California concealed carry laws and reciprocity

The Penal Code section 26200 license conditions reproduced in DOJ's standard CCW application require a licensee to carry the license on their person and prohibit refusing to display the license or provide the firearm to any peace officer upon demand for inspection; the listed conditions do not include a duty to volunteer that one is armed. These conditions apply to CCW licensees only, and a breach is grounds for revocation.

Without a California CCW license, a handgun in a vehicle must be unloaded and in the trunk or a locked container other than the glove or utility compartment; carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle in public is generally illegal.

Generally a person may not carry a concealed firearm in public without a valid California CCW license, and carrying a loaded firearm in public is generally prohibited.

Under Senate Bill 2, a county sheriff or police chief shall issue or renew a CCW license if the applicant is not a disqualified person under objective criteria and meets the other statutory requirements; the former 'good cause' requirement was replaced after Bruen.

Since January 1, 2026 (AB 1078, Stats. 2025, ch. 570), Penal Code sections 26150(b) and 26155(b) require a sheriff or police chief to issue a CCW license to a non-California resident who is at least 21, is not a disqualified person, passes a fingerprint-based DOJ eligibility check, completes the required training and live-fire exercises, lists each firearm, and attests that the jurisdiction applied to is the primary place in California they intend to travel or spend time. Before that date, non-residents could apply only under federal injunctions limited to members of specified organizations (DOJ bulletins 2025-DLE-10 and 2025-DLE-13).

Carrying a loaded firearm in public places and on public streets is generally illegal, and openly carrying an unloaded handgun is illegal in public places in incorporated cities and on public streets in prohibited unincorporated areas. Narrow exceptions exist, including a loaded open-carry license that resident applicants may obtain only in counties under 200,000 people.

The only sign provisions in the CCW prohibited-places statute work in reverse: Penal Code 26230(a)(22) and (a)(26) bar licensees from places of worship and private commercial establishments open to the public unless the operator posts a DOJ-format sign permitting carry, and DOJ reports both paragraphs remain preliminarily enjoined (May v. Bonta, Dec. 20, 2023, affirmed in relevant part by the Ninth Circuit; still cited as the enforceability status in DOJ's September 2026 application form), while the U.S. Supreme Court held Hawaii's equivalent default rule unconstitutional in Wolford v. Lopez (June 25, 2026). A posted no-guns sign therefore carries no statutory penalty of its own in the CCW statutes DOJ reproduces, although a property owner may still exclude armed visitors.

Penal Code 26230(a)(9) bars CCW licensees from carrying in a building, real property, or parking area under the control of a vendor or establishment where intoxicating liquor is sold for consumption on the premises; DOJ states this paragraph became enforceable on January 23, 2025 when the Ninth Circuit reversed the May v. Bonta preliminary injunction as to bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The 26200 license conditions separately bar a licensee from being in a place whose primary purpose is dispensing alcohol for on-site consumption, and persons without a CCW may not carry a loaded firearm in public at all.

Penal Code 26230(a)(13) bars CCW licensees from real property under the control of the Department of Parks and Recreation or Department of Fish and Wildlife, except areas designated for hunting, public shooting grounds, or buildings where firearm possession is permitted by law, and 26230(a)(12) bars carry in any park or athletic area open to the public; DOJ states both paragraphs have been enforceable since the Ninth Circuit's January 23, 2025 ruling. A licensee may still transport the firearm through a parking area locked in a DOJ-listed lock box (26230(c)).

Penal Code 26230(a)(22) bars CCW licensees from a church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship and its adjacent parking area unless the operator posts a DOJ-format sign permitting licensees to carry, but DOJ reports that this paragraph remains under the December 20, 2023 preliminary injunction in May v. Bonta (affirmed by the Ninth Circuit) and its September 2026 application form still points to that status, so the statutory ban is not currently enforced and the operator's own decision to permit or exclude firearms controls. Only CCW licensees may carry a loaded firearm in public in California.

Penal Code 626.9 makes it illegal for an unauthorized person to possess a firearm on the campuses of the University of California, California State University, community colleges, and private colleges and universities, and Penal Code 26230(a)(1) and (a)(14) bar CCW licensees from any area under the control of a public or private college or university, including parking areas, sidewalks, and common areas. DOJ lists colleges and universities among the 26230 provisions that were never enjoined.

Unauthorized firearm possession is barred on K-12 school grounds and on University of California, California State University, community college, and private college campuses (Pen. Code 626.9), in courtrooms, courthouses, and public meetings (171b), and loaded firearms are barred at the State Capitol and legislative and constitutional offices (171c). Senate Bill 2 (2023) also restricts where CCW licensees may carry (Pen. Code 26230), and DOJ regulations prescribe signs allowing licensees to carry on private property and in places of worship; the full list and its litigation status have not been verified here.

California has no stand-your-ground statute, but the Judicial Council's official criminal jury instructions (CALCRIM Nos. 505 and 3470, 2026 edition) state that a defendant is not required to retreat, is entitled to stand their ground and defend themselves, and may if reasonably necessary pursue an assailant until the danger has passed, even if safety could have been achieved by retreating, citing People v. Hughes (1951) 107 Cal.App.2d 487 and People v. Hatchett (1942) 56 Cal.App.2d 20. The bench notes limit a duty to retreat to felon-in-possession cases (People v. Rhodes (2005)).

It is generally illegal to buy, manufacture, import, keep for sale, offer for sale, give, or lend a large-capacity magazine (able to accept more than 10 rounds).

California defines and restricts 'assault weapons' (Penal Code 30510 and 30515); registration windows for previously owned weapons have closed.

Penal Code section 33410 prohibits possession of a silencer in California, and DOJ's September 18, 2026 bulletin confirms that silencers remain illegal to possess or sell under state law regardless of the August 2026 federal district court ruling against the National Firearms Act and federal registration status. The state ban does not depend on or defer to federal NFA registration.

Penal Code section 33215 prohibits short-barreled rifles in California, and DOJ's September 18, 2026 bulletin confirms they remain illegal to possess or sell under state law regardless of federal NFA registration status or the August 2026 federal district court ruling. Violations can be felony or misdemeanor offenses.

Penal Code section 33215 prohibits short-barreled shotguns in California, and DOJ's September 18, 2026 bulletin confirms they remain illegal to possess or sell under state law regardless of federal NFA registration status or the August 2026 federal district court ruling. Violations can be felony or misdemeanor offenses.