West Virginia recognizes out-of-state concealed handgun permits, but only conditionally. W. Va. Code § 61-7-6a makes an out-of-state permit valid here...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
West Virginia recognizes out-of-state concealed handgun permits, but only conditionally. W. Va. Code § 61-7-6a makes an out-of-state permit valid here when four things are true at once, and the fourth is that the other state either lets licensed West Virginians carry there, with its Governor having told the Attorney General so, or has signed a written reciprocity agreement with the Attorney General.
That recognition now does far less work than the statute's title suggests. Since June 12, 2026, the effective date of HB 4106, W. Va. Code § 61-7-7(c) lets any person carry a concealed deadly weapon in West Virginia without a license if that person is at least 18 years of age, is a United States citizen or legal resident, is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under § 61-7-7, and is not prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) or (n). Nothing in that list turns on where the person lives. The same act repealed W. Va. Code § 61-7-3, which had made unlicensed concealed carry a crime for people under 21.
So the topic is inverted. Recognition is not what lets a visitor carry here. It is mostly an outbound question about whether the West Virginia license you paid for will be honored elsewhere.
Under § 61-7-6a(a), an out-of-state permit or license to possess or carry a handgun is valid in West Virginia for carrying a concealed handgun if all four of these conditions are met:
Section 61-7-6a(b) then provides that a recognized holder "is subject to the same laws and restrictions with respect to carrying a concealed handgun as a resident of West Virginia who is so permitted" and must carry in compliance with West Virginia law, and § 61-7-6a(c) voids the out-of-state permit here if the holder is or becomes prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
Note the direction of that fourth condition. It turns on mutual treatment, not on the other state's training or vetting standards.
The Attorney General's guide On the Mark separates the two mechanisms § 61-7-6a(a)(4) packs into one sentence. Reciprocity is a written agreement between two states to mutually permit their licensees to carry in the other. Recognition is a destination state treating a West Virginia license as valid under its own law, with no written agreement needed. Either path satisfies the fourth condition.
Section 61-7-6a splits the list-keeping between two agencies. The Attorney General seeks recognition of West Virginia licenses and executes reciprocity agreements (§ 61-7-6a(d)) and makes written inquiry every twelve months of each other state's concealed handgun licensing or permitting authority (§ 61-7-6a(f)). The State Police maintain a registry of reciprocity and recognition states on the criminal information network for law-enforcement investigative use (§ 61-7-6a(e)), which serves an officer running a check rather than a traveler planning a trip, and make a public list of those states available (§ 61-7-6a(g)).
For the public-facing answer, start at ago.wv.gov. The Attorney General's Gun Reciprocity page publishes a color-coded map of the United States plus a printable copy of the same map, On the Mark tells licensees to go there for up-to-date reciprocity and recognition information, and the State Police forms page routes its own Gun Reciprocity link to the Attorney General's site.
This guide does not reproduce that map, and you should not travel on a saved copy of one. The Attorney General's caution is the right posture: "Reciprocity agreements may change at any time and without notice. It is the responsibility of all West Virginia concealed firearm license holders to know and understand the applicable firearm laws of the states within which they plan to visit."
Work through it by age:
The place a permit still counts for something is the set of West Virginia rules keyed to holding one rather than to being a lawful carrier:
The campus statute is the exception that shows the pattern. Do not assume a recognized out-of-state permit unlocks the other two. Section 61-7-6a(b) puts the recognized holder on the same footing as a permitted West Virginia resident, but § 61-7-11a(b)(2)(L) and § 8-12-5a speak of a valid permit or license without the cross-reference to § 61-7-6a that § 18B-4-5b(i) spells out, and neither says how a recognized out-of-state credential is treated. Ask the municipality or the Attorney General's office before relying on either as a visitor.
Federal school zones are the clearest limit. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(A) it is unlawful to knowingly possess a firearm that has moved in or otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone, and the license exception in § 922(q)(2)(B)(ii) applies only where the individual "is licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located" and that state's law requires law enforcement to verify the applicant's qualification before issuing. A West Virginia license is issued on those terms, because § 61-7-4(c) requires the sheriff to run a nationwide check and verify the application before issuance. A recognized out-of-state permit does not, because West Virginia did not issue it, and permitless carry does not, because it is not a license. The separate exception in § 922(q)(2)(B)(iii), for a firearm that is unloaded and in a locked container or a locked firearms rack on a motor vehicle, is open to anyone. A violation is punished under 18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(4) by a fine, imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both, and that term does not run concurrently with any other sentence.
The logic runs outbound too. Because the exception keys to the state where the zone sits, a West Virginia license does nothing in another state's school zones. Recognition also does not touch 18 U.S.C. § 930, which makes knowingly possessing or causing to be present a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a federal facility, other than a federal court facility, punishable by a fine, imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both.
West Virginia's permitless carry rule stops at the state line. On the Mark says so flatly: the constitutional carry law "applies only to persons physically in the State of West Virginia" and does not authorize concealed carry in another state without a license. That is the outbound case for getting licensed, and the Attorney General's message in the same guide calls optional licenses the ones issued "for reciprocity purposes."
Two more cautions from the Attorney General. Nonresident holders of a West Virginia license should confirm whether the destination's recognition also covers a nonresident one, because some states may not honor a West Virginia license held by a nonresident, especially in that person's own home state. And recognition never loosens the destination state's rules on where and how you carry.
Where a destination will not honor the license, 18 U.S.C. § 926A still protects transport between two places where you may lawfully possess and carry the firearm, provided it is unloaded and neither it nor the ammunition is readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment. In a vehicle with no separate compartment, both go in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. That is transit, not carry.
A nonresident can get a West Virginia concealed weapon license, and it is not limited to people with a special tie to a county. Section 61-7-4(a)(2) lets a legal resident or citizen of another state apply to a sheriff of any county and pay a $100 fee. Section 61-7-4(b)(2) requires a United States citizen or legal resident who is either a resident of West Virginia and of the county of application, or a resident of another state holding a valid driver's license or other state-issued or federally issued photo identification showing that residence. The other qualifications and the live-fire requirement match the resident license, and § 61-7-4(g) directs the sheriff to issue, reissue, or deny within 45 days once the background checks are complete. On the Mark confirms that both residents and nonresidents may apply.
The provisional license is the exception: § 61-7-4a(a)(2) makes it residents only. If you move, § 61-7-4(m) gives you 20 days to notify the appropriate sheriff, who reissues for the rest of the original term for a fee not to exceed $5.
Qualified active officers under 18 U.S.C. § 926B and qualified retired officers under 18 U.S.C. § 926C may carry a concealed firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, notwithstanding the law of any state, while carrying the identification each section requires, so § 61-7-6a is not the authority they rely on. A retired officer must have separated in good standing, generally have served an aggregate of 10 years or more, and have met active-officer firearms qualification standards within the most recent 12 months at his or her own expense. Neither section supersedes state laws letting private persons or entities restrict firearms on their property, or restricting firearms on any state or local government property, installation, building, base, or park. West Virginia picks the federal standard up in § 61-7-11a(b)(2)(E), which exempts from the school-premises ban a retired officer who qualifies under 18 U.S.C. § 926C(c), carries concealed, and has the official identification on his or her person.
Section 61-7-6a(b) is explicit that a recognized out-of-state holder carries on West Virginia's terms. The provisions most likely to catch a visitor:
| Rule | Grading |
|---|---|
| § 61-7-11a(b), schools, buses, school functions | Felony: 2 to 10 years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both |
| § 61-7-11a(g), premises of a court of law | Misdemeanor: not more than $1,000, up to one year in jail, or both |
| § 61-7-11a(h), court premises with intent to commit a crime | Felony: 2 to 10 years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both |
| W. Va. Code § 61-7-11, brandishing to cause or threaten a breach of the peace, licensed or not | Misdemeanor: $50 to $1,000, 90 days to one year in county jail, or both |
| W. Va. Code § 61-7-14(c), refusing to relinquish or leave the property of another on request | Misdemeanor: not more than $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both |
| § 61-7-7(d), carrying concealed while prohibited under § 61-7-7(a) | Felony: up to 3 years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both |
Section 8-12-5a(e) requires a municipality that enacts an ordinance under § 8-12-5a(c) to post a clear statement of its terms at each entrance to the affected building or recreation facility, and § 8-12-5a(d) gives an absolute defense to a person who, on request, left the premises with the firearm or temporarily relinquished it after being informed that possessing it was contrary to the ordinance, and who but for the ordinance was lawfully in possession.
This page covers one part of our West Virginia concealed carry guide.
Read the complete West Virginia 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.