A Hawaii concealed carry permit is available to residents at least 21 years old who are legally allowed to own a firearm, complete an approved training course, pass a live-fire proficiency test, and submit an application in person to their county chief of police with a $150 fee. The license is good for four years, covers both concealed and open carry statewide, and comes with a long list of places where you still cannot carry.
Who Qualifies
You must be at least 21, a Hawaii resident, and a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident. Non-residents and visitors cannot get a license.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
Several categories of people are disqualified from possessing firearms at all, and those bars apply to the license too. Disqualifiers include a felony conviction, a conviction for a crime of violence, or a conviction related to illegal drug distribution. You are also barred if you are a fugitive from justice, have been acquitted on the grounds of mental disease, or have been adjudicated for involuntary hospitalization. The same goes for people under treatment for substance abuse or diagnosed with a condition that impairs judgment to a degree presenting an unreasonable risk to public safety.2Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-7
The statute also requires that you not be found “lacking the essential character or temperament necessary to be entrusted with a firearm.” That is the most subjective element in the eligibility check and the likeliest source of dispute in a denial.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
Training and Proficiency Testing
Before you apply, you need to finish an approved firearms training course and pass a separate proficiency test. These are two different requirements with two different clocks.
The training course runs at least four hours of classroom instruction plus a minimum of two hours of live-fire range time. Classroom topics cover safe handling and storage, mental health and suicide prevention awareness related to firearms, and Hawaii’s firearms laws. The instructor must be certified or verified by the county chief of police, or be a certified military firearms instructor.3Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Firearm Instructor Course Verification
The proficiency test is more involved. It covers in-person instruction on firearm handling, shooting technique, safe storage, legal transport in vehicles, prohibited-location rules, and low-light scenarios. Live-fire exercises use each specific firearm you want licensed, and you must score 75% or higher.4Hawaiʻi Police Department. Supplement to Application for License to Carry Firearm Proficiency Test The certified instructor sets the actual course of fire.
Watch the timing. Your classroom lecture and written exam must have been completed within the past two years. The shooting proficiency test must have been passed within 90 days of your application.5Honolulu Police Department. Checklist for License to Carry Firearm – Civilian Line up the proficiency test close to when you plan to file, not months ahead.
How to Apply
Applications are filed in person with the chief of police in your county of residence. On the form you list the make, model, and serial number of each firearm you want to carry, and you must be the registered owner of every one of them.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
Along with the form, plan to bring:
- Proof of completing the firearms training course, plus a notarized certification from your instructor
- Signed and scored proficiency test results for each firearm (pass/fail alone is not accepted)
- A signed waiver authorizing the state to access your mental health records
- Two passport-sized, front-facing color photos taken within 30 days
- A copy of your Hawaii firearms registration for each gun listed
Specific document requirements come from each county police department’s processing procedures and can vary slightly.6Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Concealed and Unconcealed Application Processing Procedures
The nonrefundable application fee is $150.7Hawaiʻi Police Department. License to Carry Firearm Applicant Information You pay separately for the training course and proficiency test through your private instructor, and those costs vary. Police run a background check covering criminal history and mental health records. Hawaii law sets no fixed statutory deadline for a decision, so processing time depends on the county.
Duration, Renewal, and What the License Covers
A Hawaii carry license expires four years from the date of issue. Renewal costs $50 per firearm and requires that you still meet every original eligibility criterion. The chief of police can require continuing education or additional proficiency testing at renewal. The renewal fee can be waived on a showing of financial hardship.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
Two points people often miss. The license covers both concealed and unconcealed (open) carry of a pistol or revolver; there is no separate open-carry permit. And even though you apply through your county, the license works statewide. One issued in Honolulu is valid on Maui, and vice versa.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
If you become disqualified from firearm possession for any reason, your license is automatically void and must be returned to the chief of police within 48 hours.
Where You Cannot Carry
Hawaii’s Act 52, passed in 2023, made a long list of locations off-limits even with a valid license. Prohibited places include:
- Schools and childcare facilities, from preschool through university
- State and county government buildings and grounds
- Courthouses and correctional facilities
- Polling places
- Airports beyond security screening
- Public transit
- Hospitals, mental health facilities, and doctors’ offices
- Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol
- Public parks and beaches
- Shelters, including homeless and domestic violence shelters
- Concert venues, theaters, museums, and amusement parks
The law also flips the default rule for private property open to the public: firearms are prohibited unless the owner has given express permission. That means you cannot carry into a grocery store, a shopping mall, or a movie theater unless the owner has affirmatively posted a sign allowing it.8Office of the Governor. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Crucial Laws Regulating Concealed Carry of Firearms Most states run the opposite way, letting you carry on private property unless a sign says otherwise.
Violating a location restriction can lead to criminal charges and revocation of your license.
A Pending Supreme Court Challenge
Most of Act 52 has been challenged in Wolford v. Lopez. The Ninth Circuit largely upheld the law in September 2024, including the private-property default rule, the ban on carrying in parks and beaches, and the bar and restaurant restriction. In October 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari on the private-property default question. A decision is expected sometime in 2026 and could change parts of Hawaii’s framework.9Supreme Court of the United States. Docket for 24-1046 – Wolford v. Lopez Until the Court rules, every restriction in Act 52 remains enforceable.
Using Force in Self-Defense
Carrying a firearm means knowing when you can legally use it, and Hawaii is a duty-to-retreat state rather than a stand-your-ground state.
You can use non-deadly force when you reasonably believe it is immediately necessary to protect yourself from unlawful force. Deadly force is justified only when you believe it is necessary to protect yourself against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping, rape, or forcible sodomy.10Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 37 Chapter 703 – Section 703-304
Even then, you cannot use deadly force if you know you can avoid the threat with complete safety by retreating, surrendering property someone claims a right to, or complying with a demand to stop doing something you have no legal duty to do. Your home and workplace are the exceptions: no duty to retreat there, unless you started the confrontation or the attacker at a workplace you know is also theirs. If you provoked the confrontation with intent to cause death or serious injury, the self-defense justification does not apply at all.10Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 37 Chapter 703 – Section 703-304
Out-of-State Permits and Visitors
Hawaii does not recognize concealed carry licenses from any other state. A Texas, Florida, or Utah permit has no legal effect in Hawaii, and carrying on one exposes you to the same criminal penalties as carrying without any license. Hawaii has no formal reciprocity agreements. A handful of states will recognize a Hawaii license, but mostly those are states that let anyone carry without a permit anyway.
Visitors cannot apply. State residency is a hard statutory requirement, so there is no pathway for a tourist to legally carry a concealed firearm in the islands.1Justia Law. Hawaii Revised Statutes Title 10 Chapter 134 – Section 134-9
Note for Law Enforcement Officers
The federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act does not override Hawaii law. Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General has said both active and retired qualified law enforcement officers must comply with Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 134 in addition to meeting federal requirements, meaning the same registration and licensing process applies.11Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaii. Law Enforcement Index Page