Under Florida concealed carry law, any adult 21 or older who is not a prohibited person may carry a concealed firearm in public without a state-issued license. The change took effect July 1, 2023. Every other firearms restriction remains in place: eligibility rules, location bans, federal gun-free zones, and identification requirements all still apply, and the state still issues the Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) for those who want its added protections.
Who Can Carry Concealed Without a License
Eliminating the license requirement did not eliminate the eligibility rules. To carry a concealed firearm without a license in Florida, you must meet all of the following:
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Be a U.S. resident who is either a citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
- Not be disqualified from firearm possession under any state or federal law.
The disqualifications are broad. You cannot carry a concealed firearm if you have been convicted of a felony without having your firearm rights formally restored; if you have an adjudication of guilt or suspended sentence for a misdemeanor crime of violence within the past three years; if you have a similar adjudication for misdemeanor domestic violence within three years (and federal law separately bars firearm possession for anyone with a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, with no time limit); if you have been committed to a mental institution or adjudicated incapacitated; if you are subject to a domestic violence injunction or risk protection order; if you have been committed for substance abuse under Chapter 397; or if you chronically abuse alcohol to the point of impairment.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
These criteria mirror the long-standing CWFL requirements. The difference is that no one verifies your eligibility in advance. With a license, the Department of Agriculture runs a background check before issuing the permit. Under permitless carry, the burden falls entirely on you. Carry while disqualified and you face the same criminal penalties that applied before the law changed.
The law also applies specifically to concealed carry. The firearm must be hidden from the ordinary sight of another person: in a holster beneath clothing, inside a bag, or in a similar covered manner.
Where You Still Cannot Carry Under Florida Law
The list of prohibited locations was not shortened. You cannot carry a concealed firearm, with or without a license, into any of the following:
- Police stations, sheriff’s offices, highway patrol stations, detention facilities, prisons, and jails.
- Courthouses and courtrooms, though a judge may authorize exceptions in their own courtroom.
- Polling places.
- Meetings of the legislature, county commissions, school boards, or other governing bodies.
- Elementary schools, secondary schools, school administration buildings, and college or university facilities.
- The passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport.
- Any portion of a bar or restaurant that is primarily devoted to serving alcohol.
- Career centers.
- Places of nuisance as defined in Florida law.
Knowingly carrying in any of these locations is a second-degree misdemeanor.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 2025 – 790.06 Some of these locations, such as courthouses and jails, sit next to other offenses that could escalate any additional charges considerably.
Federal Restrictions That Override State Law
Florida’s permitless carry rule has no effect on federal firearms law, and this is where carrying without a license leaves a gap that CWFL holders don’t have.
The Gun-Free School Zones Act
Federal law makes it a crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. One key exception applies to a person “licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located,” but only when the state’s licensing process requires law enforcement to verify the applicant’s eligibility.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Florida’s CWFL includes that background check, so license holders qualify. Permitless carriers hold no state license and therefore fall outside the exemption.
In practical terms, most drivers pass within 1,000 feet of a school constantly without noticing. Federal prosecutions of otherwise lawful gun owners under this statute are uncommon, but the exposure exists.
Federal Buildings and Property
Firearms are prohibited inside any building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities That covers post offices, Social Security offices, VA facilities, federal courthouses, and similar locations. No state carry rule overrides this. Federal court facilities, including courtrooms, chambers, and surrounding offices, face a separate and stiffer prohibition in the same statute.
National parks work differently. Federal law generally allows firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges and defers to the law of the state where the park sits. Someone who qualifies for permitless carry in Florida can lawfully carry in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress, or other Florida-based federal park land. Carrying inside a federal building within a park, such as a visitor center or ranger station, is still off-limits.
Carrying a Firearm in a Vehicle
Florida has long allowed anyone 18 or older to keep a handgun inside a private vehicle if the firearm is “securely encased,” meaning in a glove compartment, a snapped holster, a gun case, or a similar closed container, and not in the person’s manual possession.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.25 – Lawful Ownership, Possession, and Use of Firearms and Other Weapons That rule still applies.
What is new is that anyone who qualifies for permitless carry may now carry a concealed firearm on their person inside a vehicle, in a hip holster for example, without a license. Note the age gap. An 18-year-old can keep a handgun securely encased in the car, but only someone 21 or older qualifies for on-person concealed carry inside the vehicle.
Open Carry in Florida
Concealed carry is not the same as open carry, and Florida’s open carry status has shifted. Section 790.053 still reads on paper as a blanket prohibition on openly carrying a firearm in public, with exceptions only for self-defense chemical sprays and nonlethal stun devices.6The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons In September 2025, a Florida appellate court struck down that ban. The state attorney general then directed law enforcement not to arrest people who openly display handguns in public and declared open carry lawful statewide.
The statute has not been repealed or amended by the legislature, and the legal picture could shift again through further court proceedings or new legislation. One rule has not changed: intentionally displaying a firearm in an angry or threatening manner, outside of self-defense, remains illegal regardless of how the open carry question is resolved.
Private Property and No-Guns Signs
Florida does not give no-firearms signs the force of law. Walking past a “no guns allowed” sign is not, by itself, a crime. A business can refuse service and ask you to leave, but the sign alone does not create criminal liability.
That changes the moment you refuse to leave. If a property owner or employee asks you to go and you stay, you can be charged with armed trespassing, a felony. You can lawfully carry past a sign, but you must leave immediately when asked.
Identification When Carrying
Anyone carrying a concealed firearm without a license must carry valid identification at all times and present it when a law enforcement officer asks. Failing to produce ID is a noncriminal violation with a $25 fine.7Justia Law. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm The fine is minor, but the encounter itself can escalate if an officer cannot confirm who you are. A driver’s license or state ID card is the simplest way to comply.
Florida does not require you to proactively tell an officer that you are carrying. You must produce ID on demand, but you are not obligated to volunteer the information during a traffic stop or other interaction.
Why the CWFL Still Matters
The Department of Agriculture continues to issue the Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, and it carries real advantages over permitless carry alone.
Reciprocity across state lines. Permitless carry applies only inside Florida. The moment you cross a state line, you need a license the destination state recognizes, or you risk criminal charges there. Florida’s CWFL is currently recognized by roughly 36 other states. Without a license, you have no document to present, even in states that have their own permitless carry laws, because some of those states extend permitless carry only to their own residents.
Firearm purchase waiting period. Florida imposes a mandatory waiting period of at least three business days between purchase and delivery of a firearm. CWFL holders are exempt and can take possession the same day they buy.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.0655 – Purchase and Delivery of Firearms; Mandatory Waiting Period; Exceptions; Penalties The federal NICS background check still runs at the point of sale, because Florida’s CWFL does not qualify as a substitute for it under ATF records.9ATF. Brady Permit Chart
Federal school zone coverage. Only CWFL holders qualify for the Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption. Anyone who drives regularly in a populated area passes within 1,000 feet of a school constantly. The license closes that gap.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Applicants must complete a firearms training course and pass a background check through the Department of Agriculture. For anyone who carries regularly or travels out of state, the license offers protection that permitless carry alone does not.