Virginia Concealed Carry Laws

The Headline

You may carry a handgun concealed in any public place in Virginia only if you hold a valid Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) issued under Va. Code 18.2-308.02 (residents) or Va. Code 18.2-308.06 (nonresidents), or a permit from a state Virginia recognizes under Va. Code 18.2-308.014. Without a permit, the general prohibition at Va. Code 18.2-308(A) makes concealed carry of a handgun in public a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense, a Class 6 felony for a second conviction, and a Class 5 felony for a third or subsequent conviction.

Virginia is not a permitless concealed-carry state. Open carry of a handgun by a non-prohibited adult is generally lawful without a permit, but concealed carry of a handgun in public requires a CHP.

Two structural rules drive everything else in this section.

1. Va. Code 18.2-308(A) makes "carrying about your person, hidden from common observation," a pistol, revolver, or other firearm a criminal offense.
2. Va. Code 18.2-308(B), (C), and (D) carve out exceptions, and Va. Code 18.2-308.01 carves out CHP holders. Everything you carry concealed under your jacket, in your purse, in a vehicle compartment, or at a shooting range fits into one of those carve-outs or it does not.

The OVERVIEW and PERMIT_BASICS sections walk through the CHP application, fees, training pathways, disqualifiers, and renewal. This section focuses on the operative concealed-carry rules: what "concealed" means, when you can carry concealed without a permit, what the CHP unlocks, how the display-on-demand rule works, what happens inside a vehicle, and the penalty grades for getting it wrong.

What "Concealed" Means in Virginia

Va. Code 18.2-308(A) defines the offense by reference to a weapon "hidden from common observation." The statute itself adds an interpretive rule: a weapon "shall be deemed to be hidden from common observation when it is observable but is of such deceptive appearance as to disguise the weapon's true nature." A handgun fully covered by a jacket is concealed. A handgun in a holster covered by an untucked shirt is concealed. A handgun in a purse, a backpack, or a console compartment is concealed. A handgun disguised as something else (a cell phone, a key fob) is treated as concealed even if it is visible, because of the deceptive-appearance rule.

Virginia has no separate statutory "printing" rule. If clothing prints over a holstered handgun but the handgun itself is not observable through normal observation, the carry remains concealed and lawful for a CHP holder. The statute does not treat the outline of a holster through fabric as un-concealment.

For the difference between concealed carry and open carry, see CONSTITUTIONAL_CARRY. Virginia treats the two as distinct regimes. Open carry of a handgun by a non-prohibited adult is generally lawful without a permit. Concealed carry of a handgun in public requires a CHP.

When You May Carry Concealed Without a Permit

Va. Code 18.2-308 itself lists the situations where the general prohibition does not apply. These are exemptions inside the statute, not separate authority granted by the CHP. Each one has conditions; read them carefully before relying on them.

Subsection B. Place of abode and curtilage. The prohibition does not apply to any person while in his own place of abode or the curtilage thereof. "Curtilage" is the immediate area surrounding the home: porches, attached garages, the fenced yard. Open land beyond the curtilage is not covered.

Subsection C. Operational exemptions. Subject to the alcohol-related limit in Va. Code 18.2-308.012(A), the prohibition does not apply to:

1. Any person while in his own place of business.
2. Any law-enforcement officer, or retired law-enforcement officer under Va. Code 18.2-308.016, wherever such officer may travel in the Commonwealth.
3. Any person who is at, or going to or from, an established shooting range, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported.
4. Any regularly enrolled member of a weapons collecting organization who is at, or going to or from, a bona fide weapons exhibition, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported.
5. Any person carrying such weapons between his place of abode and a place of purchase or repair, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported.
6. Any person actually engaged in lawful hunting, as authorized by the Board of Wildlife Resources, under inclement weather conditions necessitating temporary protection of his firearm from those conditions. The statutory proviso adds that "possession of a handgun while engaged in lawful hunting shall not be construed as hunting with a handgun if the person hunting is carrying a valid concealed handgun permit."
7. Any attorney for the Commonwealth or assistant attorney for the Commonwealth, wherever such attorney may travel in the Commonwealth.
8. Personal, private motor vehicle exemption. Any person who may lawfully possess a firearm and is carrying a handgun while in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel, provided the handgun is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel.
9. Any enrolled participant of a firearms training course who is at, or going to or from, a training location, provided the weapons are unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported.
10. Any judge or justice of the Commonwealth, wherever such judge or justice may travel in the Commonwealth.

Subsection D. Official-duties exemptions. While in the discharge of official duties or in transit to or from those duties, the prohibition also does not apply to:

1. Carriers of the United States mail.
2. Officers or guards of any state correctional institution.
3. Conservators of the peace, except that notaries public, registrars, drivers in charge of a motor-vehicle carrier of passengers for hire, and commissioners in chancery must obtain a CHP.
4. Noncustodial employees of the Department of Corrections designated to carry weapons under Va. Code 53.1-29.

Va. Code 18.2-308(A) also contains a separate affirmative-defense rule: if you are charged under clause (i) of subsection A (carrying a concealed handgun) and you held a valid CHP at the time of the offense, that fact is an affirmative defense. Treat the CHP as your authority to carry concealed in public, not as a blanket immunity from the underlying prohibition.

What the CHP Unlocks

Under Va. Code 18.2-308.01(A), the prohibition in clause (i) of Va. Code 18.2-308(A) (the handgun prohibition) does not apply to a person who has a valid CHP. The permit unlocks concealed carry of a handgun in public places. It does not unlock:

• Possession of a firearm on school property under Va. Code 18.2-308.1. This statute reaches child day centers, preschools, and public, private, or religious K-12 schools, including buildings, grounds, and school buses. Possession of a firearm there is a Class 6 felony. CHP holders have a narrow exception for a concealed handgun while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school.
• Carry inside an air carrier airport terminal building under Va. Code 18.2-287.01. Class 1 misdemeanor.
• Carry inside a courthouse under Va. Code 18.2-283.1. Class 1 misdemeanor.
• Carry within the Capitol of Virginia, Capitol Square and the surrounding area, any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, or any office where Commonwealth employees regularly perform official duties, under Va. Code 18.2-283.2. Class 1 misdemeanor. A conviction under subsection B requires that notice be posted, or that the person had actual notice.
• Carry of a firearm within 40 feet of any building used as a polling place during the times the polls are open and ballots are being counted, or within one hour before opening or after closing, under Va. Code 24.2-604. Class 1 misdemeanor.
• Carry into a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held, without a "good and sufficient reason," under Va. Code 18.2-283. A Virginia Attorney General opinion has stated that carrying for personal protection satisfies the "good and sufficient reason" standard.
• Carry onto private property where the owner has prohibited firearms. Va. Code 18.2-308.01(C) is explicit: "The granting of a concealed handgun permit pursuant to this article shall not thereby authorize the possession of any handgun or other weapon on property or in places where such possession is otherwise prohibited by law or is prohibited by the owner of private property."
• Carry inside a locality-restricted building, park, recreation or community center, or permitted-event area under Va. Code 15.2-915. See the locality discussion below and the PROHIBITED_PLACES section for the current list.

The CHP also does not override federal prohibited-person status under 18 U.S.C. 922(g). A felon, a person subject to a qualifying domestic-violence protective order, a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, or any other federal prohibited person is not lawfully carrying under the CHP even if the permit has not been formally revoked.

Display on Demand

Va. Code 18.2-308.01(A) requires that you have the permit on your person at all times during which you are carrying a concealed handgun. You must display the permit and a photo identification issued by a government agency of the Commonwealth or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. State Department (passport) upon demand by a law-enforcement officer.

The display rule reads differently for a Virginia-issued nonresident permit. Va. Code 18.2-308.01(A) provides that a person to whom a nonresident permit is issued must have the permit on his person at all times when carrying a concealed handgun in the Commonwealth and must display the permit on demand by a law-enforcement officer. By contrast, a holder of an out-of-state permit carrying in Virginia under reciprocity must, under Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A), carry a government-issued photo identification and display both the permit or license and the photo ID upon demand.

There is no separate Virginia statutory duty to inform. The obligation is display upon demand, not unsolicited disclosure. See DUTY_TO_INFORM for the parallel rule at traffic stops.

Failure to display. Under Va. Code 18.2-308.01(B), failure to display the permit and a photo identification upon demand is a $25 civil penalty (not a criminal offense), paid into the state treasury. A court may waive the penalty upon presentation of a valid permit and a government-issued photo identification. Any law-enforcement officer may issue a summons for the civil violation.

Concealed Carry Inside a Motor Vehicle

Vehicle carry comes from two distinct rules.

Without a CHP: the secured-compartment rule. Va. Code 18.2-308(C)(8) lets any person who may lawfully possess a firearm carry a handgun while in a personal, private motor vehicle or vessel, provided the handgun is secured in a container or compartment in the vehicle or vessel. A loaded handgun in a closed glove box or center console satisfies the exemption. A loaded handgun on the passenger seat does not; that is unsecured concealed carry inside the vehicle and falls outside subsection (C)(8).

With a CHP: carry in the vehicle is unrestricted. A CHP holder may carry the handgun loaded, concealed, and on or about the person inside the vehicle. The handgun does not need to be in a container or compartment. The CHP also unlocks the school-property exception under Va. Code 18.2-308.1: a CHP holder may have a concealed handgun in the motor vehicle while in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to a school covered by that statute.

Vehicle transport for the non-permit holder who does not qualify under subsection (C)(8), meaning a handgun owner whose firearm is loose on the seat or carried on the body inside the vehicle, is a Va. Code 18.2-308 violation. Either secure the handgun in a compartment or container, or get a CHP.

The CONSTITUTIONAL_CARRY section addresses the locality-named restriction in Va. Code 18.2-287.4 on carrying certain loaded high-capacity semi-automatic rifles, certain shotguns, and configurations with a folding stock or silencer-ready design in named cities and counties. CHP holders, and persons engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting at an established range or contest, are exempt from that statute. For concealed carry of a standard handgun, Va. Code 18.2-287.4 does not reach the holstered handgun.

Concealed Carry While Under the Influence

Va. Code 18.2-308.012(A) makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person permitted to carry a concealed handgun who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs while carrying such handgun in a public place. Conviction of any of the following offenses is prima facie evidence, subject to rebuttal, that the person is "under the influence":

• Manslaughter under Va. Code 18.2-36.1.
• Maiming under Va. Code 18.2-51.4.
• Driving while intoxicated under Va. Code 18.2-266.
• Public intoxication under Va. Code 18.2-388.
• Driving a commercial vehicle while intoxicated under Va. Code 46.2-341.24.

On conviction, the court shall revoke the permit and promptly notify the issuing circuit court. A person convicted under Va. Code 18.2-308.012(A) is ineligible to apply for a CHP for five years.

Va. Code 18.2-308.012(B) makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for any person who carries a concealed handgun onto the premises of a restaurant or club licensed by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority for on-premises alcohol consumption to consume an alcoholic beverage while on the premises. The provision does not apply to federal, state, or local law-enforcement officers. Carrying concealed in a licensed restaurant is itself lawful for a CHP holder; what is criminal is consuming alcohol while doing so.

The combined rule: in a Virginia restaurant or bar that serves alcohol on premises, you may carry concealed under your CHP, but you cannot drink. If you drink, leave the firearm in the vehicle, secured under Va. Code 18.2-308(C)(8) if you do not have a CHP, or holstered and on your person if you do.

Reciprocity Entry Conditions

Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A) lays out the conditions under which an out-of-state permit authorizes concealed carry in Virginia. A valid concealed handgun or concealed weapon permit or license issued by another state authorizes the holder, who must be at least 21 years of age, to carry concealed in Virginia only if all three of the following are true:

(i) the issuing authority provides the means for instantaneous verification of the validity of all such permits or licenses issued within that state, accessible 24 hours a day if available; (ii) the permit or license holder carries a photo identification issued by a government agency of any state or by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. Department of State and displays the permit or license and such identification upon demand by a law-enforcement officer; and (iii) the permit or license holder has not previously had a Virginia concealed handgun permit revoked.

The Superintendent of State Police enters into reciprocity agreements with states that require an agreement, and the Attorney General executes those agreements where the partner state requires Attorney General sign-off. The current list of states whose permits Virginia recognizes is published by the Virginia State Police and changes over time. See RECIPROCITY for the operational list and the inbound and outbound recognition status.

Three points for travelers:

• Recognition is permit-to-permit. Virginia does not honor permitless concealed carry from constitutional-carry states. A resident of such a state who holds no permit cannot concealed-carry in Virginia.
• A Virginia resident generally must use a Virginia CHP to carry concealed in Virginia, rather than a nonresident permit obtained from another state.
• A holder relying on an out-of-state permit must satisfy all three Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A) conditions while carrying, including the photo-ID-and-display condition.

Locality Restrictions on CHP Carry

Va. Code 15.2-915 allows a locality to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components in (i) a building, or part of a building, owned or used by the locality for governmental purposes; (ii) a public park owned or operated by the locality; (iii) a recreation or community center facility; or (iv) a public street, road, sidewalk, or other right-of-way during a permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a permit. The statute requires the ordinance to apply to all firearms, and it requires notice to be posted at all entrances of the affected location, or the restriction is unenforceable. The state-preemption floor still bars locality-level permit, transfer, or possession requirements outside these authorized categories.

A growing number of Virginia localities have adopted ordinances under this authority. Penalties and the exact covered locations vary by ordinance, and most are charged as a Class 1 misdemeanor with a posting-and-warning mechanism before charging. Because the set of localities and the specific terms change, confirm the current ordinance for any locality before relying on this list. See PROHIBITED_PLACES for the maintained locality table.

Concealed Carry While Hunting or Target Shooting

Va. Code 18.2-308(C)(3), (6), and (9) collectively address shooting ranges, hunting, and training. The general rule for non-permit holders is that weapons must be "unloaded and securely wrapped" while being transported to or from a shooting range, a weapons exhibition, a place of purchase or repair, or a firearms training course. Once at the range or training site, normal operational rules apply.

For hunting under subsection (C)(6), the statute specifies that "possession of a handgun while engaged in lawful hunting shall not be construed as hunting with a handgun if the person hunting is carrying a valid concealed handgun permit." In practice, a CHP holder hunting with a long gun may carry a handgun concealed as a sidearm, and that does not convert the licensed activity into "hunting with a handgun" for other regulatory purposes.

Penalties for Concealed Carry Violations

The second-and-subsequent escalation in Va. Code 18.2-308(A) punishes repeated violation of the concealed-carry prohibition. The first offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor that fits inside the affirmative defense if the person held a CHP at the time. The second and third conviction grades apply where the underlying conduct still falls within the prohibition, meaning no valid CHP and no applicable exemption at the time of carry.

How This Section Fits with Other Carry Rules

The Operative Rule

If you carry a handgun concealed in Virginia, treat the analysis as a three-part test.

1. Are you in a place where Va. Code 18.2-308 applies? Inside your own home or curtilage, you are exempt. Inside your own place of business, you are exempt. Inside a personal, private motor vehicle with the handgun in a container or compartment, you are exempt. Everywhere else in public, the prohibition applies and you need either a CHP or another listed exemption.
2. Do you have authority to carry concealed? A valid Virginia CHP under Va. Code 18.2-308.02, a Virginia nonresident permit under Va. Code 18.2-308.06, or a recognized out-of-state permit meeting the Va. Code 18.2-308.014(A) conditions is the standard route. If you are relying on a Va. Code 18.2-308(C) or (D) exemption, confirm the specific conditions (unloaded and securely wrapped, going to or from a listed activity, official duty).
3. Is the location independently off limits? School property, air carrier airport terminals, courthouses, the Capitol and state buildings, polling places during covered hours, posted private property, and locality-banned venues under Va. Code 15.2-915 all override the CHP. Confirm the location before assuming the permit unlocks the carry.

If you carry under the CHP, keep the permit on your person, keep a government-issued photo ID with the permit, do not consume alcohol while carrying, and display the permit and ID on demand. Failure to display is a $25 civil penalty. Carrying while under the influence is a Class 1 misdemeanor plus a five-year permit bar. Carrying concealed without authority and without an applicable exemption is a Class 1 misdemeanor that escalates to a Class 6 felony on a second conviction and a Class 5 felony on a third.

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. The decision converted formerly may-issue states to shall-issue. Virginia was already shall-issue before Bruen, so the case affects Virginia mainly through its broader text-and-history test for evaluating later Second Amendment claims, not through any change to how the CHP is issued.

Carrying aboard aircraft and in secured airport areas. Bringing a concealed handgun into a TSA security checkpoint or the sterile area of an airport, or aboard an aircraft, is a federal matter governed by 49 U.S.C. 46505, independent of any Virginia CHP. A Virginia permit does not authorize carry past a federal screening checkpoint.

Retired and active law-enforcement carry. A qualified law-enforcement officer or qualified retired law-enforcement officer may carry under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, 18 U.S.C. 926B and 926C, subject to that statute's own conditions. This is a federal authorization and is separate from the Virginia exemptions in Va. Code 18.2-308(C)(2) and 18.2-308.016.