Open carry is legal in Ohio. [source]
There are no restrictions as to how it should be carried.
Open carrying in a vehicle is only legal if you have a Ohio Concealed Handgun Licenses or a permit issued by another state that Ohio recognizes. [source]
The following places are off-limits when carrying a firearm in Ohio.
- Police stations
- Sheriffs’ offices
- Highway Patrol posts
- Premises controlled by BCI
- Correctional institutions or other detention facilities
- Airport terminals or airplanes
- Facilities for the care of mentally ill persons
- Courthouses or buildings in which a courtroom is located
- Universities, unless locked in a motor vehicle or in the process of being locked in a motor vehicle
- Places of worship, unless the place of worship permits otherwise
- Child day-care centers
- Licensed Class D liquor permit premises, if you are consuming beer or intoxicating liquor or are under the influence. If you are not consuming, and not under the influence, you may carry unless there is a conspicuous sign prohibiting carry. Possession of a concealed firearm is allowed in a retail store with a D-6 or D-8 permit as long as the concealed carry license holder is not consuming liquor. Class D permits are generally issued to an establishment that sells alcohol for consumption on the premises. In any event, do not consume beer or intoxicating liquor before carrying a concealed handgun into a licensed premises or while on the premises.
- Government facilities that are not used primarily as a shelter, restroom, parking facility for motor vehicles, or rest facility and are not a courthouse or a building or structure in which a courtroom is located.
- School safety zones – A “school safety zone” includes a school, school building, school premises, school activity, and school bus. For purposes of this statute, a school includes everything up to the property boundary.
If you are licensed to carry a concealed handgun, you may carry a handgun into a school safety zone only if you do not enter a school building, school premises, or school activity. You also must not be in one of the places listed in ORC 2923.126(B). You may be in a motor vehicle and immediately in the process of picking up or dropping off a child. You also must comply with all other laws governing the transportation of firearms in a motor vehicle.
For concealed carry information, visit our Ohio Concealed Carry page.
We try to keep the information on this page as up to date as possible but due to changing laws it is your responsibility to verify all information. The information on this page is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this Web site, emails or any of the links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between i156 LLC and the user or browser. The opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of i156 LLC.
