If you are 21 or older and can lawfully possess a firearm, you may carry a loaded firearm concealed in Utah without a permit. That rule lives in Utah...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
If you are 21 or older and can lawfully possess a firearm, you may carry a loaded firearm concealed in Utah without a permit. That rule lives in Utah Code 53-5a-102.2, and it applies on public streets and anywhere else not closed to firearms by state statute or federal law. Utah still issues concealed firearm permits, and a permit is worth having, because it unlocks places permitless carry does not reach.
This reflects the firearm code as reorganized by the 2025 recodification (Chapters 173 and 208, 2025 General Session, effective May 7, 2025) and amended in 2026. Permits and the Bureau of Criminal Identification sit in Title 53, Chapter 5a. The offenses sit in Title 76, Chapter 11.
Utah Code 53-5a-101.5 defines a concealed firearm as one covered, hidden, or secreted so the public would not be aware of its presence, and readily accessible for immediate use. An unloaded, securely encased firearm is not a concealed firearm.
Utah Code 76-11-201 fills in both terms. A firearm is readily accessible if it is on your person, or close enough and positioned so you can retrieve and use it as fast as if it were. A securely encased firearm is not: a gun rack, a closed case or container whether locked or not, or a vehicle trunk or other storage area. A glove box or console box does not qualify unless the firearm is also in a holster or case covering the trigger. Under Utah Code 76-11-102, a firearm is loaded when an unexpended cartridge, shell, or projectile is in the firing position, and a handgun counts as loaded when one manual operation would fire the round.
21 and older. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(1)(b) lets you open or conceal carry a loaded or unloaded firearm on a public street or anywhere else not prohibited by statute or federal law, and lets you carry a loaded or unloaded handgun in a vehicle you are lawfully present in, all without a permit.
18, 19, and 20 with no permit. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(1)(a) limits you to open carry, and only of an unloaded firearm on a public street or another lawful public place. In a vehicle you are lawfully present in, you may have an unloaded long gun or an unloaded or loaded handgun.
Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(2)(a) then closes seven categories of place to that carrier in any manner, open or concealed: a posted secure area under 76-8-311.1, K-12 school premises, an institution of higher education, a daycare, an airport secure area, a house of worship or private residence where dangerous weapons are prohibited, and any other place prohibited by statute or federal law.
Two offenses enforce the age limit. Utah Code 76-11-202 makes it unlawful carrying of a concealed firearm by an individual under 21 to conceal a readily accessible firearm away from your residence, your real property, a vehicle you are lawfully present in, or a business under your control, unless you hold a Utah provisional permit or an out-of-state permit. It is a class B misdemeanor, a class A misdemeanor if the firearm was loaded, and a second degree felony if the firearm was used in a violent felony you were a party to. Utah Code 76-11-220 makes carrying a loaded firearm on a public street by an 18 to 20 year old a class B misdemeanor, excepting provisional permit holders.
Permitless carry and a permit both depend on lawfully being able to possess a firearm. Utah Code 76-11-302 and 76-11-303 draw two categories of restricted person, subject to the exceptions in Utah Code 76-11-304.
Category I under Utah Code 76-11-302 covers a violent felony conviction, probation or parole for a felony, parole from secure care, the 10 years after a juvenile adjudication for violent felony conduct, unlawful presence in the United States as an alien, and probation for possessing a Schedule I or II controlled substance. Under Utah Code 76-11-305 that person commits a second degree felony for possessing a firearm and a third degree felony for another dangerous weapon.
Category II under Utah Code 76-11-303 covers a felony domestic violence conviction, multiple felonies outside a single criminal episode, seven year windows after other felony sentences and after felony-grade delinquency adjudications, unlawful use of a controlled substance, an insanity or incompetency finding on a felony, an adjudication as mentally defective, commitment to a mental institution, a dishonorable discharge, renunciation of citizenship, and certain protective orders entered after a hearing. It also covers a conviction for misdemeanor assault or aggravated assault against a spouse, parent or guardian, co-parent, current or former cohabitant, someone the person dated within the five years before the offense, or someone similarly situated. That five year window describes the dating relationship, not the conviction: Utah Code 76-11-303(13) puts no expiration date on the conviction itself. The parallel offense in Utah Code 76-11-306 is a third degree felony if the weapon is a firearm and a class A misdemeanor otherwise.
Utah Code 76-11-101 defines a dangerous weapon as a firearm or an object capable of causing death or serious bodily injury in the manner of its use or intended use.
A permit issued under Utah Code 53-5a-303 goes to applicants 21 and older, must issue within 60 days absent proof of disqualification, and is valid statewide for five years. Utah Code 53-5a-304 authorizes a provisional permit for applicants 18 but younger than 21, valid until the holder turns 21. Utah Code 53-5a-305 authorizes a temporary permit for an applicant who has already applied under 53-5a-303 and shows extenuating circumstances in writing, valid for at most 90 days.
The payoff is in the location rules. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(2) sets a different closed list for each group, and the list for an 18 to 20 year old without a permit is the one above.
| Place | No permit, 21+ | Permit under 53-5a-303 |
|---|---|---|
| Public street, most public places | Concealed allowed | Concealed allowed |
| K-12 school premises | Closed | Concealed allowed |
| Institution of higher education | Concealed only; open carry only when responding to an active threat | Same |
| Daycare premises | Closed | Allowed |
| Posted secure area under 76-8-311.1 | Closed | Closed |
| Airport secure area | Closed | Closed |
| House of worship or residence that bans firearms | Closed | Closed |
An 18 to 20 year old holding a Utah provisional permit still may not carry on K-12 school premises in any manner, under Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(2)(d)(i).
Utah Code 76-11-205 makes carrying a dangerous weapon on or about elementary or secondary school premises a class B misdemeanor, or a class A misdemeanor if the weapon is a firearm. Its exception list reaches a permit holder 21 or older carrying concealed under 53-5a-303 or 53-5a-305, or carrying openly while lawfully responding to an active threat under Utah Code 76-2-402, 76-2-405, or 76-2-407. It does not reach permitless carriers, provisional permit holders, or out-of-state permit holders. Utah Code 76-11-205.5 reaches only open carry at an institution of higher education and grades it a class C misdemeanor, so concealed carry on campus stays lawful for a permit holder or a carrier 21 or older, though not for an 18 to 20 year old without a permit. Open carry there is excepted for a carrier lawfully responding to an active threat under those same three sections, as is inadvertent exposure of a lawfully concealed firearm. Utah Code 76-11-206 makes carrying a dangerous weapon at a daycare a class B misdemeanor, or a class A misdemeanor if it is a firearm, excepting Utah standard, provisional, and temporary permit holders.
A permit does not open a posted secure area under Utah Code 76-8-311.1. Subsection (2)(a) lets the State Tax Commission or a correctional, law enforcement, or mental health facility establish one, and subsection (2)(b) extends the section to a secure area established by the Judicial Council under Utah Code 78A-2-203, which covers courthouse secure areas, and to a higher education secure area hearing room under Utah Code 53H-3-902. Utah Code 53-5a-107 says a permit holder and a permitless carrier alike must comply with the facility's rule, and 76-8-311.1(5)(a) points to Utah Code 76-8-311.2 for the penalty. The entity must post notice at each entrance and provide secure storage so you can stow the firearm first.
Airport secure areas stay closed to permit holders. Utah Code 76-11-218 makes intentional or knowing possession of a dangerous weapon inside an established airport secure area a class A misdemeanor, and reckless or criminally negligent possession an infraction.
Private control still governs, with one limit. Utah Code 76-11-219 makes it trespass with a firearm, an infraction, to knowingly and intentionally bring a firearm into a house of worship or private residence after notice, which can be personal, posted signs, a congregational announcement, a bulletin, or newspaper publication. Published notice lapses after one year unless renewed. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(3) preserves a vehicle owner's right to bar another individual from carrying in the vehicle and a private property owner's or lessee's right to bar another individual from possessing a firearm on the property, except as provided in Utah Code 53-5a-102.3. That exception matters to renters. Unless you are a restricted person under 76-11-302, 76-11-303, or 18 U.S.C. 922(g), or otherwise prohibited by law, 53-5a-102.3 says an individual 18 or older may have, and cannot be restricted from having, a loaded or unloaded firearm at the individual's residence or real property, including a residence the individual has the lawful right to rent or lease.
Utah Code 76-11-204 makes it a class B misdemeanor for an adult to carry a readily accessible firearm in a vehicle the actor is not lawfully present in, or to carry a loaded rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading rifle in any vehicle. You are lawfully present if the vehicle is in your lawful possession or the person lawfully in possession consented to the firearm. Permit holders and out-of-state permit holders are excepted entirely.
Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(1)(c) treats a permit lawfully issued by or in another state as sufficient to open or conceal carry a loaded or unloaded firearm in a vehicle, on a public street, or anywhere not otherwise closed. BCI states the same rule on its reciprocity page. One carve-out matters: under 53-5a-102.2(2)(d)(ii), someone carrying on an out-of-state permit alone may not carry on K-12 school or daycare premises. Utah's standard and provisional permits are recognized separately by other states, so check the destination state's status with BCI before traveling.
Utah Code 76-11-217 makes carrying a readily accessible dangerous weapon while under the influence a class B misdemeanor. The threshold is the driving one in Utah Code 41-6a-502(1)(a) through (c): a blood or breath alcohol concentration of .05 grams or greater, or influence of alcohol or any drug to a degree that renders you incapable of safe operation. A controlled substance under Utah Code 58-37-101 also triggers it. Subsection (4) carves out force used in compliance with Utah Code 76-2-402, carrying in your own residence or another with the occupant's consent, cannabis use complying with Title 26B, Chapter 4, Part 2, and a controlled substance taken under a valid prescription as prescribed where you are then not a danger or can safely handle the weapon, per 76-11-217(4)(d)(iii). Subsection (5) is the trap: it is not a defense that you hold a permit under 53-5a-303, 53-5a-304, or 53-5a-305, that you hold an out-of-state permit, or that you are 21 or older and could otherwise carry concealed without one. Utah Code 53-5a-108(3) applies the section even to most individuals otherwise exempt from the weapons laws.
Utah Code 76-11-207 makes drawing or exhibiting a dangerous weapon in an angry and threatening manner before two or more individuals, or unlawfully using one in a fight, a class A misdemeanor, subject to the justifications in Utah Code 76-2-402. Giving false information on a permit application knowingly and willfully is a class B misdemeanor under Utah Code 53-5a-303(15).
Utah Code 53-5a-102 reserves firearm regulation to the Legislature and bars local and state governmental entities from requiring a permit or license to possess, transport, or keep a firearm, enforced through Title 78B, Chapter 6, Part 23. Utah Code 53-5a-103.5 lets a governmental entity prohibit firearms inside a homeless shelter it controls, but not on the grounds outside.
The recodified sections disagree about which permit is which. Utah Code 53-5a-304 is titled the provisional permit and 53-5a-305 the temporary permit, and 76-11-202, 76-11-206, and 76-11-217(5) use those labels. But 53-5a-102.2(1)(a), 53-5a-102.2(1)(c), 76-11-204(6), and 76-11-220(4) attach the opposite names. For an 18 to 20 year old the only workable reading is the section titles, because a temporary permit under 53-5a-305 presupposes an application under 53-5a-303, which is limited to applicants 21 and older. Confirm with BCI before relying on 76-11-220(4).
Utah's firearm code does not impose a general requirement to volunteer that you are armed during a police encounter, and nothing in Title 53, Chapter 5a, Part 3 or Title 76, Chapter 11, Part 2 creates one. If an officer asks, answer truthfully, and check with BCI for the agency's current position.
This page covers one part of our Utah concealed carry guide.
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