWAL_PROCESS.
No. Tennessee law makes handgun carry permit records confidential, with narrow law-enforcement exceptions. The Department of Safety treats permit application and holder data as protected, and the NRA-ILA right-to-carry summary for Tennessee notes the confidentiality protection. See APPLICATION_PROCESS for the records side of the process.
Yes, if you are a permit holder, you are not consuming alcohol, and the establishment has not posted a notice prohibiting weapons under Tenn. Code 39-17-1359. The "no consumption" rule for an armed permit holder is in Tenn. Code 39-17-1321, which covers possession of a handgun while under the influence; that rule is statutory and not optional. See PROHIBITED_PLACES and UNDER_INFLUENCE.
No. Tenn. Code 39-17-1309 prohibits firearms on school property, including K-12 schools, school buses, and most areas of a college or university campus. Vehicle stowage in a school parking lot is allowed under Tenn. Code 39-17-1313(c) so long as the firearm is not handled or removed from the vehicle. See PROHIBITED_PLACES.
Generally yes for permit holders, with carve-outs. Tenn. Code 39-17-1311 governs carrying weapons on public parks, playgrounds, civic centers and other public recreational buildings and grounds, and includes specific authorizations for permit holders to carry in parks, though local school athletic events and similar specific venues remain prohibited. Verify any park-specific posted notice. See PROHIBITED_PLACES.
No. 18 U.S.C. 930 makes it a federal offense to possess a firearm in a federal facility, including U.S. Post Office property and its parking lots. See PROHIBITED_PLACES.
Yes, broadly. Tenn. Code 39-17-1313 authorizes any person who lawfully possesses a firearm to transport and store it in a motor vehicle the person owns or controls, openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded. This rule applies whether you have a permit, constitutional-carry status, or neither. See VEHICLE_CARRY.
No. Tenn. Code 39-17-1306 prohibits carrying weapons during judicial proceedings, which covers active courtrooms and the conduct of court business. Public meetings have their own posting and carve-out rules under Tenn. Code 39-17-1359, and county jails and similar secured law-enforcement facilities are off-limits by separate statutory and administrative rule. See PROHIBITED_PLACES.
Yes. Tenn. Code 39-11-611(b) codifies that a person has no duty to retreat before using force, including deadly force, in any place the person has a right to be, so long as the other elements of self-defense are satisfied. See USE_OF_FORCE.
Yes. Tenn. Code 39-11-611(c) establishes a presumption that a person using force intended or likely to cause death or serious bodily injury within a residence, business, dwelling, or vehicle held a reasonable belief of imminent death or serious bodily injury when the force is used against an unlawful, forcible intruder. The presumption is rebuttable and is subject to the exclusions in subsection (d). See CASTLE_DOCTRINE.
Tenn. Code 39-11-622 provides civil and criminal immunity for a person who uses force in justifiable self-defense, defense of others, or defense of habitation. The immunity is not automatic; it must be raised, and the prosecution or plaintiff can rebut it. See USE_OF_FORCE.
No. Tennessee has no statutory duty to inform a peace officer that you are carrying a firearm during a traffic stop or other encounter. If asked directly, do not lie. See DUTY_TO_INFORM.
No. Tenn. Code 39-17-1321 prohibits possession of a handgun while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, and it applies whether you carry as a permit holder or under constitutional carry. A permit holder who consumes alcohol while armed on premises that sell alcohol for on-premises consumption falls squarely within that prohibition. See UNDER_INFLUENCE.
The Enhanced permit travels broadly. The Concealed-only permit travels less. Tennessee permitless carry does not travel. The Tennessee Department of Safety publishes the current reciprocity list at https://www.tn.gov/safety/tnhp/handgun/reciprocity.html. Verify before any out-of-state trip; reciprocity changes by statute, by reciprocity agreement, and by AG opinion. See RECIPROCITY.
Yes, broadly. Under Tenn. Code 39-17-1351(r), a facially valid handgun permit, firearms permit, weapons permit, or license issued by another state is valid in Tennessee according to its terms and is treated as if it were a Tennessee handgun permit, limited to handguns. Tennessee also honors non-resident permits from states that honor the Tennessee permit. A non-resident who is not a Tennessee permit holder may still carry in Tennessee under Tenn. Code 39-17-1307(g) (constitutional carry) if they meet the age-18 threshold, lawfully possess the handgun, and are not otherwise prohibited. The Department of Safety reciprocity page lists the recognized state permits. See RECIPROCITY.
Yes, under 18 U.S.C. 926A (FOPA peaceable journey), so long as you may lawfully possess the firearm at your point of origin and at your destination, the firearm is unloaded, and (in a vehicle without a separate locked compartment) the firearm and ammunition are stored in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Inside Tennessee, the broad vehicle-storage rule in Tenn. Code 39-17-1313 also lets any person who may lawfully possess a firearm keep it in a motor vehicle they own or control. See TRANSPORT.
For purchases at a licensed dealer (FFL), yes. The dealer runs a NICS check through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's TICS system. A current Tennessee Enhanced or Concealed-only permit qualifies under federal regulation as a NICS-check alternative at a Tennessee FFL. See OTHER.
No. Tennessee does not require background checks on private intrastate firearm sales between two Tennessee residents. Federal law still prohibits a sale to a person the seller knows or should know is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 922(d). See OTHER.
No. Tennessee has no state waiting period for firearm purchases.
No. Tennessee has no magazine capacity limit. See OTHER.
No. Tennessee has no Extreme Risk Protection Order or "red-flag" statute. Federal prohibitor categories under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) still apply, including the protective-order category for orders that meet the federal due-process criteria. See RED_FLAG.
There is no general state safe-storage mandate for adults. Tenn. Code 39-17-1320 and related statutes regulate sale and transfer to juveniles, and federal CALEA-style rules can apply to certain federally licensed transfers. See STORAGE.
Yes, with federal compliance. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and machine guns registered under the National Firearms Act and lawfully transferred under ATF rules are legal to possess in Tennessee. Tennessee does not impose additional state-level NFA registration or licensing beyond federal law. See NFA_ITEMS.
No, with narrow exceptions. Tenn. Code 39-17-1314 broadly preempts local firearm ordinances. Political subdivisions may not regulate the use, transfer, transportation, taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms or ammunition. The preemption is one of the strongest in the country. See PREEMPTION.
Posted-notice rules under Tenn. Code 39-17-1359 apply to specific buildings under the place-restriction statutes (judicial proceedings, schools, certain government buildings). A city may post its specific buildings consistent with state authority, but it cannot create a citywide carry ban. See PROHIBITED_PLACES and PREEMPTION.
If you have a permit, give the officer your driver license and (if you choose, or if asked) the permit. Tennessee has no statutory duty to inform, but volunteering the permit can simplify the encounter. Comply with reasonable officer-safety instructions about hand placement. See DUTY_TO_INFORM.
No. Federal law (49 U.S.C. 46505) prohibits carrying a firearm onto a commercial aircraft. Checked, declared, and locked firearms in checked baggage are allowed under TSA rules; the relevant TSA guidance is the operative reference. See TRANSPORT.
You may carry under Tenn. Code 39-17-1307(g) (constitutional carry) if you meet the age and prohibitor criteria. You may also apply for a Tennessee permit. There is no statutory grace period for surrendering an out-of-state permit, but Tennessee's reciprocity list still controls until you obtain a Tennessee permit. See PERMIT_BASICS.
Tennessee issues permits to non-residents who meet the same eligibility criteria as residents. Apply through the Department of Safety online portal. See APPLICATION_PROCESS.
For any question above, the authoritative chain is statute -> agency rule -> AG opinion. Cross-check against Tenn. Code Title 39 Chapter 17 Part 13 on Justia at https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-39/, the Department of Safety Handgun Carry Permit pages at https://www.tn.gov/safety/tnhp/handgun.html, and the Tennessee Attorney General opinions at https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/opinions.html. See RESOURCES.
This page covers one part of our Tennessee concealed carry guide.
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