Tennessee is a permitless-carry state and also issues two flavors of handgun carry permits. Since July 1, 2021, any adult who can lawfully possess a...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Tennessee is a permitless-carry state and also issues two flavors of handgun carry permits. Since July 1, 2021, any adult who can lawfully possess a handgun and is lawfully present somewhere may carry it openly or concealed without a permit under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1307(g). The legal age for permitless carry is 21, or 18 with qualifying military service (the Department of Safety separately issues permits to 18-20 year olds as a matter of practice, and has since the Beeler v. Long settlement in 2023).
Even though no permit is required to carry inside Tennessee, most serious carriers still get one. A Tennessee permit is your only practical route to interstate reciprocity, exemption from the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act around K-12 property, and access to certain places (state and national parks, roadside rest areas, refreshment-served restaurants by way of cleaner statutory authority) where permitless carriers face thinner legal cover.
Tennessee offers two civilian permit types. Both are issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Handgun Carry Permit Unit, not by county sheriffs. Both are valid for eight (8) years. Both require fingerprinting at a Driver Services Center (or upload through dl.safety.tn.gov if you have a Real ID compliant Tennessee driver license).
Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (EHCP) under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351:
Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (CHCP) under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1366 (Public Chapter 479, effective January 1, 2020):
Both permits get you the same card-sized credential listing your name, address, date of birth, physical description, photo, permit number, issuance date, and expiration date. You must keep the permit in your immediate possession when carrying in a location or manner that would otherwise be prohibited, and you must display it on a law enforcement officer's demand under those circumstances. Tennessee imposes no statutory duty to volunteer that you are armed during a stop.
You must be a Tennessee resident who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, as defined by Tenn. Code Section 55-50-102. There is a narrow non-resident track for an 8-year Enhanced permit if you hold a current valid handgun permit in your home state and can prove you have been employed in Tennessee at least 30 hours per week for at least six consecutive months.
The statutory minimum age is 21. Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351 sets the floor at 21, except that an applicant who is at least 18 may apply if any of the following applies:
In addition, since the Department of Safety's settlement in Beeler v. Long (2023), the Department issues both EHCPs and CHCPs to applicants 18 to 20 without requiring military status, as a matter of practice in accordance with recent court rulings rather than under the statutory text; a 2025 bill proposed to codify that practice (Fiscal Memorandum 366, 114th General Assembly). The Department's published FAQ now states the minimum age for a Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit is 18.
You must not be prohibited from possessing a firearm under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1307(b), 18 U.S.C. 922(g), or any other state or federal law. Section 39-17-1351(c) requires the application to confirm, under oath, that the applicant:
A signed affirmation that you have read and understand current Tennessee handgun-carry law is also required. Lying on the application is the felony offense of perjury under Tenn. Code Section 39-16-702.
The process is the same for both permits, with the training requirement being the main differentiator:
Fees are non-refundable, and incomplete applications will not be processed. By statute, the Department must act within 90 days of a complete application.
If you move out of Tennessee, the permit is cancelled because residency is a continuing eligibility requirement under Section 39-17-1351 (with the narrow non-resident-employee exception noted above).
For an EHCP, Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351(q)(2)(B) provides that a person who applies for renewal after the expiration date is treated under the ordinary renewal provisions of Section 39-17-1351(q)(1) "unless the permit has been expired for more than eight (8) years," and Section 39-17-1351(q)(2)(C) provides that an applicant whose EHCP "has been expired for more than eight (8) years" is, "for all purposes, considered a new applicant." Section 39-17-1351(m) similarly says no additional handgun safety course is required if the holder applies for renewal "within eight (8) years from the date of expiration." Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351(q)(2)(A) lets you renew beginning six months before the expiration date on the face of the card. If the EHCP expires while a timely renewal is pending, Section 39-17-1351(q)(1) allows continued use of the expired permit until the Department approves or denies the renewal, provided you can show a receipt for the renewal application fee delivered to the Department before expiration. The renewal fee is $50. For the CHCP, Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1366(j) sets out the same six-month-before-expiration filing window, the same $50 renewal fee, and the same right to continue using an expired permit pending the Department's decision; the CHCP statute does not codify an explicit post-expiration grace period, so a CHCP holder whose permit has lapsed should consult the Department of Safety and the APPLICATION_PROCESS section before assuming renewal eligibility.
Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1307(g) provides a statutory exception to the carry-with-intent-to-go-armed offense. To rely on it, you must:
The state attorney general has emphasized that permitless carry under Section 39-17-1307(g) does not exempt the carrier from the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) on or within 1,000 feet of K-12 grounds. A Tennessee EHCP or CHCP, as a state-issued permit involving a background check, qualifies the holder for the GFSZA's licensed-by-the-state exemption. Permitless carriers do not have that exemption and risk federal prosecution near schools unless one of the GFSZA's other exceptions (locked container in a vehicle, unloaded, etc.) applies. This is the single biggest practical reason a regular constitutional carrier should consider getting a permit anyway.
Permit holders and permitless carriers face the same state place restrictions: judicial proceedings, school grounds (with narrow EHCP carve-outs for some properties), public meetings of a governmental entity (subject to posted notice rules), most courthouses, places that have posted compliant "no firearms" signs, and others addressed in the dedicated prohibited-places section.
Permit-holder records held by the Department of Safety are not open public records. Tenn. Code Section 10-7-504(o)(1) makes the following "confidential, not open or available for public inspection" and provides they "shall not be released in any manner": (A) all information in any handgun carry permit application (including under Section 39-17-1351, Section 39-17-1365, or Section 39-17-1366), (B) information provided to or obtained by any state or federal agency in the course of investigating an applicant, and (C) any records relating to issuance, renewal, expiration, suspension, or revocation of a permit, or the result of any criminal history record check. Tenn. Code Section 10-7-504(o)(2) allows release to law enforcement for an investigation, prosecution, or validity check, or to a child support enforcement agency, but bars public disclosure outside criminal or child support proceedings. Tenn. Code Section 10-7-504(o)(3) lets a requester ask the Department to confirm whether a named person has a current Tennessee permit only if the request is supported by a judgment of conviction, criminal history report, order of protection, or similar official record indicating the named person is not eligible. Tenn. Code Section 10-7-504(o)(4) preserves release of the aggregate statistical reports authorized by Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351(s) (issuances, denials, revocations, suspensions by age, gender, and ZIP code; program cost and revenue; violations; average processing time; plus statistics on incidents involving permit holders arrested for any offense).
| Topic | Enhanced (EHCP) | Concealed-only (CHCP) | Permitless |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statute | Tenn. Code Sec. 39-17-1351 | Tenn. Code Sec. 39-17-1366 | Tenn. Code Sec. 39-17-1307(g) |
| Open carry allowed | Yes | No | Yes |
| Concealed carry allowed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum age | 21, or 18 with qualifying military service (DOS issues to 18-20 by practice) | 21, or 18 with qualifying military service (DOS issues to 18-20 by practice) | 21, or 18 with qualifying military service |
| Application fee | $100 ($65 military) | $65 | n/a |
| Lifetime option | Yes, $300 ($265 military; free retired LEO) | No | n/a |
| Term | 8 years | 8 years | n/a |
| Renewal fee | $50 | $50 | n/a |
| Required training | 8-hour in-person handgun safety course | Department-approved course, statutory floor not less than 90 minutes (online/video accepted) or qualifying alternative | None |
| Background check | TBI + FBI; name-based recheck every 5 years (8-year and Lifetime) | TBI + FBI; name-based recheck every 4 years | None |
| Issuing agency | TN Dept. of Safety & Homeland Security | TN Dept. of Safety & Homeland Security | n/a |
| Federal GFSZA exemption (1,000 ft of K-12) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Carry into TN K-12 / universities | Limited; statutory carve-outs only | Prohibited | Prohibited |
| Out-of-state reciprocity | Broad | Narrower | Limited (only states that recognize permitless carriage) |
| Tennessee residency required | Yes (narrow non-resident employee track) | Yes | n/a |
The bottom line: even after constitutional carry, the Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit remains the strongest single credential a Tennessee carrier can hold. It costs $100 and an 8-hour class. It gets you interstate reciprocity, the GFSZA exemption, and the clean statutory authority for state and national park carry. It does not, however, let you skip the NICS check when buying a firearm from a Tennessee dealer; ATF treats neither Tennessee permit as a NICS-check alternative because state law requires a background check at every licensed-dealer sale. The Concealed-only permit is a cheaper, online-trainable middle ground for carriers who do not need broader reciprocity and never want to open carry. Permitless carry is real and lawful inside Tennessee, but it leaves you exposed near schools and offers no portability across state lines.
This page covers one part of our Tennessee concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Tennessee 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.