Washington State Concealed Carry Laws

Overview

Washington requires a license to carry a pistol concealed. It is not a permitless ("constitutional") concealed-carry state. Under RCW 9.41.050(1)(a), a person may not carry a pistol concealed on their person, except in their place of abode or fixed place of business, without a license to carry a concealed pistol. The Concealed Pistol License (CPL) is governed by RCW 9.41.070 and the rest of Chapter 9.41 RCW (Firearms and Dangerous Weapons).

A CPL applies only to pistols. RCW 9.41.010(36) defines a "pistol" as any firearm with a barrel less than 16 inches in length, or one designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand. Washington does not issue concealed carry licenses for long guns or other firearm types.

Open carry of a pistol is generally lawful in Washington without a license for a person who may lawfully possess the firearm, subject to the restrictions described below. A license is required specifically for concealed carry and for carrying a loaded pistol in a vehicle.

When a License Is Required

Under RCW 9.41.050:

• A person may not carry a pistol concealed on their person without a CPL, except in their place of abode or fixed place of business (subsection (1)(a)).
• A person may not carry or place a loaded pistol in any vehicle unless the person has a CPL and the pistol is on the licensee's person, the licensee is within the vehicle, or the pistol is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside. A violation is a misdemeanor (subsection (2)(b)).
• A person at least 18 years old may not leave an unloaded pistol in a vehicle unless it is locked within the vehicle and concealed from view from outside. A violation is a misdemeanor (subsection (3)).

A licensee must have the CPL in immediate possession whenever required to have it and must display it on demand to a police officer or other person when required by law. A violation of that possession-and-display requirement is a class 1 civil infraction under chapter 7.80 RCW (RCW 9.41.050(1)(b)). Carrying a pistol concealed without a CPL in violation of RCW 9.41.050(1)(a) is a criminal offense; absent a specific grade in the statute, chapter 9.41 violations are generally punishable under the chapter's general penalty provision, RCW 9.41.810.

Exceptions to the License Requirement

RCW 9.41.060 lists persons to whom the carrying restrictions of RCW 9.41.050 do not apply, including:

• Marshals, sheriffs, jail or prison wardens and their deputies, corrections and community corrections personnel, and other law enforcement officers of this or another state (subject to the training and background-check conditions in the statute)
• Members of the U.S. armed forces, national guard, or organized reserves when on duty
• Officers or employees of the United States authorized to carry a concealed pistol
• Persons in the business of manufacturing, repairing, or dealing in firearms, and their agents, carrying a pistol in the ordinary course of that business
• Members of organizations authorized to purchase or receive pistols from the United States or this state
• Members of target-shooting clubs while at, or going to or from, target practice, and members of firearm-collecting clubs while at, or going to or from, gun shows and exhibits
• Any person engaging in a lawful outdoor recreational activity such as hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, or horseback riding, if, considering all the attendant circumstances (including whether the person has a valid hunting or fishing license), it is reasonable to conclude the person is participating in or traveling to or from a legitimate outdoor recreation activity (RCW 9.41.060(8))
• Any person carrying a pistol unloaded and in a closed opaque case or secure wrapper (RCW 9.41.060(9))
• Law enforcement officers retired for service or physical disability who meet the documentation conditions in RCW 9.41.060(10)

Concealed Pistol License (CPL)

Issuing Authority and Term

RCW 9.41.070 directs the chief of police of a municipality or the sheriff of a county to issue a CPL within 30 days after an application is filed, valid for 5 years from the date of issue. If the applicant does not have a valid permanent Washington driver's license or state identification card, or has not been a resident of the state for the previous consecutive 90 days, the issuing authority has up to 60 days to issue the license. Washington is a shall-issue state: the application must be granted unless a statutory disqualifier applies.

Where to Apply

Under RCW 9.41.070(13) (renumbered (11) in the version effective May 1, 2027), a person may apply:

• To the municipality or county in which the applicant resides, if the applicant lives in a municipality
• To the county in which the applicant resides, if the applicant lives in an unincorporated area
• Anywhere in the state, if the applicant is a nonresident

A background check for an original license is conducted through the Washington State Patrol criminal identification section and includes a national fingerprint-based check by the FBI (RCW 9.41.070(2)(d)).

Disqualifiers

Under RCW 9.41.070(1), the application must be denied if the applicant:

• Is ineligible to possess a firearm under RCW 9.41.040 or RCW 9.41.045, or is prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law
• Has a CPL that is in a revoked status
• Is under 21 years of age
• Is subject to a court order or injunction regarding firearms under chapter 7.105 RCW or the other domestic-violence and protection-order statutes listed in the section
• Is free on bond or personal recognizance pending trial, appeal, or sentencing for a felony offense
• Has an outstanding arrest warrant for a felony or misdemeanor from any court of competent jurisdiction
• Has been ordered to forfeit a firearm under RCW 9.41.098(1)(e) within one year before applying

A person convicted of a felony may not have firearm rights or the privilege to carry a concealed pistol restored unless granted relief from disabilities by the attorney general under 18 U.S.C. 925(c), or RCW 9.41.040(3) or (4) applies. The categories of persons ineligible to possess a firearm under RCW 9.41.040 (which include certain felony and domestic-violence convictions and persons subject to involuntary mental-health commitment) therefore also disqualify a CPL applicant.

Fees

Fees are set by statute in RCW 9.41.070:

The application fee is nonrefundable. No other state or local branch of government may impose additional charges for issuance or renewal. Payment may be by cash, check, or money order, and an issuing authority may allow additional methods.

Renewal

A licensee may renew within 90 days before or after the expiration date; a license so renewed takes effect on the prior license's expiration date (RCW 9.41.070(9), renumbered (7) in the 2027 version). Renewing after expiration requires the $10 late renewal penalty in addition to the renewal fee. The Department of Licensing mails a renewal notice approximately 90 days before expiration for licenses expiring on or after August 1, 2018.

Military Renewal by Mail

By October 1, 2019, agencies that issue CPLs were required to develop a mail (and optionally online) renewal process for members of the armed forces, national guard, and reserves who cannot renew in person because of out-of-state military assignment, reassignment, or deployment. The applicant must provide a copy of the order designating the out-of-state service period, apply within 90 days before or after expiration, and pay the renewal fee (and late penalty if applicable). A license renewed under this provision takes effect on the prior license's expiration date and is valid for one year (RCW 9.41.070(15), renumbered (13) in the 2027 version).

Temporary Emergency License and False Statements

The chief of police or sheriff may issue a temporary emergency license for good cause pending review, but it does not exempt the holder from any records-check requirement (RCW 9.41.070(10)). A person who knowingly makes a false statement regarding citizenship or identity on a CPL application is guilty of false swearing under RCW 9A.72.040, the CPL is revoked, and the person is permanently ineligible for a CPL (RCW 9.41.070(12)).

Reciprocity

Washington's recognition of out-of-state licenses is governed by RCW 9.41.073, which is narrow and conditional. A person licensed to carry a pistol in another state may carry a concealed pistol in Washington only if all of the following are true:

1. The other state recognizes and gives effect to a Washington CPL; and
2. The other state does not issue concealed pistol licenses to persons under 21 years of age; and
3. The other state requires mandatory fingerprint-based background checks of criminal and mental health history for all CPL applicants.

This recognition applies only while the license holder is not a resident of Washington, and the holder must carry in compliance with Washington law (RCW 9.41.073(1)(b)). The attorney general periodically publishes the list of states whose laws meet these requirements (RCW 9.41.073(2)). Because most states do not satisfy all three conditions, a nonresident generally cannot rely on an out-of-state permit to carry concealed in Washington; verify the current attorney general list before traveling. A nonresident who wants to carry concealed in Washington may apply for a Washington nonresident CPL under RCW 9.41.070. Once a person becomes a Washington resident, they must obtain a Washington CPL to continue carrying concealed.

Prohibited Locations

RCW 9.41.300 makes it unlawful to enter the following places while knowingly possessing or controlling a weapon (subsection (1)):

• The restricted access areas of a jail or law enforcement facility, or other place used for confinement (subsection (1)(a))
• Areas of a building used in connection with court proceedings, including courtrooms, jury rooms, judges' chambers, and adjacent restricted areas (subsection (1)(b))
• The restricted access areas of a public mental health facility licensed for inpatient hospital care and state institutions for the care of the mentally ill (subsection (1)(c))
• The portion of an establishment classified by the State Liquor and Cannabis Board as off-limits to persons under 21 years of age, such as the bar area of a tavern (subsection (1)(d))
• The restricted access areas of a commercial service airport designated in the TSA-approved security plan, including passenger screening checkpoints at or beyond the screening point (subsection (1)(e))
• The premises of a public library (subsection (1)(f))
• The premises of an accredited zoo or aquarium (subsection (1)(g))
• The premises of a transit station or transit facility (subsection (1)(h))

The library, zoo or aquarium, and transit restrictions in subsections (1)(f), (g), and (h) were added by 2024 legislation (2024 c 285, Senate Bill 5444). Importantly, RCW 9.41.300(14) provides that subsections (1)(f), (g), and (h) do not apply to a person licensed to carry a concealed firearm under RCW 9.41.070. In other words, a CPL holder carrying concealed is not barred from libraries, zoos and aquariums, or transit facilities by this statute, but the jail, court, mental-health-facility, liquor, and airport restrictions still apply to everyone (with a limited check-the-firearm exception for some facilities under subsections (9) and (10)). A violation of RCW 9.41.300(1) or (2) is a gross misdemeanor (subsection (16)).

RCW 9.41.300(2) also makes it unlawful to knowingly open carry a firearm or other weapon at a permitted demonstration, or within 250 feet of one after a law enforcement officer directs the person to leave. This open-carry restriction does not apply to lawful concealed carry by a CPL holder (subsection (2)(e)).

Separate statutes restrict weapons in other specific places, including:

• Schools and school facilities, RCW 9.41.280
• Child care premises, RCW 9.41.282
• Voting facilities, RCW 9.41.284
• State capitol grounds and municipal buildings (open carry), RCW 9.41.305

Federal law independently restricts firearms in federal buildings, post offices, and secured areas of airports, and prohibits carrying a weapon onto an aircraft under 49 U.S.C. 46505.

Preemption

Under RCW 9.41.290, the state fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation, including registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, transfer, discharge, and transportation. Cities, towns, counties, and other municipalities may enact only firearms laws specifically authorized by state law, such as those allowed in RCW 9.41.300, and consistent with chapter 9.41 RCW. Local ordinances that are more restrictive than or exceed state law are preempted and void.

Open Carry and Intimidating Display

Open carry of a pistol is generally lawful for a person who may lawfully possess it, but RCW 9.41.270(1) makes it unlawful to carry, exhibit, display, or draw any firearm or other weapon in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of others. A violation is a gross misdemeanor, and a person convicted loses their CPL (RCW 9.41.270(2)). The statute does not apply to acts in one's own abode or fixed place of business, to self-defense or defense of others against presently threatened unlawful force, or to the other situations listed in subsection (3).

Duty to Inform

Washington has no statute requiring a CPL holder to proactively notify a law enforcement officer that they are carrying. However, under RCW 9.41.050(1)(b) the licensee must carry the CPL and display it on demand to a police officer; failure to do so is a class 1 civil infraction.

Self-Defense

Washington has no statutory "stand your ground" provision and no statutory castle doctrine. Use of force is governed by statute as construed by case law.

• RCW 9A.16.020 (Use of force - when lawful) provides in subsection (3) that force is not unlawful when used by a party about to be injured, or by another lawfully aiding that person, in preventing or attempting to prevent an offense against the person or a malicious interference with property lawfully in their possession, so long as the force is not more than is necessary.
• RCW 9A.16.050 (Homicide - when justifiable) provides that homicide is justifiable in the lawful defense of the slayer or certain others when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design to commit a felony or do great personal injury and imminent danger of that design being accomplished, or in actually resisting an attempt to commit a felony upon the slayer or in a dwelling or place of abode.

Washington case law establishes that a person who is in a place they may lawfully be and who is not the aggressor has no duty to retreat before using lawful force (see State v. Studd and State v. Reynaldo Redmond). This no-duty-to-retreat rule comes from case law interpreting the statutes above, not from a separate "stand your ground" statute.

License Revocation

A CPL is subject to revocation under RCW 9.41.075, for example when the licensee becomes ineligible to possess a firearm, is convicted of a disqualifying offense, or is subject to an order surrendering weapons. (The prior draft cited "RCW 9.41.0765," which is not a valid RCW section.) Courts and agencies have immunity and a writ-of-mandamus remedy is available to a person whose license is improperly denied or revoked under RCW 9.41.0975; the version of RCW 9.41.070 effective May 1, 2027 expressly routes judicial relief from a denial to superior court under RCW 9.41.0975.

Surrender of Firearms (Protection and Risk Orders)

Under RCW 9.41.800 and the compliance provisions in RCW 9.41.801 and RCW 9.41.802, a court issuing certain protection, no-contact, or extreme risk protection orders may require a person to surrender firearms and any CPL and may prohibit future possession or licensing during the order. Extreme risk protection orders are governed by chapter 7.105 RCW.

Federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA)

Qualified active law enforcement officers may carry concealed under 18 U.S.C. 926B, and qualified retired or separated officers under 18 U.S.C. 926C, independent of a state CPL. In Washington, the LEOSA certification process for retired officers is administered through the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission. A qualified retired officer generally needs the photographic identification from the former agency certifying good-standing separation plus a current firearms qualification.

Recent and Pending Legislative Changes

Permit to Purchase and CPL Training (HB 1163, 2025 c 370, effective May 1, 2027)

The version of RCW 9.41.070 effective May 1, 2027 adds a disqualifier (subsection (1)(h)) for an applicant who has not produced a certificate of completion from a certified concealed carry firearms safety training program within the last five years, or proof of exemption. The required training must be certified under RCW 43.43.575 and must include live-fire shooting exercises on a firing range with a minimum of 50 rounds of ammunition demonstrating safe handling and proficiency (RCW 9.41.070(5) in that version). The 2025 act also creates a separate permit to purchase firearms (application under RCW 9.41.121); an applicant presenting a valid permit to purchase is exempt from the fingerprint requirement on a CPL application.

Large Capacity Magazines (RCW 9.41.370)

RCW 9.41.370 (enacted 2022 c 104, Senate Bill 5078) prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale any large capacity magazine, with limited exceptions for the military and law enforcement and certain dealer transfers. A "large capacity magazine" is an ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds (RCW 9.41.010(25)). A violation is a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW. The statute restricts sale, manufacture, import, and distribution; it does not by its terms criminalize simple possession. The ban has been challenged in court and remains in effect.

Assault Weapons (RCW 9.41.390)

RCW 9.41.390 (enacted 2023 c 162, House Bill 1240, effective April 25, 2023) prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale any assault weapon, with limited exceptions for the military, law enforcement, certain dealer and out-of-state transfers, and receipt by operation of law upon the former owner's death. A violation is a gross misdemeanor. Like the magazine statute, it targets the commercial supply chain rather than mere possession of weapons already owned.

State NFA-Type Restrictions

Independent of federal law, Washington restricts certain short-barreled and machine-gun-type weapons under chapter 9.41 RCW (for example RCW 9.41.190, governing unlawful firearms including machine guns and certain short-barreled shotguns). Anyone considering NFA items should confirm both the federal rules and the separate Washington restrictions before acquiring or possessing such a firearm.

Key Statutory References

Key Resources

• Washington State Legislature: app.leg.wa.gov - full text of Chapter 9.41 RCW
• Washington Attorney General - Firearms: atg.wa.gov - reciprocity list and FAQ
• Washington Department of Licensing - Firearms: dol.wa.gov
• Local law enforcement - your city police department or county sheriff's office handles CPL applications

This content is for general information only and is not legal advice. Firearms laws change often and several Washington provisions are the subject of ongoing litigation. Confirm the current statute text and consult a qualified Washington attorney before carrying a concealed firearm.