Frequently asked questions about;
Ohio Concealed Carry Permit


Application to carry a concealed handgun is made to the local sheriff on a form prescribed by the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission.
Out Of State Permit Issue:
No, individuals must be Ohio residents for 45 days before application and at least 21 years of age.
NICS check:
Only if you have not lived in Ohio for the previous 5 years.

Cost:
New and Renewal: The license fee is $67.00 An Additional $20.00 is required if an FBI record check is necessary. Duplicates are $15.00.
Requirements:
1. 21 Years Of Age
2. Ohio residents for 45 days
3. Resident of the issuing county (or an adjacent county) for 30 days
4. Completed Application
5. Color photograph taken within the last 30 days
6. Set of fingerprints
7. Certification of competency with a firearm
Renewal Information:
You may renew your license 90 days prior to expiration and 30 days after expiration. You have a grace period of thirty days after the license expires during which your license remains valid. Duration for CCW is 5 years.
You must complete the CCW application. A set of fingerprints will either be rolled or scanned. Your photograph will be taken. The renewal fee will be collected or a waiver will be noted. The certificate of competency (less than six years old) or the renewal competency certificate must be presented to the Sheriff.
Informing Law Enforcement of Carry:
If a person is stopped for a law enforcement purpose and if the person is carrying a concealed handgun as a CCW licensee, whether in a motor vehicle or not, the person shall inform the law enforcement ofcer that the person is carrying a concealed handgun, keep his or her hands in plain sight at all times and not touch the concealed handgun, unless in accordance with directions given by any law enforcement ofcer. Violating this section of law is a first degree misdemeanor, and in addition to any other penalty handed down by a court, shall result in the suspension of the person’s concealed handgun license for one year.
NOTE:
So far, the Ohio Supreme Court has not defned the term "plain sight” precisely in the context of carrying a concealed handgun. However, in other contexts, courts have generally held that the term "plain sight” is a common sense term that means clearly visible or unobstructed. Plain sight applies to your hands and other objects.
If a person is stopped for a law enforcement purpose and if the person is carrying a concealed handgun as a CCW licensee, whether in a motor vehicle or not, the person shall not have or attempt to have any contact with the handgun, unless in accordance with directions given by a law enforcement ofcer. Violating this law is a felony.
If a person is stopped for a law enforcement purpose and if the person is carrying a concealed handgun as a CCW licensee, whether in a motor vehicle or not, the person shall not knowingly disregard or fail to comply with any lawful order given by any law enforcement ofcer.
Violating this law is a first degree misdemeanor and may result in the suspension of the person’s concealed handgun license for two years. However, if at the time of the stop the law enforcement ofcer or an employee of a motor carrier enforcement unit who made the stop had actual knowledge that the licensee has had a CCW license, then the person’s CCW license shall not be suspended for a violation of 2923.16 (E) (3). The CCW licensee’s violation will be considered a minor misdemeanor.
If the CCW licensee surrenders the firearm, then the following applies:
• If the firearm is not returned at the completion of the stop, the
law enforcement ofcer is required to return the firearm in " the condition it was in when it was seized.”
• If a court orders the firearm’s return and the firearm has not been
returned to the licensee, the CCW licensee can claim reasonable costs and attorney fees for the loss and the cost of claiming the firearm.
WARNING:
If you are planning on carrying a concealed handgun while driving:Have your concealed carry license and another piece of valid government identifcation in your possession.
Make sure the handgun is:
• In a holster secured on your person, or
• In a closed case, bag, box, or other container that is in
plain sight and has a closing mechanism such as a zipper, snap or buckle, or
• Securely encased by being stored in a closed, glove compartment or vehicle console, or
• Locked in a case.
If you are pulled over and you are carrying a concealed handgun remember the following:
• Before the ofcer approaches, roll down your window and place
your hands in plain view on the steering wheel.
• Calmly tell the ofcer that you have a license to carry a concealed
handgun and that you have a handgun with you. Ask if the ofcer has particular instructions concerning the handgun.
• Do not touch or attempt to touch your handgun unless specifcally
told to by the ofcer.
• Do not exit your vehicle unless specifcally told to by the ofcer.• Comply with all lawful orders given by the ofcer.
If you are a licensee and are not carrying a concealed handgun, this section does not apply to you.
In addition to the concealed carry prohibitions detailed above, Ohio has strict laws concerning frearms in a vehicle. If you DO NOT have a concealed handgun license, you may not transport a loaded handgun in any manner where it is accessible to anyone inside the vehicle without leaving the vehicle. If you DO NOT have a license, you may not transport a frearm in a vehicle unless it is unloaded and carried in one of the following ways:v
• In a closed package, box or case;
• In a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle;
• In plain sight and secured in a rack or holder made for that purpose; or
• If it is a frearm at least twenty four inches in overall length and if
the barrel is at least eighteen inches in length in plain sight with the action open or the handgun stripped, or if the frearm is of a type in which the action will not stay open or cannot easily be stripped, in plain sight.
Statutory Reference (s) R.C. 2923.16 (E) governs how licensees may transport loaded concealed handguns in motor vehicles.R.C. 2923.16 (B) – (C) governs how frearms must be otherwise transported in a vehicle
Automobile carry:
The transportation of loaded, concealed handguns in motor vehicles is permitted, but strict obligations are imposed by the law to protect you and law enforcement. These obligations apply to drivers and occupants. These obligations do not apply if you are storing a firearm for any lawful purpose and it is not on your person or you are lawfully storing or possessing a firearm in your home. You may not have a loaded handgun in the vehicle if you are under the infuence of drugs or alcohol. If you have a concealed carry permit, you may not transport a loaded, concealed handgun in a vehicle unless it is carried in one of the following ways:
• The loaded handgun is in a holster secured on the person. Ohio law previously required carrying firearms in a holster in plain sight. The"plain sight” provision has been removed from the law.
• The loaded handgun is in a closed case, bag, box, or other container that is in plain sight and that has a lid, a cover, or a closing mechanism with a zipper, snap, or buckle, which lid, cover or closing mechanism must be opened for a person to gain access to the handgun, or
• The loaded handgun is securely encased by being stored in a closed, glove compartment or console, or in a case that is locked.
Motorcycles fall under the defnition of motor vehicles. Thus, the same requirements apply to licensees who carry a handgun while on a motorcycle.

Places off-limits when carrying:
The law sets forth several places where your license does not allow
you to carry a handgun. Under the law, you may not carry a concealed
handgun into the following places:
• Police stations
• Sheriffs’ offices
• Highway Patrol posts.
• Premises controlled by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification
and Investigation.
• Correctional institutions or other detention facilities
• Airport terminals or commercial airplanes.
• Institutions 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 D-Liquor Permit premises in which any person is consuming
liquor.
Concealed firearms are banned in premises for which a D permit
has been issued or in an open air arena for which a permit
of that nature has been issued. There are some exceptions to this
prohibition. The prohibition does not apply to principal holder
of D permit as long as principal holder is not consuming liquor.
The prohibition does not apply to an agent or employee of the
principal holder who is also a peace officer who is also off duty.
Possession of a concealed firearm is allowed in a retail store with
a D-6 or D-8 permit as long as 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, be certain of the type of permit and whether liquor is
being consumed before you enter with a concealed handgun.
• Government facilities that are not used primarilys a shelter,
restroom, parking facility for motor vehicles, or rest facility and
is 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.
The law generally forbids the carrying of a handgun in a school
safety zone unless all of the following apply:
• You do not enter a school building, premises or activity;
and
• You have a concealed carry license or temporary emergency
license; and
• You are not otherwise in one of the forbidden places listed
above and detailed in R.C. 2923.126 (B); or
• You are a driver or passenger in a motor vehicle immediately
in the process of picking up or dropping off a child, and you
are not otherwise in violation of the laws governing transportation
of firearms in motor vehicles.