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Carry & reciprocity

Idaho

Allows permitless (constitutional) carry for qualifying residents and, per its own rules below, often visitors too.

Minimum carry age: 18

Idaho State Police: 'Idaho acknowledges the validity of all other states' concealed weapons licenses/permits.' Permitless carry (I.C. 18-3302) for any US citizen or active-duty servicemember 18+ who is not disqualified — no residency requirement, so a visitor may carry concealed with no permit at all. Non-residents relying on a permit must have it physically on them.

ID official source →

Reciprocity status reviewed August 2026.

Quick reference

Tap any answer to jump to its full write-up and source, below.

Where you can carry in Idaho

23 specific questions, each with its own answer and, where one was found, a real source.

Reviewed September 2026. First-pass research: sourced per answer below, not yet independently re-verified line by line.

Open carry allowed in this state

Yes

Idaho Code §18-3302 licenses only concealed carry; open carry of a handgun has never required a license for anyone 18+ (residents since 2016, nonresidents since 2020) who is not a prohibited possessor.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Places of worship

Depends

No Idaho statute addresses churches specifically (Idaho Code §§18-3302, 18-3302C, 18-3302D govern courthouses/jails/schools, not places of worship). Ordinary private-property discretion applies.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Restaurants that serve alcohol

Yes

No Idaho statute restricts carry by location in bars/restaurants. Idaho Code § 18-3302B only makes it a misdemeanor to carry a concealed weapon while intoxicated or under the influence.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Boats

Yes

Idaho allows permitless carry statewide for qualifying adults 18+ (Idaho AG: 'you may carry a concealed weapon on your person without a concealed weapons license'). No boat/vessel/waterway restriction was found in Idaho's carry law.

Source (2020-07-01) →

Government buildings

Depends

Idaho Code §18-3302C bars carrying a concealed weapon into 'a courthouse; juvenile detention facility or jail,' with exceptions for peace officers, security personnel, and anyone authorized by the entity controlling the building. This section does not reach general government buildings like a DMV office or city hall, which are not restricted by state law. A 2026 bill (H621) to loosen the courthouse rule to allow carry outside courtrooms/jail areas was still pending as of this research and is not yet law.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Universities — public or private

Depends

Idaho Code § 18-3309 lets only ENHANCED concealed-carry-license holders (or qualified retired LEOs) carry on PUBLIC college/university property, excluding dormitories and sporting/entertainment venues seating 1,000+; standard-license-only holders are not covered, and § 18-3302C bars schools from further restricting enhanced holders. Private institutions aren't covered by the statute and set their own policy.

Source (2014-07-01) →

Private property open to the public

Yes

Idaho is a highly permissive constitutional-carry state with no statewide signage mandate; a property owner may ask a carrier to leave (Idaho Code § 18-7008, trespass), but absent any request/notice carry in an ordinary business is lawful.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Private property — is owner permission required

Yes

No ID statute requires advance owner consent; general criminal trespass law (Idaho Code 18-7008) requires notice before presence becomes unlawful (opt-out default). Constitutional-carry state.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Airports (non-secure areas)

Depends

No Idaho statute or secondary source I found lists airports among Idaho's restricted locations (usacarry.com's list: courthouses, jails/prisons/correctional facilities, schools). Idaho is permitless carry with a specific, strongly worded firearms-preemption statute (Idaho Code § 18-3302J), which would tend to prevent a local airport authority from imposing its own ban, but I did not independently verify that statute's text or its application to Boise Airport, so this remains unconfirmed rather than a settled yes.

Source (2026-09-01) →

In a vehicle while traveling

Yes

Idaho Code §18-3302(4)(c) exempts 'any deadly weapon concealed in a motor vehicle' from the concealed-weapons-license requirement entirely — this exemption is separate from (and broader than) Idaho's age-based permitless-carry-on-the-person rules (21+ statewide, 18-20 only outside city limits), and applies regardless of whether the vehicle is inside or outside city limits.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Hospitals / doctor's offices

Depends

No statute restricts general hospitals. But Idaho Admin. Code r.16.03.09.714 requires any mental-health CLINIC that has a Medicaid provider agreement with the state to prohibit firearms on its premises as a condition of that agreement — so a small Medicaid-participating behavioral-health clinic can be off-limits while a general hospital ER is not.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Rest areas, in a vehicle

Yes

Idaho is constitutional-carry. Idaho Code §18-3302C's prohibited-place list is narrow (courthouses, jails/detention, schools) with no rest-area mention. Verified against the statute text directly.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Duty to inform police or other authorities if asked

No

No Idaho statute found imposing a duty to inform law enforcement of concealed carry, proactively or if asked.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Can a non-resident apply for a permit

Depends

Idaho Code § 18-3302K(4)(b): applicant must have been an Idaho resident 6+ months "OR holds a current license or permit to carry concealed weapons issued by his state of residence." So a true non-resident can get Idaho's enhanced license only if they already hold a valid CCW permit/license from their own home state. Application is filed through any county sheriff's office.

Source (2026-09-01) →

K-12 school zones

No

Idaho Code §§18-3302D(1)(a)-(b), 18-3302C ban firearm possession on K-12 property; unlike Idaho's law for colleges/universities (which does carve out enhanced permit holders), there is no comparable concealed-carry exception for K-12 campuses — only board-approved programs, secured vehicle storage by non-enrolled adults, and authorized personnel are excepted.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Is a posted "no guns" sign criminally enforceable, or just a request

Unclear — needs a human look

No Idaho-specific firearm-signage criminal statute is known to me. Idaho's general trespass law (Idaho Code § 18-7008) may treat posted notice as sufficient for entry-type trespass, but I could not fetch its text to confirm application to a firearms-specific sign at a retail business in this session.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Does state law preempt local/city carry ordinances

Yes

Idaho Code § 18-3302J: counties/cities/political subdivisions may not regulate sale, possession, transport, or carrying of firearms. Cities/counties may only regulate discharge, with self-defense/hunting/range exceptions preserved.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Polling places

Yes

No Idaho statute found prohibiting firearms at polling places. Idaho has constitutional (permitless) carry for adults 18+; official prohibited-carry guidance (courthouses, federal buildings, private property) does not mention polls. Based on MAP research plus light corroboration.

Source (2025-12-19) →

Magazine capacity restricted

No

No state-level magazine capacity restriction found.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Red flag / extreme risk protection order law

No

No extreme risk protection order or red flag statute found in Idaho.

Source (2026-09-01) →

NFA weapons allowed (suppressors, SBR/SBS, etc.)

Yes

Idaho imposes no additional state-level restriction on suppressors, SBR/SBS, or machine guns beyond the federal NFA process. No Idaho Code provision (Title 18, Chapter 33) specifically restricts these categories; secondary NFA-dealer sources uniformly describe Idaho as having zero state add-on requirements, and suppressor use while hunting is affirmatively permitted.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Duty to retreat before using force in self-defense

No

Stand Your Ground by statute: Idaho Code § 19-202A(3) (also § 18-4009, justifiable homicide) — no duty to retreat.

Source (2026-09-01) →

"Universal" background checks required for private transfers

No

No Idaho statute requires background checks on private firearm transfers. Confirmed via absence from Giffords' UBC list.

Source (2026-09-01) →

This is information, not legal advice, and it can be wrong or out of date — carry law changes without notice and varies by locality in ways a single page can't fully capture. Verify anything load-bearing against the official source linked above and each answer's own citation before you rely on it.