Utah honors a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in any other state. There is no approved list, no residency test, and no agreement Utah has...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Utah honors a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in any other state. There is no approved list, no residency test, and no agreement Utah has to sign first. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2(1)(c) puts an out-of-state permit alongside a Utah permit in the same sentence, and the Bureau of Criminal Identification restates it without qualification: "Utah will honor a permit to carry a concealed firearm issued by any other state or county."
Two things complicate that answer. At 21 or older the permit buys you little, because Utah does not require one. And at schools and daycares an out-of-state permit is worth measurably less than a Utah one.
Under 53-5a-102.2(1)(c), an individual 18 or older who may otherwise lawfully possess firearms and holds a permit under Section 53-5a-303, 53-5a-304, or 53-5a-305, or "a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in another state," may carry openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, in a vehicle in which the individual is lawfully present, on a public street, or anywhere else not prohibited by state statute or federal law.
The statute uses "by or in another state" without defining it, and BCI describes what Utah honors as a permit "issued by any other state or county." Neither construes the phrase, so treat a county-issued permit as unsettled and confirm it with BCI.
Read what is missing. Utah imposes no residency match, so a Florida permit held by a Georgia resident is recognized here. There is no permit-class test, no training standard, no issue-date cutoff. The permit only has to be lawfully issued and current. Recognition is not confined to one section: 76-11-202(2)(b) and 76-11-204(6) carry the same phrase and give it real effect.
Utah does not require a permit to carry. Under 53-5a-102.2(1)(b), an individual 21 or older who may otherwise lawfully possess firearms may carry openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, on a public street and anywhere else not prohibited by state statute or federal law. In a vehicle the individual is lawfully present in, the same subsection allows a loaded or unloaded handgun, but a rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading rifle only unloaded, per 53-5a-102.2(1)(b)(ii) and (iii).
Compare the restriction lists and the gap is small. Subsection (2)(b) keeps a permitless carrier out of posted secure areas, K-12 and daycare premises, airport secure areas, and houses of worship or private residences where firearms are prohibited, and bars open carry at a higher education institution. Subsections (2)(c) and (2)(d)(ii) put an out-of-state permit holder in the same position at all of them.
One difference is worth the trip. Under 76-11-204(2)(a) and (2)(b)(ii), an actor 18 or older carrying a loaded rifle, shotgun, or muzzle-loading rifle in any vehicle commits unlawfully carrying a firearm in a vehicle, graded a class B misdemeanor by 76-11-204(3). Subsection (6) exempts a holder of a Utah permit or "a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in another state." Without a permit, that loaded long gun in the truck is an offense.
Here Utah draws a line between its permits and everyone else's. Under 53-5a-102.2(2)(d)(ii), an individual with only a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in another state may not carry a firearm in any manner on or about the premises of a public or private elementary or secondary school under Section 76-11-205, or of a daycare under Section 76-11-206.
The two offense sections agree. The permit exceptions in 76-11-205(4) cover an actor 21 or older carrying concealed under a 53-5a-303 or 53-5a-305 permit, and those in 76-11-206(4) cover permits under 53-5a-303, 53-5a-304, and 53-5a-305. Neither list mentions an out-of-state permit. The lists are not limited to permits, though. Sections 76-11-205(4)(a) and 76-11-206(4)(a) also lift the offense for an individual exempt under Section 53-5a-108, which includes "a peace officer of any jurisdiction," so an out-of-state officer has a route that needs no permit. Section 53-5a-108(3) keeps 76-11-217, carrying under the influence, applicable to a listed individual not employed by an agency with a dangerous weapons policy.
Carrying a dangerous weapon on or about school premises is a class B misdemeanor if the weapon is not a firearm and a class A misdemeanor if it is, under 76-11-205(3); 76-11-206(3) grades daycare premises identically.
The workaround is the vehicle. Section 76-11-205(4)(h) does not apply the school offense to an actor carrying the weapon in a vehicle lawfully under the actor's control, other than a school vehicle or one used to transport students, and 76-11-206(4)(h) says the same for daycares.
Federal law does not follow Utah here, and it reaches farther. Under 18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(A) it is unlawful to knowingly possess a firearm that has moved in or affects interstate commerce in a school zone, a federal offense whose penalty sits in 18 U.S.C. 924, which 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(26)(B) extends to within 1,000 feet of school grounds. The license exemption at 922(q)(2)(B)(ii) runs only to an individual "licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located or a political subdivision of the State," so an out-of-state permit fails it. The federal vehicle exemption is narrower than Utah's: 922(q)(2)(B)(iii) covers a firearm "not loaded" and "in a locked container, or a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle."
Here the out-of-state permit does real work. Utah Code 76-11-202(2)(b) makes it an element of unlawful carrying of a concealed firearm by an individual under 21 that the actor "does not have a provisional concealed carry permit issued in accordance with Section 53-5a-304 or a concealed carry permit lawfully issued by or in another state." A valid one defeats the element.
The exposure without one is real: a class B misdemeanor under 76-11-202(3)(a), a class A misdemeanor if the firearm was loaded, and a second degree felony if it was used in a violent felony to which the actor was a party.
One point is genuinely unsettled. Section 76-11-220(2) makes it an offense for an actor 18 to 20 to carry a loaded firearm on a public street, graded a class B misdemeanor by 76-11-220(3), and (4) lifts the section only for a holder of a Utah provisional permit. It does not name out-of-state permits, while 53-5a-102.2(1)(c) says an 18-year-old with one may carry loaded on a public street. If you are 18 to 20 and traveling on another state's permit, call BCI before you carry loaded on foot.
Section 53-5a-102(1) declares that the Legislature "occupies the whole field of state regulation of firearms," and (3) makes Title 53, Chapter 5a, Part 1 and Title 76, Chapter 11 "uniformly applicable throughout the state and in all the political subdivisions of the state." Subsection (5) bars a local or state entity from enforcing a firearms directive absent specific legislative authorization. A visitor need not check city ordinances.
Utah issues three permits by statute: the concealed firearm permit under 53-5a-303, the provisional permit under 53-5a-304 for applicants 18 to 20, and the temporary permit under 53-5a-305, valid at most 90 days on a showing of extenuating circumstances. Several sections swap those last two adjectives when cross-referencing them, so track the section number, not the label. BCI's recognition table covers only the first two, calling them a "Standard" permit for holders 21 and over and a "Provisional" permit for 18 to 20 year olds. The lists below reflect that table as it stood on August 12, 2026. Recognition is the other state's decision, so it can change without any act of the Utah Legislature. BCI publishes the current table at https://bci.utah.gov/concealed-firearm/reciprocity-with-other-states/, and the state you are traveling to is the authority on whether it honors a Utah permit today.
BCI warns that "there are some states that will only accept the Utah concealed firearm permit so long as the permit holder is a resident of Utah," which is the residency condition Utah itself declines to impose, and that it is the holder's own responsibility to know the firearm laws of any state visited. Section 53-5a-304(6) puts that burden in statute for provisional holders: the holder "must meet the eligibility requirements of another state, including age requirements, to carry a concealed firearm in that state."
A permit issued under 53-5a-303 is valid throughout Utah for five years, without restriction except as provided by 53-5a-102.2, per 53-5a-303(1)(c). Non-residents may hold one, subject to a condition. Under 53-5a-303(4)(a), a non-resident applicant who resides in a state that recognizes the validity of the Utah permit, or has reciprocity with Utah's permit law, must hold a current concealed firearm or concealed weapon permit from the permitting authority of the applicant's state of residency and submit a copy with the application. Section 53-5a-303(4)(c) applies that condition to every issuance application and to non-resident renewals. BCI adds the tiebreaker: "You are considered a resident of whichever state issued your ID," and confirms that if your state does not recognize the Utah permit, the condition does not apply.
Do not read the condition off the BCI table's home-permit columns. Those are BCI's own administrative encoding and do not track the statute row for row: eleven states whose Recognition Status is "Both" are marked as not requiring a home permit for the Provisional, and Vermont is marked that way for the Standard, although 53-5a-303(4)(a) and 53-5a-304(3)(a) would require one from a resident of a recognizing state. Work from the statute and ask BCI about your state.
Three further points. Section 53-5a-303(4)(b) bars an applicant who knowingly and willfully provides false information under (4)(a) from a Utah concealed firearm permit for 10 years, and 53-5a-304(3)(b) extends the same 10-year bar to a Utah permit of any kind on the provisional application. Section 53-5a-303(1)(d) exempts from (4)(a) a non-resident active duty service member presenting orders to report for duty in Utah, and a spouse stationed with them presenting the same orders; 53-5a-312 exempts a servicemember who already holds a Utah permit at renewal. For an 18 to 20 year old non-resident, 53-5a-304(3)(a) requires a "current applicable" home-state permit, and whether a state that issues no permit under 21 leaves nothing "applicable" is a question for BCI.
| Citation | Subject |
|---|---|
| 53-5a-102.2(1)(b), (1)(c) | Permitless carry at 21 or older; out-of-state recognition |
| 53-5a-102.2(2)(d)(ii), (3) | School and daycare bar; private property |
| 53-5a-108 | Exempt individuals, including any peace officer |
| 18 U.S.C. 922(q), 921(a)(26)(B) | Federal school zone rule and license condition |
| 76-11-205, 76-11-206 | School and daycare offenses |
| 76-11-202, 76-11-220 | Under-21 carry offenses |
| 76-11-204 | Vehicle carry; loaded long gun exemption |
| 76-11-217, 76-11-218, 76-11-219, 76-11-205.5 | Under the influence; airports; worship; higher education |
| 53-5a-303(4), 53-5a-304(3), 53-5a-312 | Non-resident condition; military exemptions |
| 53-5a-102, 53-5a-107, 76-8-311.1 | Uniformity; posted secure areas |
Utah asks no questions about your permit. Its schools and daycares ask exactly one, and an out-of-state permit gives the wrong answer.
This page covers one part of our Utah concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Utah 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.