Is an Idaho Resident Permit Valid in Pennsylvania?
Conditionally. Pennsylvania honors the Idaho resident permit only if it is an Enhanced license and you are 21 or older; outside that, it does not count there. Holders of any other Idaho permit and holders under 21 cannot carry concealed in Pennsylvania on this permit, and Pennsylvania has no permitless carry.
Why
- Idaho ENHANCED license only; Idaho Regular licenses are not recognized (PA AG per-state data).
- Pennsylvania honors out-of-state permits only for holders 21 and older, and Idaho issues this permit from age 18.
AG rule: where Pennsylvania grants reciprocity, ONLY individuals who are both residents of the issuing state AND 21 or older may carry in Pennsylvania — non-resident permits are never recognized. Several states are recognized only for specific license classes (see overrides). Virginia became the 30th recognized state in Feb 2026. Not recognized: CA, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MN, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, SC, VT, WA.
The permit (Idaho)
- Permit
- Idaho Concealed Weapons License (CWL)
- Issued by
- County sheriff
- Issue policy
- Shall-issue
The destination (Pennsylvania)
- Recognition policy
- Honors a named list of 30 states
- Permitless carry
- No
- Duty to inform
- No (present permit on demand)
- Magazine limit
- No state limit
Carry rules in Pennsylvania
Your Idaho habits may not match Pennsylvania's law. Check these three areas before you carry there.
- No Pennsylvania statute requires a carrier to proactively inform police; carry the license and produce it on lawful demand.
- Pennsylvania sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
- Pennsylvania is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit Pennsylvania recognizes.
- Carrying a firearm in any vehicle, loaded or unloaded, requires a valid LTCF or a recognized reciprocal license (18 Pa.C.S. § 6106).
Off-limits places in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania bans carry in 3 kinds of places. The first on the list:
- Court facilities (18 Pa.C.S. § 913)
- Elementary and secondary school buildings, grounds and buses (18 Pa.C.S. § 912; statutory 'other lawful purpose' defense)
Idaho vs Pennsylvania: what changes at the state line
Crossing from Idaho into Pennsylvania changes 2 rules: permitless carry (Yes (18+) → No); out-of-state permits honored (All states → 30 states).
| Rule | Idaho | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| Permitless carry | Yes (18+) | No |
| Duty to inform police | No | No |
| Magazine limit | None | None |
| Out-of-state permits honored | All states | 30 states |
| Open carry | Yes, no permit | Yes, no permit |
Going the other way, a Pennsylvania resident permit in Idaho: recognized — and permitless carry applies.
Driving on from Pennsylvania
How an Idaho resident permit fares in the states bordering Pennsylvania:
- Delaware — Recognized — Enhanced permit only
- Maryland — Not recognized
- New Jersey — Not recognized
- New York — Not recognized
- Ohio — Recognized — and permitless carry applies
- West Virginia — Recognized — holders 21+ only; permitless carry applies
Frequently asked questions
- Does Pennsylvania honor an Idaho non-resident permit?
- Not recognized. That differs from the resident permit on this page, because Pennsylvania treats the two permit types differently.
- Can a Pennsylvania resident permit holder carry in Idaho?
- Recognized — and permitless carry applies. Reciprocity is decided by the destination state, so the answer in this direction depends on Idaho's law, not Pennsylvania's.
- Where does Pennsylvania publish its official reciprocity list?
- Pennsylvania 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
- PA Office of Attorney General — Concealed Carry Reciprocity (per-state map data) — accessed 2026-08-08
- Pennsylvania State Police — Carrying Firearms in Pennsylvania — accessed 2026-08-08
- PA OAG press release — Virginia becomes 30th reciprocity state — accessed 2026-08-08
- Chester County Sheriff — PA License to Carry Firearms Information — accessed 2026-09-27
- Centre County Sheriff — License to Carry Firearms — accessed 2026-09-27
- City of Philadelphia — Application for a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearm — accessed 2026-09-27
- Idaho Office of the Attorney General - Concealed Weapons — accessed 2026-08-08
- Idaho Code 18-3302 (Issuance of licenses to carry concealed weapons) — accessed 2026-09-27