Is a South Dakota Resident Permit Valid in Alabama?

Why

• Alabama recognizes valid carry permits from every US state.
• Alabama allows permitless carry for eligible adults 19+, which extends to visitors who may legally possess a handgun.

Attorney General: 'The state of Alabama recognizes any concealed carry permit issued by another state' (Ala. Code § 13A-11-85(a)); no resident-only condition stated.

Carry rules in Alabama

Crossing into Alabama swaps the rulebook. Here is what changes for a visiting carrier.

• No proactive duty to inform found on any official Alabama source; answer truthfully and present a permit if an officer asks during a lawful stop.
• Alabama sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.
• Alabama allows permitless concealed carry from age 19 for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.
• Since Jan 1, 2023 a loaded handgun may be carried in a vehicle without a permit by anyone who may carry permitless (Act 2022-133 removed the vehicle-carry permit requirement).

Off-limits places in Alabama

• Police, sheriff and highway patrol stations
• Prisons, jails and other detention facilities
• Psychiatric and mental-health inpatient facilities
• Courthouses and court-related buildings
• Professional and school athletic events (without a permit)
• Secured facilities with guarded, restricted access

Frequently asked questions

Is a South Dakota resident permit valid in Alabama?

Yes on both counts: permit reciprocity and permitless carry. Alabama recognizes South Dakota resident permits and separately allows eligible adults for adults 19+ to carry without one.

Do I have to tell police in Alabama that I am carrying?

No proactive duty to inform found on any official Alabama source; answer truthfully and present a permit if an officer asks during a lawful stop.

Does Alabama limit magazine capacity?

Alabama sets no state magazine-capacity limit for handguns.

Can I carry in Alabama without any permit?

Alabama allows permitless concealed carry from age 19 for people who may legally possess a handgun, including eligible visitors.

Where does Alabama publish its official reciprocity list?

Alabama 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.