You do not need a concealed carry permit in Indiana. Since July 1, 2022, state law lets most adults 18 and older carry a handgun openly or concealed without applying for a license or paying a fee, as long as they are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm.1IN.gov. Firearms Matters The optional License to Carry a Handgun (LTCH) still exists, and it is worth getting if you travel out of state, but Indiana itself no longer requires one.
The law removed the licensing step. It did not change who is allowed to carry, and it did not change where firearms are allowed. Both of those still matter, and the penalties for getting them wrong are serious.
Who Still Cannot Carry in Indiana
Permitless carry is not unrestricted carry. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 keeps a list of people who cannot legally carry a handgun, permit or no permit:2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun
- Anyone convicted of a federal or state crime punishable by more than one year in prison, other than certain business-regulation offenses like antitrust violations.
- Anyone convicted of a crime of domestic violence, domestic battery, or criminal stalking. Firearm rights can be restored for domestic battery and domestic violence convictions through a separate court process, but until that happens the ban applies.
- Anyone subject to a protective order issued under Indiana’s civil protection order statute.
- Anyone who has fled a state to avoid prosecution or to avoid testifying in a criminal proceeding.
- Anyone a court has declared dangerous under Indiana’s red flag law, unless the person successfully petitions for the return of their firearms.
- Anyone under 18, or under 23 with a juvenile adjudication for a serious firearm offense.
- Anyone dishonorably discharged from the military or National Guard.
- Anyone who has formally renounced U.S. citizenship.
Federal Prohibitions Layered on Top
Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) adds categories that Indiana’s statute does not spell out.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Two catch Indiana residents off guard more than any others.
The first is unlawful use of any federally controlled substance. That includes marijuana, even in states where it is legal, and it applies regardless of what Indiana’s drug laws say. If you use a controlled substance, federal law prohibits you from possessing firearms.
The second is a mental health adjudication. Federal law prohibits firearm possession by anyone who has been formally adjudicated as mentally defective or involuntarily committed. This is a specific legal finding by a court or administrative body. Seeing a therapist, taking prescribed medication, or voluntarily seeking treatment does not trigger it.
Where You Still Cannot Carry
Even a legal carrier can walk into a crime by crossing the wrong threshold. A few places are off-limits regardless of your eligibility.
Schools and School Buses
Possessing a firearm on school property or on a school bus is a Level 6 felony. There is a narrow exception: a person otherwise allowed to possess a firearm may keep it locked in a vehicle’s trunk, in the glove compartment of a locked vehicle, or stored out of plain sight in a locked vehicle. Leaving a firearm in plain view in a vehicle parked in a school lot is a separate Class A misdemeanor.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-9-2 – Possession of Firearms on School Property or a School Bus
Airport Security Areas
You can carry in the general public areas of an airport. The moment you enter a security checkpoint with a firearm on your person or accessible in your bag, you have committed a Class A misdemeanor under Indiana law, and TSA can impose separate civil penalties.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-6-1.3 – Firearm, Explosive, or Deadly Weapon – Possession in Controlled Access Areas of an Airport
Federal Buildings
Federal law prohibits firearms in any building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work. Post offices, federal courthouses, Social Security offices, and VA facilities are all covered. The penalty is up to a year in prison for general federal facilities and up to two years for federal court facilities.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
Casinos and Aircraft
Indiana’s riverboat casinos and gaming facilities prohibit firearms, and commercial aircraft are off-limits under federal law.
Private Property
Businesses and private property owners can prohibit firearms on their premises. In Indiana, a posted “no guns” sign does not itself carry the force of criminal law. Walking past one is not a firearms offense. If the owner asks you to leave and you refuse, that is trespassing. The practical risk is the confrontation, not the sign.
Penalties If You Carry When You Shouldn’t
Unlawful carrying of a handgun is a Class A misdemeanor in Indiana, punishable by up to a year in jail. It becomes a Level 5 felony, carrying one to six years in prison, if any of the following apply:2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-2-1.5 – Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun
- The offense occurs on school property, within 500 feet of it, or on a school bus.
- You have a prior conviction for unlawful carrying of a handgun.
- You have been convicted of any felony within the past 15 years.
Federal charges can stack on top. A prohibited person caught possessing a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) faces up to 15 years in federal prison, and federal prosecutors do pursue these cases, particularly when other criminal activity is involved.
Why Get the Optional License Anyway
If you live in Indiana and never leave it, the LTCH is genuinely optional. In two situations, it earns its keep.
Travel. About 31 states honor Indiana’s LTCH through reciprocity agreements.7IN.gov. Which States Honor My Indiana Handgun License Without a license, you have no recognized carry credential the moment you cross a state line, and most states do not extend permitless carry to non-residents. If you regularly drive to Ohio, Kentucky, or Michigan, the license is effectively a travel document.
Gun purchases. Indiana’s LTCH qualifies as a Brady Act alternative permit. When you buy from a licensed dealer and present a valid LTCH, the dealer has the option to skip the standard NICS background check because your license already confirms you passed one.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Brady Permit Chart Only the five-year license qualifies for this purpose, and dealers are not required to accept it, but many do.
The license also functions as official proof that you are legally eligible to carry, which can shorten conversations with law enforcement if it comes up.
How to Apply for the License
Indiana charges no state fee for either the five-year or lifetime LTCH. The costs are a $12.95 electronic fingerprinting fee paid to IDEMIA and a small IN.gov processing charge of $1.00 plus 2% of the transaction.9Indiana State Police. Fees The process has three steps, all of which must be finished within 365 days of submitting the online application:
- Complete the Handgun License Application through the Indiana State Police online portal.
- Schedule and complete electronic fingerprinting at an IDEMIA location.
- Visit your local sheriff’s office or municipal police department to finish processing.
The application then goes to the Indiana State Police for final review. Approved licenses arrive by mail; denials come with written notice and appeal instructions.10IN.gov. Apply for a New License to Carry
The lifetime license costs the same as the five-year and never needs renewal, so it is the better value for most applicants. The one reason to pick the five-year instead is the Brady permit benefit at gun purchases, which only applies to a five-year license issued within the last five years.