Texas Handgun Carry Laws — 2026

Texas Carry at a Glance

1. Permitless Carry: What Texas Law Actually Says

Texas Penal Code §46.02 is the starting point. Texas no longer requires every ordinary lawful carrier to obtain an LTC before carrying a handgun in public, but the carrier still has to remain outside the disqualifying conditions in that statute and other state and federal firearm laws.

The law also contains special rules for recent convictions for certain assaultive or disorderly-conduct offenses. Separate provisions restrict people prohibited from possessing firearms under state or federal law. Permitless carry did not erase those restrictions.

2. What Age Can You Carry a Handgun in Texas?

This is one of the messiest parts of the current law because the printed Texas statute and the federal court ruling do not line up neatly.

Penal Code §46.02 still contains language making younger than 21 part of the statutory unlawful-carry framework. However, in Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc. v. McCraw, a federal district court ruled that Texas could not enforce its age-based statutory scheme against otherwise law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds solely because of their age.

Texas DPS currently states that it will no longer deny an LTC application solely because an otherwise-qualified applicant is between 18 and 20 years old.

3. Is a Texas LTC Still Worth Having?

Legally speaking, the LTC still does things permitless carry does not. HB 1927 did not repeal the Texas License to Carry program.

An LTC can matter for:

• Campus carry: Texas college campus carry remains an LTC-only privilege.
• Government meetings: Texas law gives LTC holders an exception to the government-open-meeting restriction in §46.03(a)(14), assuming another prohibition does not independently apply.
• Private-property signs: 30.05, 30.06 and 30.07 do different things depending on whether the person has a license.
• Certain §46.03 locations: Hospitals, nursing facilities, qualifying amusement parks and certain collegiate sporting events have LTC-specific exceptions tied to effective notice.
• Reciprocity: A physical Texas license can be recognized by another state. “Texas lets me carry without a permit” does not itself create a permit for travel.
• Federal school-zone law: Federal law distinguishes a state-issued license from unlicensed carry.
• Firearm purchases: DPS lists a qualifying Texas LTC as an alternative to the NICS check under applicable federal rules.

In other words: permitless carry made the LTC optional for a lot of everyday Texas carry. It did not make the license useless.

4. Concealed Carry vs. Open Carry

Concealed

A person who may lawfully carry under Texas law can generally carry a concealed handgun without an LTC unless a particular location, notice provision or other law says otherwise.

Open

If the handgun is partially or wholly visible in public, Texas law requires it to be carried in a holster.

5. Carrying a Handgun in Your Vehicle

Texas law permits lawful vehicle carry, but §46.02 still imposes conditions.

• A handgun may generally be concealed inside a vehicle that you own or control when you are otherwise legally allowed to possess it.
• If the handgun is in plain view, the statute requires the person to be at least 21 or licensed to carry, and the handgun must be in a holster.
• The vehicle provision does not protect somebody who is prohibited by law from possessing a firearm.
• It also contains restrictions when the person is engaged in criminal activity other than specified Class C traffic or boating violations.

Texas also has separate laws protecting lawful firearm storage in certain employee parking areas and school parking areas, but those statutes contain exceptions. Do not turn “Texas has a parking-lot law” into “my employer can never regulate firearms anywhere on its property.”

6. Texas Gun Signs: 30.05 vs. 30.06 vs. 30.07

These are not three names for the same sign. They target different types of carry.

The statutory signs have formatting requirements. Depending on the section, those include the required statutory wording, English and Spanish, contrasting colors, block letters at least one inch high and conspicuous placement. Section 30.07 requires the statutory sign at each entrance.

For firearm-based 30.05, 30.06 and 30.07 offenses, Texas law generally treats an initial properly-noticed violation as a Class C misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $200. The exposure rises to a Class A misdemeanor if the carrier later receives the specified personal notice and fails to depart.

A generic “no guns” symbol is not automatically interchangeable with the statutory 30.06 or 30.07 written-notice requirements. That does not mean you should ignore the owner's wishes. Property rights and personal notice still matter.

7. Bars, Restaurants, Alcohol and the Red 51% Sign

Texas does not simply ban handgun carry everywhere alcohol is sold.

Penal Code §46.03 specifically addresses certain premises where the business derives 51% or more of its income from the sale or service of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption. TABC requires qualifying businesses to display the red handgun warning sign prominently where it is visible before entry, subject to the current TABC licensing rules.

Separate from where alcohol is sold, §46.02 also restricts carrying a handgun while intoxicated, subject to limited statutory exceptions involving a person's own property, qualifying private property, or certain vehicle/watercraft situations.

We are deliberately not giving you a magic “number of drinks” here. Firearm law and alcohol are a terrible place to rely on bar-stool mathematics.

8. Places Where Texas Restricts or Prohibits Carry

Penal Code §46.03 is the big one. It covers places where firearms are restricted regardless of ordinary permitless-carry rules, although the chapter contains important exceptions and defenses.

K–12 Schools

Firearms are generally prohibited on the premises of a primary or secondary school, in school passenger transportation and on grounds or buildings where a school-sponsored activity is being conducted, unless a statutory exception or written authorization applies. An ordinary Texas LTC does not create general K–12 campus carry.

Colleges and Universities

This is different from K–12. A Texas LTC holder may carry a concealed handgun on a Texas college or university campus subject to the institution's lawful rules and exclusion zones. Open carry on a college campus remains prohibited.

Public universities may establish reasonable campus rules but cannot simply turn the entire campus into a blanket no-carry zone contrary to the statute. Private or independent institutions have additional authority to opt out under Texas law when the statutory notice requirements are met.

Polling Places

Section 46.03 prohibits firearms on the premises of a polling place on election day and while early voting is in progress. An LTC does not create a general exception for an ordinary voter.

For §46.03, “premises” generally means the building or portion of the building, not the surrounding driveway, street, sidewalk, parking lot or parking garage. Other laws or facts can still affect the surrounding property.

Government Courts and Court Offices

Carry is generally prohibited on the premises of a government court or offices utilized by the court unless written regulations, written authorization or another specific statutory exception applies. Ordinary LTC status by itself is not a blanket courthouse pass.

Government Open Meetings

Section 46.03 includes the room or rooms where a governmental entity is holding an open meeting that is subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act and the statutory notice requirements have been satisfied.

Here is an important LTC distinction: §46.15 provides an exception to this particular prohibition for an LTC holder carrying the handgun concealed or in a holster. That does not override some other independent prohibition on the location itself.

Hospitals and Nursing Facilities

Hospitals licensed under Chapter 241 of the Health and Safety Code and qualifying nursing facilities appear in §46.03. However, the statute contains an LTC-specific exception when the license holder has not received effective notice under the applicable 30.06, 30.07 or Government Code notice provisions.

A mental hospital is listed separately in §46.03 and should not be casually treated as if it has the same LTC notice exception.

Amusement Parks

Texas's statutory definition of an “amusement park” is narrower than normal conversation. The facility must meet specific requirements involving size, county population, controlled entrances, operating days and security.

As with qualifying hospitals and nursing facilities, Texas law contains an LTC-specific exception when the license holder has not received effective statutory notice.

Sporting Events

High-school, collegiate, professional and interscholastic sporting events can fall within §46.03. Texas also provides a narrow LTC exception for a handgun at a collegiate sporting event when effective 30.06 or 30.07 notice has not been given. Do not stretch that exception to high-school or professional events.

Other §46.03 Locations

• Racetracks.
• Secured areas of airports.
• Correctional facilities.
• Civil commitment facilities.
• Certain areas within 1,000 feet of a designated execution site on the day an execution is scheduled, after the statutory notice requirements are met.
• Qualifying 51% alcohol premises.

9. Private Property Rights Still Matter

Texas protecting the right to carry does not erase the rights of a private property owner.

A private business may use the applicable statutory notices to restrict permitless carry, licensed concealed carry, licensed open carry or some combination of them. An owner or someone with apparent authority can also personally give notice.

Employers likewise retain substantial authority over firearms carried inside the actual premises of a business. Texas does have a separate employee parking-lot protection statute for lawful firearms stored in a locked privately owned vehicle, but the statute includes exceptions. Worksites involving schools, certain secured areas and other specially regulated properties can require a separate analysis.

Government Property Is Different

A Texas state agency or political subdivision generally may not use 30.06 or 30.07 notice to exclude an LTC holder from government-owned or leased property unless §46.03 or another law actually prohibits licensed carry there. Government Code §411.209 establishes a complaint and civil-penalty process for wrongful exclusion.

10. Federal Law Does Not Disappear at the Texas Border

Texas can tell you what Texas law permits. It cannot erase federal firearm restrictions.

Federal School Zones

The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act defines a school zone to include the grounds of a public, private or parochial elementary or secondary school and an area within 1,000 feet of those grounds.

Federal law contains several exceptions, including one for a person licensed by the state in which the school zone is located when that state's licensing process verifies the person's qualifications. Permitless carry itself is not a state-issued license. That is another reason a Texas LTC and permitless carry are not legally identical.

Federal Facilities

18 U.S.C. §930 separately regulates firearms and dangerous weapons in federal facilities and federal court facilities. Do not assume a Texas LTC or Texas permitless-carry law overrides a federal-building restriction.

Post Offices

USPS states that firearms and other dangerous weapons may not be carried or stored on Postal Service property except for official purposes. That wording matters: the federal rule is not limited to standing at the retail counter inside the post office.

11. Police Encounters: Duty to Display vs. “Duty to Inform”

Texas is often described online as a “duty to inform” state, but that phrase can make the actual statute sound broader than it is.

Government Code §411.205 says that when an LTC holder is carrying a handgun and a magistrate or peace officer demands identification, the license holder must display both the person's driver's license or identification certificate and the person's handgun license.

That is not written as a blanket command requiring every carrier to blurt out “I have a gun” the instant any officer walks up. Permitless carriers obviously do not have an LTC to display.

None of that changes the obvious practical rule: keep your hands visible, do not make sudden movements toward a firearm and follow lawful commands. Texas law also allows an officer to temporarily disarm a license holder when the officer reasonably believes it is necessary to protect the license holder, officer or another person.

12. Reciprocity: Your Texas LTC Does Not Export Texas Law

Texas maintains reciprocity agreements and recognition arrangements with numerous states. Those relationships change, which is why we are not freezing a giant fifty-state list into this article and pretending it will remain correct forever.

If another state recognizes your Texas LTC, you carry under that state's law while you are there. Texas rules on signs, prohibited places, magazine restrictions, vehicle carry or alcohol do not travel with the plastic card.

Texas DPS maintains the current reciprocity table, and 2025 legislation requires DPS to continue reviewing and updating recognition information.

13. What People Commonly Get Wrong

14. Plain-English Examples

Example 1 — Grocery store, no firearm notice:
An otherwise lawful adult carrier walks into an ordinary Texas grocery store carrying concealed. Nothing about the grocery-store label alone makes that unlawful. You still check for applicable notice and any other location-specific restriction.

Example 2 — Business posts only a valid 30.05 firearm notice:
That notice is aimed at unlicensed carry. An LTC holder carrying a handgun concealed or in a holster is treated differently under §30.05, although separate 30.06 or 30.07 notice, another law or personal notice may still apply.

Example 3 — Restaurant with a bar:
“They serve beer” is not enough information. Determine whether it is actually a qualifying 51% premises and look for the required TABC handgun notice and other applicable signs.

Example 4 — Public university classroom:
Permitless carry does not create campus carry. An LTC holder may have concealed-carry authority, but the university's lawful campus rules and exclusion zones still need to be checked.

Example 5 — City council meeting:
A permitless carrier and an LTC holder can get different answers. Texas gives an LTC holder an exception to the specific §46.03 government-open-meeting restriction, but another prohibition on the building can still control.

Example 6 — Walking near an elementary school:
Texas law is not the end of the analysis. Federal law creates a school zone extending 1,000 feet from school grounds and contains its own exceptions, including one tied to a qualifying license issued by the state where the school zone is located.

Example 7 — Post office parking lot:
Do not assume “I'll just leave it in the truck” solves the federal issue. USPS expressly states that firearms may not be carried or stored on Postal Service property except for official purposes.

15. The Penalty Is Not the Same Everywhere

One reason we do not reduce Texas carry law to a one-page “yes/no” map is that the penalties vary dramatically.

A statutory trespass-sign violation may begin as a Class C misdemeanor and escalate when somebody ignores direct notice. Other Chapter 46 violations can be Class A misdemeanors or felonies depending on the location, the person's status and the exact subsection involved.

16. The Five Questions to Ask Before You Carry Somewhere

1. Am I legally allowed to possess and carry the handgun?
2. Is this location independently prohibited by Texas or federal law?
3. Do I have an LTC, and does that change the rule here?
4. Has the property owner given valid written or oral notice?
5. Am I carrying in the manner the law requires — concealed or properly holstered where visible?

Sources & Receipts

This page was rebuilt from current primary government sources rather than relying on old carry charts, law-firm SEO summaries or recycled social-media graphics.

• Texas Penal Code Chapter 46 — Weapons
  Primary statute for unlawful carry, prohibited places, carry exceptions and defenses.
• Texas DPS — Handgun Licensing Laws & Regulations
  Current DPS law page and LTC statutory resources.
• Texas DPS LTC-16 — License to Carry Statute & Selected Laws
  DPS compilation reflecting the 89th Legislature; updated December 2025.
• Texas DPS — LTC Eligibility FAQs
  Official DPS statement regarding LTC applicants ages 18–20 after Firearms Policy Coalition v. McCraw.
• Texas DPS — LTC Benefits
  DPS summary of continuing benefits of maintaining a Texas LTC.
• Texas DPS — State Reciprocity Information
  Current state-by-state Texas LTC recognition information.
• Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — Sign Requirements
  Official TABC guidance on the red handgun warning sign for qualifying 51% premises.
• 18 U.S.C. §922 — Federal Firearm Restrictions
  Includes the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act provisions.
• 18 U.S.C. §921 — Federal Definitions
  Defines “school zone,” including the 1,000-foot provision.
• 18 U.S.C. §930 — Federal Facilities
  Federal restrictions applicable to firearms and dangerous weapons in federal facilities.
• United States Postal Service — Firearms on Postal Property
  Official USPS notice concerning carrying or storing firearms on postal property.

Verification date: October 1, 2026. Firearm and carry laws can change through legislation, court orders, agency rules and litigation. Always check the linked primary sources when the exact legal answer matters.