Resident permit · DE → AK
Is a Delaware Resident Permit Valid in Alaska?
You're covered either way. Alaska honors Delaware resident permits, and its permitless-carry law also lets eligible visitors carry without any permit at all.
Why
- Alaska recognizes valid carry permits from every US state.
- Alaska allows permitless carry for eligible adults 21+, which extends to visitors who may legally possess a handgun.
Under AS 18.65.748 a person holding a valid permit from another state is treated as an Alaska permittee (no resident-only condition); in practice recognition matters little because anyone 21+ who may legally possess may carry permitless. Under-21 carriers are NOT covered even with an out-of-state permit.
The permit (Delaware)
- Permit
- License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW)
- Issued by
- Superior Court of the applicant's county of residence (application filed with the Prothonotary; Delaware DOJ reviews)
- Issue policy
- May-issue
The destination (Alaska)
- Recognition policy
- Honors permits from all states
- Permitless carry
- Yes (21+)
- Duty to inform
- Yes — proactive
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Alaska
Carry law is state law. From the moment you enter Alaska, these rules replace the ones you know from Delaware.
- Alaska imposes a duty to inform: you must tell an officer you are carrying. DPS FAQ: when contacted by a law enforcement officer while carrying concealed you must IMMEDIATELY inform the officer that you possess the firearm; failure to do so is a criminal offense (AS 11.61.220).
- Alaska sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Alaska allows permitless concealed carry from age 21 for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
- A loaded concealed handgun may be carried in a vehicle without a permit by anyone 21+ who may lawfully possess; the immediate duty to inform applies on any police contact.
Off-limits places in Alaska
Alaska bans carry in 4 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- K-12 schools and school grounds
- Child care facilities
Delaware vs Alaska: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Delaware into Alaska changes 4 rules: permitless carry (No → Yes (21+)); duty to inform police (No → Yes); magazine limit (17 rounds → None); out-of-state permits honored (21 states → All states).
| Rule | Delaware | Alaska |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | No | Yes (21+) |
| Duty to inform police | No | Yes |
| Magazine limit | 17 rounds | None |
| Out-of-state permits honored | 21 states | All states |
| Open carry | Yes, no permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, an Alaska resident permit in Delaware: recognized — carry with your permit.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Alaska honor a Delaware non-resident permit?
- Delaware does not issue non-resident carry permits (no standard non-resident license. The Attorney General may issue a temporary 30-day license to a non-resident with a short-term, employment-related need to carry (11 Del. C. 1441(k); maximum 3 such licenses)), so the question does not arise.
- Can an Alaska resident permit holder carry in Delaware?
- Recognized — carry with your permit. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on Delaware's law, not Alaska's.
- Where does Alaska publish its official reciprocity list?
- Alaska publishes its recognition policy on an official state page, linked in the sources on this page. That page is the authority — check it shortly before travel, because recognition lists change without much notice.
Official sources
- Alaska DPS — Concealed Handgun Permits (permit rules, AS 18.65.748 recognition, permitless 21+) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Alaska DPS — Frequently Asked Firearms Questions (duty to inform, permitless carry, prohibited places) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Delaware DOJ (Attorney General) - Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons (CCDW) and reciprocity list — accessed 2026-08-08
- 11 Del. C. c.5 subch. VII - 1441 (license), 1442 (carrying concealed), 1457/1457A (safe zones), 1468-1469 (large-capacity magazines) — accessed 2026-08-08
- 1 Del. C. 701 - Age of majority (definition of 'full age' = 18) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Delaware Superior Court — Weapons (CCDW) application rules and instructions — accessed 2026-09-27
- Delaware Supreme Court docket — Brooks v. State, Appellant's Opening Brief (open-carry discussion, cites Doe v. Wilmington Hous. Auth. and Griffin v. State) — accessed 2026-09-27