Can You Carry a Knife in Washington State? Bans and Penalties

You can carry a knife in Washington state without a permit, and most everyday blades — folding pocket knives, fixed-blade hunting knives, multi-tools — are legal to carry openly with no blade-length limit. Three things narrow that freedom: one category of knife is banned outright, concealing a “dangerous weapon” is a crime, and some places prohibit knives no matter how you carry them.

Spring Blade Knives Are Banned

Washington is one of the few states that still bans spring blade knives outright. It is illegal to manufacture, sell, or possess one.¹ The ban covers any knife whose blade deploys automatically through a spring or mechanical device, and it also sweeps in knives that open by gravity or centrifugal force. Switchblades, automatic knives, butterfly knives (balisongs), and gravity knives are all prohibited.

There is one important exception. A knife with a spring or detent that biases the blade toward the closed position, requiring you to physically push the blade open with your hand, wrist, or arm, is not a spring blade knife under the statute.¹ That keeps common assisted-opening pocket knives legal. If the blade will not deploy until you manually apply force to overcome the closing mechanism, you are on the legal side of the line.

Open Carry of Everyday Knives

For knives outside the banned category, Washington sets no general blade-length limit for open carry, and no permit or license is required. A hunting knife on your belt, a multi-tool on your hip, a folding knife clipped to your pocket — all fine.

What you cannot do is carry a weapon in a way that shows an intent to intimidate someone, or in a manner that would reasonably alarm people around you.² A sheathed fixed-blade knife while you’re hiking is routine. That same knife drawn and in your hand inside a grocery store is a different situation. Context and behavior matter as much as the knife itself.

Concealed Knives and the “Dangerous Weapon” Rule

This is where most people get into trouble. It is a crime in Washington to furtively carry a dagger, dirk, or other dangerous weapon with intent to conceal it.¹ The statute does not define “dangerous weapon,” so whether a concealed knife qualifies turns on the circumstances — the blade’s size and design, and what you appear to be doing with it.

A small folding pocket knife clipped inside your jeans pocket is unlikely to draw a charge. A large fixed-blade knife hidden under a jacket is another matter. The word “furtively” carries weight. It suggests sneakiness or deliberate concealment beyond ordinary carry. If your knife is larger than a standard pocket knife, keeping it visible in a sheath is the safer choice.

Self-Defense Exception

The intimidation rule has a carve-out. It does not apply when you display or draw a knife because you are presently threatened with unlawful force, when you are protecting someone else from an immediate threat of the same kind, or when you are helping make a lawful arrest for a felony. It also does not apply to actions taken in your own home or fixed place of business.²

The word “presently” is the operative one. The danger has to be happening now, not something you expect might happen later. If you ever rely on this exception, expect to explain the moment in detail.

Places That Ban Knives Regardless

Some locations prohibit weapons no matter how the knife is carried or whether it would be legal on the street.

Courthouses and court facilities, including courtrooms, jury rooms, and judges’ chambers. The court-areas provision uses a broader definition of “weapon” than the rest of the statute and specifically names knives and daggers.³
Restricted-access areas of jails, law enforcement buildings, and other facilities used to hold people who have been arrested, charged, or brought in for proceedings. Common public entry areas are excluded.³
The portion of any bar or tavern designated by the state liquor and cannabis board as off-limits to people under 21.⁴
Schools, school-provided transportation, and areas being used exclusively by schools are addressed by a separate statute, RCW 9.41.280, with a related provision covering child care centers.

Violating a location-based restriction is a gross misdemeanor.³

Airports Are a Federal Zone

Airport security is governed by federal law, not Washington’s knife statutes. The TSA prohibits automatic and gravity-opening knives, double-edged knives and daggers, and various large bladed items. A prohibited item at the checkpoint can produce a warning on a first offense and civil penalties on later ones, and it can also trigger separate criminal enforcement.⁵ Flying out of Sea-Tac or any other Washington airport, pack knives in checked luggage.

City and County Ordinances Cannot Add Restrictions

Washington has statewide preemption for weapons law. Cities and counties cannot enforce knife ordinances that are stricter than or inconsistent with state law. The rules above apply the same way in Seattle, Spokane, and rural counties. You do not need to check for a stricter local ordinance.

Penalties

Almost every knife offense in Washington is a gross misdemeanor. That includes possessing a banned spring blade knife, furtively carrying a concealed dangerous weapon, carrying a knife in a threatening way, and bringing a weapon into a restricted location.¹ A gross misdemeanor conviction can bring up to 364 days in county jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.⁶

A conviction under the intimidation statute also automatically revokes any concealed pistol license you hold.² Even short of a felony, a weapons misdemeanor on your record can follow you into employment, housing, and licensing decisions long after the sentence is served.

1
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.250 – Dangerous Weapons Penalty
2
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.270 – Weapons Apparently Capable of Producing Bodily Harm
3
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.300 – Weapons Prohibited in Certain Places
4
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9.41.300 – Weapons Prohibited in Certain Places
5
Transportation Security Administration. Civil Enforcement
6
Washington State Legislature. Washington Code 9A.20.021 – Maximum Sentences for Crimes Committed July 1, 1984, and After