Virginia's prohibited-places grid is statute-driven, not permit-driven. A Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) gives you the right to carry concealed in...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
Virginia's prohibited-places grid is statute-driven, not permit-driven. A Virginia Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) gives you the right to carry concealed in public. It does not unlock the off-limits list. With one narrow exception (the Va. Code 18.2-287.4 high-capacity configuration restriction in 13 named jurisdictions, which exempts CHP holders), the same off-limits rules apply to open carriers and concealed carriers. Some prohibitions also apply on private property simply by entering after notice.
This section walks through each off-limits location, the controlling statute or regulation, who is exempt, whether signage is required for the prohibition to apply, and the criminal grade. The list runs from highest-penalty (felony, K-12 schools) to administrative (private-property trespass).
For the open-vs-concealed framework that underlies these rules, see the OPEN_CARRY and CONCEALED_CARRY sections.
| Location | Statute / Regulation | Penalty Grade | Signage Required? | CHP Exemption? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K-12 schools, child day centers, preschools (property and buses) | Va. Code 18.2-308.1 | Class 6 felony (firearm); Class 1 misdemeanor (knife/stun) | No | No (limited vehicle carve-out only) |
| Federal Gun-Free School Zone (within 1,000 ft of K-12) | 18 U.S.C. 922(q) | Federal felony, up to 5 years | No | Yes (state-permit holders exempt) |
| Air carrier airport terminals | Va. Code 18.2-287.01 | Class 1 misdemeanor | No | No (limited passenger carve-out) |
| Courthouses | Va. Code 18.2-283.1 | Class 1 misdemeanor | No | No |
| Capitol Square and the surrounding area | Va. Code 18.2-283.2 | Class 1 misdemeanor | Yes | No |
| Buildings owned or leased by the Commonwealth or an agency | Va. Code 18.2-283.2 | Class 1 misdemeanor | Yes | No |
| Offices where state employees are regularly present | Va. Code 18.2-283.2 | Class 1 misdemeanor | Yes | No |
| Places of worship during a religious meeting (no good and sufficient reason) | Va. Code 18.2-283 | Class 4 misdemeanor | No | No (AG opinion treats self-defense as a good and sufficient reason) |
| Polling places (within 40 feet during voting hours) | Va. Code 24.2-604(A)(iv) | Class 1 misdemeanor | Yes (40-foot zone) | No |
| Locality-owned buildings, parks, community centers, permitted events | Va. Code 15.2-915(E) | Set by ordinance | Yes | No |
| Executive branch offices | 1VAC30-105 | Removal / trespass | Yes | No |
| State forest offices (indoor) | 1VAC30-105-40 | Removal / trespass | Yes | No |
| State parks (carry permitted) | AG Op. 08-043; former 4VAC5-30-200 repealed | Not an offense | N/A | N/A |
| Federal facilities (including post offices and federal courthouses) | 18 U.S.C. 930 | Federal misdemeanor (1 year) or felony (5 years) | Yes | No |
| Private property after notice to leave | Va. Code 18.2-119 | Class 1 misdemeanor | No (verbal notice sufficient) | No |
A blank "Signage Required?" entry means the prohibition applies whether or not the location is posted.
Va. Code 18.2-308.1 is Virginia's school-property firearm prohibition. Under subsection B, it is a Class 6 felony to knowingly possess a firearm designed or intended to expel a projectile by action of an explosion of a combustible material while upon:
A Class 6 felony in Virginia is punishable by one to five years, or in the discretion of the jury or court trying the case without a jury, up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Under subsection C, a person who possesses such a firearm within the building of a child day center or preschool, elementary, middle, or high school and intends to use it, attempts to use it, or displays it in a threatening manner is guilty of a Class 6 felony and sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of five years to be served consecutively with any other sentence.
A separate prohibition at subsection A covers stun weapons, certain knives (other than a pocket knife with a folding metal blade less than three inches), and the weapons designated in Va. Code 18.2-308(A) other than firearms, on the same school property. That offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Subsection D limits the child day center and private or religious preschool provisions so that they (i) apply only during the operating hours of the center or preschool and (ii) do not apply to a person whose residence is on the property and who possesses the firearm or other weapon while in his residence. A "child day center" is defined in subsection G as a center defined in Va. Code 22.1-289.02 and licensed under Chapter 14.1 of Title 22.1, and not operated at the residence of the provider or any of the children.
Subsection E applies the exemptions in Va. Code 18.2-308 and 18.2-308.016 to this section, and adds the following carve-outs. The section does not apply to:
The vehicle carve-out for CHP holders is narrow. The permit holder and the handgun must remain in the vehicle. Exiting the car with the firearm onto school grounds removes the exemption and exposes the carrier to the felony.
Layered on top of Va. Code 18.2-308.1 is the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, 18 U.S.C. 922(q), which makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess a firearm that has moved in or affects interstate commerce at a place the person knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a "school zone" (generally within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school). The statute exempts a person licensed to possess the firearm by the state in which the school zone is located, where the state's licensing process requires that law enforcement verify the person is qualified to receive the license. A Virginia CHP qualifies for this federal exemption inside Virginia.
A person open-carrying without a CHP, or a non-resident not licensed by Virginia, has no federal exemption inside the 1,000-foot federal school zone. Federal penalty: up to 5 years imprisonment.
Va. Code 18.2-287.01 makes it unlawful to possess or transport into any air carrier airport terminal in the Commonwealth any (i) gun or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile, (ii) frame, receiver, muffler, silencer, missile, projectile, or ammunition designed for use with a dangerous weapon, or (iii) any other dangerous weapon, including explosives, stun weapons as defined in Va. Code 18.2-308.1, and the weapons specified in Va. Code 18.2-308(A). A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and the weapon is subject to seizure and forfeiture.
The statute expressly preempts any other rule or local ordinance addressing weapons in any airport in the Commonwealth.
The statute exempts an airline passenger who, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, transports a lawful firearm, weapon, or ammunition into or out of the terminal for the sole purpose of:
In practice this means an airline passenger may bring a lawful, declared firearm into the check-in area for the purpose of checking it as baggage. Carrying loaded into the terminal lobby or a terminal coffee shop is not a permitted purpose.
Exempt are police officers, sheriffs, law-enforcement agents or officials, conservation police officers, conservators of the peace employed by the air carrier airport, and retired law-enforcement officers qualified under Va. Code 18.2-308.016(C).
Separate from state law, federal law makes it a felony to carry a concealed deadly or dangerous weapon, or a firearm, on or about your person or accessible property into a sterile (secured) area or aboard an aircraft, under 49 U.S.C. 46505. The TSA checkpoint marks the boundary. The state terminal statute and the federal aircraft statute operate independently.
The statute applies to air carrier airport terminals. Virginia's air carrier airports include Reagan National (Arlington), Washington Dulles International (Chantilly), Richmond International, Norfolk International, Newport News/Williamsburg International, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional, Lynchburg Regional, Charlottesville-Albemarle, and Shenandoah Valley Regional. Reagan National and Dulles are also subject to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority regulations that prohibit dangerous weapons inside terminals where signs are posted.
Va. Code 18.2-283.1 makes it unlawful, as a Class 1 misdemeanor, to possess in or transport into any courthouse in the Commonwealth any (i) gun or other weapon designed or intended to propel a missile or projectile, (ii) frame, receiver, muffler, silencer, missile, projectile, or ammunition designed for use with a dangerous weapon, or (iii) other dangerous weapon, including explosives, stun weapons as defined in Va. Code 18.2-308.1, and the weapons specified in Va. Code 18.2-308(A). The weapon is subject to seizure.
The CHP does not override this prohibition. There is no lockbox or check-your-firearm carve-out in the statute. The firearm must not enter the courthouse at all.
The section does not apply to any police officer, sheriff, law-enforcement agent or official, conservation police officer, conservator of the peace, magistrate, court officer, judge, city or county treasurer, or commissioner or deputy commissioner of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission while in the conduct of such person's official duties.
Va. Code 18.2-283.2 is the broadest state-property off-limits statute. Under subsection B, it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry any firearm (as defined in Va. Code 18.2-308.2:2) or explosive material (as defined in Va. Code 18.2-308.2) within:
The reach extends well beyond the Capitol. A state-agency office building, such as a DMV regional office, a Department of Health office, or a state college administrative office, can fall within clause (iii) or (iv).
Subsection F requires notice to be posted conspicuously along the boundary of Capitol Square and the surrounding area and at the public entrance of each location listed in subsection B. No person may be convicted under subsection B if the notice is not posted at the public entrance, unless the person had actual notice of the prohibition.
The posted-notice (or actual-notice) requirement is therefore an element of the offense for state buildings. Operators should not rely on the absence of a sign; expect signage at any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth.
Subsection D exempts the following while acting in the conduct of their official duties: any law-enforcement officer as defined in Va. Code 9.1-101; any authorized security personnel; any active military personnel; a fire marshal with police powers; and a member of a recognized cadet corps participating in an official ceremonial event for the Commonwealth.
Subsection E narrows the Capitol Square clause so that it does not apply to off-duty State Police officers or qualifying retired State Police officers under Va. Code 18.2-308.016(C). The same subsection narrows the state-building and state-office clauses so they do not apply to off-duty State Police; qualifying retired State Police; qualifying retired law-enforcement officers visiting a gun range owned or leased by the Commonwealth; bail bondsmen acting in their official duties; Department of Corrections or state juvenile correctional facility employees; Department of Conservation and Recreation employees; Department of Wildlife Resources employees authorized to carry on the job; persons exempt under Va. Code 18.2-283.1 entering a courthouse; any property owned or operated by a public institution of higher education; any state park; and any magistrate acting in his official duties.
The public-higher-education and state-park carve-outs matter. Va. Code 18.2-283.2 itself does not prohibit firearms on a public university campus or in a Virginia state park. Those locations are governed separately.
A roadside rest area operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation becomes subject to Va. Code 18.2-283.2 once the carrier enters the visitor building (a building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, if posted or with actual notice). The surrounding grounds (picnic areas, parking) are not buildings under the statute.
Layered on top of Va. Code 18.2-283.2 is the Department of General Services regulation at 1VAC30-105, which restricts the carrying of firearms in offices owned, leased, or controlled by executive branch agencies and requires signs to be posted. The regulation generally excludes parking facilities, recreational lodges, employee housing, interstate rest areas, public hunting lands, and institutions of higher education that maintain their own firearms policy.
The interaction with Va. Code 18.2-283.2 is straightforward. The statute is the criminal prohibition (a Class 1 misdemeanor on a posted state building). 1VAC30-105 is the administrative prohibition at executive-branch sites and triggers removal and trespass exposure.
State forest offices fall under 1VAC30-105-40. The Virginia Department of Forestry's visitor guidance states that no firearms are allowed indoors at any state forest office, whether concealed or open carry, under 1VAC30-105-40.
Virginia state parks are open to lawful firearm carry. A 2008 opinion of the Attorney General (Op. 08-043) concluded that the Department of Conservation and Recreation lacked authority to prohibit open carry in state parks. In 2011, the predecessor regulation 4VAC5-30-200 was directed to cease enforcement and was later repealed. Va. Code 18.2-283.2(E) separately exempts "any state park" from the state-government-building prohibition.
Hunting and trapping rules under Title 4VAC15 still apply within state parks and Wildlife Management Areas, and recreational discharge of a firearm in a state park is generally prohibited under park regulations. The point for instructors: lawful carry of a handgun in a state park is permitted; recreational shooting in a state park outside a designated range is not.
Some Virginia recreational lakes and waterfronts sit on land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Federal regulation 36 CFR 327.13 restricts firearms on Corps-managed property regardless of state law. If you carry into a recreational area on a Corps-managed reservoir, federal regulation controls. Corps property is not always signed, and the boundaries are not always obvious.
Va. Code 24.2-604(A)(iv) makes it unlawful, during the times the polls are open and ballots are being counted, or within one hour of opening or after closing, to knowingly possess any firearm (as defined in Va. Code 18.2-308.2:2) within 40 feet of any building, or part thereof, used as a polling place. Under subsection G, a violation of subsection A is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Subsection B requires the officers of election, before opening the polls, to post in the area within 40 feet of any entrance sufficient notices stating "Prohibited Area" in two-inch type. The notices must also state the provisions of the section in not less than 24-point type and be visible to voters and the public.
Subsection F provides that the firearm-possession clause does not apply to:
The CHP is not an exemption. A CHP holder must disarm before approaching within 40 feet of a polling place during the regulated hours.
Va. Code 18.2-283 makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to carry any gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger, or other dangerous weapon, without good and sufficient reason, to a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held there. A Class 4 misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $250, with no jail.
The statute does not define "good and sufficient reason." A 2011 Virginia Attorney General opinion took the position that carrying a personal firearm for self-defense is a good and sufficient reason for purposes of Va. Code 18.2-283. That opinion is not binding on courts and has not been tested in a reported decision.
The practical instruction: in a Virginia place of worship during a religious meeting, a worshipper carrying for personal protection has a colorable defense under the AG opinion, but the carve-out is not settled. A person attending a non-religious meeting at the same space is outside the statute entirely, because the prohibition reaches only meetings held for religious purposes.
Independent of Va. Code 18.2-283, a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple is private property. The property owner may exclude firearms by posting, by verbal notice, or by policy. Refusing to leave after notice is criminal trespass under Va. Code 18.2-119.
Virginia's firearm-preemption statute, Va. Code 15.2-915, generally bars localities from regulating firearms beyond what statute expressly authorizes. Subsection E is the authorized exception. It allows a locality to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the possession, carrying, or transportation of firearms, ammunition, or components in:
For a building not owned by the locality, the ordinance applies only to the part being used for a governmental purpose while it is being used for that purpose.
The activities of a Senior ROTC program at an institution of higher education, and of intercollegiate or recognized club sports involving firearms at such institutions, are exempt from these ordinances.
Subsection F requires notice of any ordinance adopted under subsection E to be posted at all entrances of covered governmental-purpose buildings, all entrances of covered public parks, all entrances of covered recreation or community center facilities, and at all entrances or other appropriate places of ingress and egress to any street, sidewalk, or right-of-way being used by or adjacent to a permitted event.
Without posted notice, the ordinance does not apply. The locality must post; the carrier must see it or be charged with seeing it.
Va. Code 15.2-915 does not itself set a criminal penalty for violating a subsection E ordinance. The penalty depends on the local ordinance and the authority under which it is adopted. Some localities treat the offense as a Class 1 misdemeanor; others use a lower grade, a civil penalty, or removal from the premises. Check the specific local ordinance before entering any posted locality-owned site. Localities that have adopted subsection E ordinances include several Northern Virginia and urban jurisdictions; the list changes over time, so confirm against the locality's own code.
Subsection A excludes any local or regional jail, juvenile detention facility, or state-governed entity from the preemption framework. Those facilities operate under their own policies and have always been off-limits.
Federal law, 18 U.S.C. 930, prohibits knowingly possessing or causing to be present a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a "federal facility" (a building or part of a building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees are regularly present to perform their official duties). A "federal court facility" is treated more strictly under subsection (e).
A simple violation is a federal misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year. If the person intended the firearm be used in the commission of a crime, the offense is punishable by up to 5 years. Knowing possession in a federal court facility is punishable by up to 2 years.
The CHP does not exempt the carrier from 18 U.S.C. 930.
Subsection (h) provides that no person may be convicted under subsection (a) or (e) unless notice is posted conspicuously at each public entrance, or the person otherwise had actual notice. In practice, federal buildings post; treat all federal facilities as off-limits. Subsection (d) preserves narrow exemptions for official duties and for the lawful carrying of firearms in a federal facility incident to hunting or other lawful purposes.
Virginia's framework for college and university campuses is regulatory, not statutory. Va. Code 18.2-283.2 specifically excludes "any property owned or operated by a public institution of higher education" from its prohibition. A public university's governing board may instead regulate firearms on campus by regulation, which carries the force of law. Most public Virginia universities have enacted regulations restricting firearm carry in campus buildings, dormitories, classrooms, and at events. Each campus differs.
For instructors: a Virginia CHP does not automatically authorize carry on a public university campus. The campus regulation, not the CHP, controls.
Virginia has no statute making hospitals off-limits by their nature. A hospital is private property, and a private hospital, clinic, or medical office may post or otherwise exclude firearms.
Once notice is given (posted, verbal, or written policy on entry), refusal to leave is criminal trespass under Va. Code 18.2-119, a Class 1 misdemeanor. The same rule applies to retail stores, restaurants, offices, and any other private property. Notice can be given by:
A "no firearms" sign at a Virginia retail store is not, by itself, a criminal firearms offense to ignore. The offense is trespass after the carrier has been forbidden to remain. The carrier must leave on request.
Casinos are private property. Virginia's licensed casinos operate under Virginia Lottery regulations and uniformly post against firearm possession. Entry while armed exposes the carrier to trespass under Va. Code 18.2-119 and ejection.
Carry in restaurants and clubs licensed by Virginia ABC is addressed by Va. Code 18.2-308.012(B). Contrary to a common misreading, this statute does not bar a CHP holder from carrying a concealed handgun into an ABC-licensed restaurant or club where alcohol is served for on-premises consumption. What it bars is consuming an alcoholic beverage while carrying a concealed handgun on those premises. A person who carries a concealed handgun onto such premises and consumes an alcoholic beverage is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor (the prohibition does not apply to a law-enforcement officer). Open carry into such a restaurant is not addressed by Va. Code 18.2-308.012 and is governed by private-property posting rules.
Separately, Va. Code 18.2-308.012(A) makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person permitted to carry a concealed handgun to do so in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Conviction revokes the CHP and bars reapplication for five years. See the UNDER_INFLUENCE section for the full rule.
This statute is a place-and-configuration rule rather than a pure off-limits rule, but it belongs in the prohibited-places framework because its geographic scope is fixed by name.
Inside any of 13 specifically named jurisdictions (8 cities and 5 counties), Va. Code 18.2-287.4 makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, public park, or other place open to the public, a loaded:
The named jurisdictions are the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, and Virginia Beach, and the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, and Prince William.
The statute does not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, any person with a valid concealed handgun permit, or any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting at an established range or shooting contest. The exemptions in Va. Code 18.2-308 and 18.2-308.016 also apply.
The statute does not prohibit a standard-capacity handgun (a magazine of 20 or fewer rounds, with no silencer accommodation and no folding stock) inside the 13 named jurisdictions. Read the configuration text carefully. This rule is covered in detail in the OPEN_CARRY section.
Most of the school and child day center prohibitions discussed above include a vehicle carve-out:
See VEHICLE_CARRY for the full framework.
Virginia treats signage inconsistently across the prohibited-places framework. For some statutes, the absence of signage (and of actual notice) is a defense, because notice is an element of the offense:
| Location | Posting (or Actual Notice) Required for Prosecution? |
|---|---|
| K-12 schools, child day centers, preschools (Va. Code 18.2-308.1) | No |
| Air carrier airport terminals (Va. Code 18.2-287.01) | No |
| Courthouses (Va. Code 18.2-283.1) | No |
| Capitol Square and state buildings (Va. Code 18.2-283.2) | Yes (subsection F) |
| Polling places (Va. Code 24.2-604) | Yes (subsection B: officers must post) |
| Places of worship (Va. Code 18.2-283) | No |
| Locality-owned property (Va. Code 15.2-915(E)) | Yes (subsection F: at all entrances) |
| Executive branch offices (1VAC30-105) | Yes (regulation requires signage) |
| Federal facilities (18 U.S.C. 930) | Yes (subsection (h): each public entrance) |
| Private property (trespass under Va. Code 18.2-119) | No (verbal notice sufficient) |
K-12 schools, child day centers, airport terminals, and courthouses are enforceable whether or not the location is posted. Operators should not rely on the absence of a sign in any of those locations.
| Conduct | Statute | Grade | Max Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firearm on school, child day center, or preschool property, bus, or school function | Va. Code 18.2-308.1(B) | Class 6 felony | 1 to 5 years (or up to 12 months and $2,500 at jury/court discretion) |
| Firearm inside school/center building with intent or threatening display | Va. Code 18.2-308.1(C) | Class 6 felony | Mandatory minimum 5 years, consecutive |
| Stun weapon or knife on school property | Va. Code 18.2-308.1(A) | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Firearm in air carrier airport terminal | Va. Code 18.2-287.01 | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Firearm in courthouse | Va. Code 18.2-283.1 | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Firearm in Capitol Square or state-government building (posted or actual notice) | Va. Code 18.2-283.2 | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Weapon at place of worship during religious meeting without good and sufficient reason | Va. Code 18.2-283 | Class 4 misdemeanor | $250 fine |
| Firearm within 40 feet of polling place during regulated hours | Va. Code 24.2-604(A)(iv) | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Firearm in locality-owned building/park/event under ordinance | Va. Code 15.2-915(E) | Set by ordinance | Varies |
| Consuming alcohol while carrying concealed in an ABC-licensed restaurant or club | Va. Code 18.2-308.012(B) | Class 2 misdemeanor | 6 months and $1,000 |
| Carrying concealed in a public place while under the influence | Va. Code 18.2-308.012(A) | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500; CHP revoked |
| Federal facility (post office, federal courthouse, agency office) | 18 U.S.C. 930 | Federal misdemeanor / felony | 1 year (simple); 5 years (intent); 2 years (court facility) |
| Federal Gun-Free School Zone without state-permit exemption | 18 U.S.C. 922(q) | Federal felony | Up to 5 years |
| Trespass on private property after notice | Va. Code 18.2-119 | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
| Loaded covered-configuration firearm in 1 of 13 named jurisdictions (no CHP) | Va. Code 18.2-287.4 | Class 1 misdemeanor | 12 months and $2,500 |
Class 1 misdemeanor: up to 12 months and $2,500. Class 2 misdemeanor: up to 6 months and $1,000. Class 4 misdemeanor: up to $250 fine, no jail. Class 6 felony: 1 to 5 years (or up to 12 months and $2,500 at jury or court discretion).
A Virginia firearm carrier (open or concealed, with or without a CHP) must treat the following as criminally off-limits regardless of permit status:
State parks, Wildlife Management Areas, state forests (outdoors), Department of Wildlife Resources properties, and roadside rest area grounds are not off-limits by statute. Carry into the rest-area building is governed by Va. Code 18.2-283.2 signage rules.
Reading the signs at the entrance, knowing the 13-named-jurisdiction list for Va. Code 18.2-287.4, and respecting notice on private property are the operator's three highest-frequency compliance points. Everything else flows from this grid.
This page covers one part of our Virginia concealed carry guide.
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