State profile · DE
Delaware Concealed Carry Laws & Reciprocity
A Delaware resident permit (License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW)) is honored in 31 of the other 50 US jurisdictions, and 5 more allow permitless carry even though they do not recognize the permit itself. In the other direction, Delaware recognizes permits from 21 states on its official list. Delaware is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit Delaware recognizes.
Delaware concealed carry reciprocity map
Where a Delaware resident permit is valid. Each state links to the rules for that trip.
- Permit honored
- Honored + permitless carry
- Permitless carry only
- Not honored
- Confirm case-by-case
- Delaware
Which states honor a Delaware CCDW? (31)
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Where a Delaware permit is not honored (19)
Permitless carry still applies (5): Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Wyoming
No lawful carry on this permit (14): California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington
Where a Delaware permit is honored, state by state
Click any destination for the full rules — duty to inform, magazine limits, off-limits places, and official sources.
* a load-bearing fact could not be fully verified — confirm with the official source before carrying.
Whose permits Delaware honors
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Florida
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
For listed states the AG page states Delaware 'will recognize both resident and a non-resident licenses.' Permit-type limits apply - Idaho Enhanced only, North Dakota Class 1 only, South Dakota Enhanced only. Delaware's prohibited-person rules (felonies, certain misdemeanors, drug crimes, PFA orders, mental-health commitments) still bar some visiting permit holders.
Delaware at a glance
- 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
- Resident minimum age
- 18
- Non-resident permits
- Not issued
- Permitless carry
- No
- Duty to inform
- No
- Magazine limit
- 17 rounds
Can you carry in Delaware without a permit?
Delaware is not a permitless-carry state: concealed carry there requires a permit Delaware recognizes.
No permitless concealed carry. Carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a Delaware license (or a license recognized under 11 Del. C. 1441(j)) is a felony (11 Del. C. 1442).
Is Delaware an open carry state?
Yes. Delaware allows open carry of a handgun without a permit from age 21 for people who may legally possess one.
Delaware law only makes carrying a concealed weapon without a license a crime, so a fully visible handgun needs no license. People under 21 generally may not possess a handgun unless they hold a Delaware carry license or are in the military.
How to get a Delaware concealed carry permit
- Apply to
- Prothonotary (clerk) of the Superior Court in your county of residence; the Superior Court decides
- Minimum age
- 18
- Fee
- $65 (new, resident)
- Training
- A firearms training course covering safety, storage, law and use of force, with live-fire range exercises of at least 100 rounds
- Valid for
- 3 years
- Issue policy
- May-issue (issuer has discretion)
The application also needs a certificate signed by five respectable citizens of your county, and notice is published in a local newspaper.
Does Delaware issue non-resident permits?
No. Delaware does not issue carry permits to non-residents. 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).
Do you have to tell police you are carrying in Delaware?
No statutory duty to proactively inform an officer; Title 11's deadly-weapons subchapter contains no notification requirement. AG-issued temporary licenses must be carried at all times while in the state (11 Del. C. 1441(k)).
Carrying in a vehicle in Delaware
A concealed handgun in a vehicle requires a Delaware CCDW or a recognized out-of-state license (11 Del. C. 1442). A licensee may keep a firearm in a motor vehicle even within a Safe School Zone (11 Del. C. 1457A(c)(4)).
Where you can't carry in Delaware
- Safe School Zones - K-12 school buildings, grounds, athletic fields and school vehicles (licensees excepted only while the firearm stays in a motor vehicle) (11 Del. C. 1457A)
- Safe Recreation Zones - government or private recreation centers, athletic fields and sports stadiums, as to the listed weapons offenses including unlicensed concealed carry (11 Del. C. 1457)
- Federal facilities and any place where firearms are prohibited by federal law
Editor's verification notes
Statute requires an applicant 'of full age' (18 under 1 Del. C. 701), and 11 Del. C. 1448(a)(5) - which generally bars under-21s from handgun possession - expressly exempts 18-20-year-olds who hold a 1441 CCDW license, so 18 is the statutory minimum. Superior Court approval is discretionary ('may or may not, in its discretion', 1441(d)) - still statutory may-issue. AG page accessed 2026-08-08 still displays the list published for 2025-01-15 to 2026-01-15 and states there are no pending removals effective 2026-01-15, so the same 21 states remain recognized; removals require 1 year's published notice. Magazine ban is on >17-round magazines, with an exemption only for Delaware Superior Court CCDW holders - visiting out-of-state permit holders are NOT exempt.
Frequently asked questions
- Which states honor a Delaware carry permit?
- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin. The table on this page links to the detailed rules for each destination.
- Does Delaware recognize out-of-state carry permits?
- For listed states the AG page states Delaware 'will recognize both resident and a non-resident licenses.' Permit-type limits apply - Idaho Enhanced only, North Dakota Class 1 only, South Dakota Enhanced only. Delaware's prohibited-person rules (felonies, certain misdemeanors, drug crimes, PFA orders, mental-health commitments) still bar some visiting permit holders.
Official sources
- 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