Can You Conceal Carry in Las Vegas: Permits and Off-Limits Places

You can conceal carry in Las Vegas if you hold a Nevada Concealed Firearm Permit or an out-of-state permit that Nevada recognizes. Nevada is a shall-issue state, so the sheriff’s office must grant the permit once you meet every statutory requirement. Nevada also allows open carry of a holstered handgun without any permit, so the concealed permit specifically covers carrying a firearm hidden on your person, in a bag, or otherwise out of sight. Carrying concealed without a valid permit is a category C felony punishable by one to five years in prison.¹

Who Qualifies for a Nevada CCW

You must be at least 21 years old to apply. Active-duty military and those with an honorable discharge can apply at 18.² You must be a Nevada resident living in the county where you apply.

Every applicant completes an approved eight-hour firearms safety course taught by a certified Nevada instructor. It covers handgun use and Nevada firearms law and includes a live-fire qualification.³

A state and FBI background check screens every applicant. Any of the following will disqualify you:

A felony conviction under Nevada, federal, or another state’s law.
A domestic violence or stalking conviction, or an active protective order.
An outstanding warrant or fugitive-from-justice status.
A judicial declaration of incompetence or insanity.
Voluntary or involuntary admission to a mental health facility within the past five years.
A misdemeanor conviction involving force or the threat of force within the past three years.

These grounds come from Nevada law and the federal prohibition under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), which bars anyone adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution from possessing firearms nationwide.³

How to Apply Through LVMPD

Clark County residents apply through the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. You can start online or in person, but fingerprints and photographs are taken at LVMPD headquarters. Bring the original training certificate from your instructor; copies are not accepted.⁴

The total fee for a new application is $99: $60 for the application and $39 for the FBI background check.⁵ After you submit online, you have 30 days to pay through a secure link. Once payment clears, you can schedule your fingerprint appointment.

By statute, the sheriff’s office has up to 120 days to process the application. Approved permits are valid for five years and mailed to the address on file. If you move during that period, notify the issuing sheriff in writing within 30 days.⁴

Out-of-State Permits and Visitors

Nevada recognizes concealed carry permits from many other states. The Nevada State Police Records, Communications and Compliance Division keeps the official list, which changes without much notice.⁶ As of the most recent update, Nevada honors permits from:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho (Enhanced only), Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi (Enhanced only), Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (Class 1 only), Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota (Enhanced only), Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

For Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota, only the upgraded permit types listed are honored; a basic permit from those states is not valid in Nevada. You must carry the physical permit on you at all times while armed.⁶

One trap for visitors: Nevada has no permitless (constitutional) carry law. If your home state lets you carry concealed without a permit but is not on Nevada’s recognition list, you cannot carry concealed here. Open carry is your only legal option.

Where a Permit Still Won’t Let You Carry

A CCW permit is not blanket access. Several categories of locations remain off-limits, and the penalties run from gross misdemeanors to federal felonies.

Casinos

Nearly every major casino on the Strip prohibits firearms. Casinos are private property, and Nevada law allows any property owner to ban firearms by posting signs at public entrances.⁷ If you walk in past a posted sign, security will ask you to leave, and refusing can lead to a trespassing charge. Secure the firearm in your hotel room safe or your vehicle before entering.

Schools, Childcare Facilities, and Universities

Possessing a firearm on the property of any school, childcare facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education campus is a gross misdemeanor unless you have written permission from the institution.⁸ The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act adds a separate offense for possessing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, with an exception for people holding a state-issued permit from the state where the school zone sits. A Nevada CCW satisfies that exception in Nevada. Out-of-state permit holders may not be covered by the federal exception even if their permit is recognized here.

Airports

You cannot carry a firearm anywhere on public airport property, including the terminal, secure areas, and the broader grounds.⁷ If you are flying through Harry Reid International, the firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container, and declared at the airline counter for checked baggage.

Government and Federal Buildings

Nevada law bars concealed carry in any public building that either has metal detectors at every entrance or posts no-firearms signs at every entrance.⁷ Federal law separately makes it a crime to bring a firearm into any federal facility, including post offices, federal courthouses, and Social Security offices, with penalties of up to one year in prison for a standard federal facility and up to two years for a federal court facility.⁹

On National Park Service land near Las Vegas, such as Lake Mead and Red Rock Canyon, a valid Nevada or recognized out-of-state permit is honored, but firearms are still banned inside visitor centers, ranger stations, and other federal facilities on that land.¹⁰

Carrying After Drinking

Possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is a misdemeanor in Nevada. The threshold is the same as drunk driving: a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.¹¹ If an officer asks you to submit to a blood or breath test, the statute requires you to comply; there is no refusal option as there is with a DUI traffic stop. The rule applies whether you are carrying concealed or openly. In a city built around drinking, the practical answer is to leave the gun secured before you head out.

Retired Law Enforcement Officers

The federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act lets qualified retired officers carry a concealed firearm nationwide, including in Nevada, without a state permit. Qualifying means at least 10 years of service (or separation due to a service-connected disability), separation in good standing, a firearms qualification within the past 12 months at your own expense, and a photographic ID from your former agency identifying you as retired.¹² LEOSA does not override the prohibited-location rules above. Federal buildings, schools, and posted private property remain off-limits.

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.350 – Manufacture, Importation and Disposition of Certain Dangerous Weapons or Silencers
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3657 – Application for Permit; Eligibility; Denial or Revocation of Permit
3
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Carry Firearm Permits (CCW)
4
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Apply for a CCW Permit Online
5
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Firearm Permit – FAQs
6
State of Nevada. Out-of-State CCW Recognition
7
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3673 – Permittee Authorized to Carry Concealed Firearm While on Premises of Public Building; Exceptions; Penalty
8
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.265 – Possession of Dangerous Weapon on Property or in Vehicle of School or Child Care Facility
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
10
U.S. National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
11
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.257 – Possession of Firearm When Under the Influence of Alcohol, Controlled Substance or Other Intoxicating Substance
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926C – Carrying of Concealed Firearms by Qualified Retired Law Enforcement Officers