Buying ammo in Washington state is simpler than buying a firearm: no background check, no permit, and no waiting period. You show ID to prove you meet the federal age minimum, and if you’re not in a prohibited category, you pay and leave. The bigger catches are the state’s ban on magazines over 10 rounds and the federal limits on certain ammunition types.
Age Requirements at Licensed Dealers
Federal law sets the minimum ages, and Washington doesn’t add its own. A licensed dealer cannot sell rifle or shotgun ammunition to anyone under 18, and cannot sell handgun ammunition to anyone under 21.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Those thresholds bind licensed dealers. Federal law allows unlicensed private sellers to transfer long-gun ammunition to buyers of any age, though handgun ammunition still cannot go to anyone the seller knows or has reason to believe is under 18.2ATF. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers Most purchases happen at licensed retailers, so most buyers will need to clear the 18/21 line.
No Background Check, No Waiting Period
Washington does not require a background check for ammunition purchases.3Washington State Department of Licensing. Firearms Recordkeeping The transaction is essentially: valid government-issued ID, payment, done.
That’s a meaningful contrast with firearm sales in Washington, which do require background checks for both dealer and private transfers under the state’s universal background check law passed by voter initiative in 2014. That law applies to firearm transfers only. Ammunition is not covered.
Who Cannot Legally Buy Ammunition
Federal law prohibits several categories of people from possessing any firearm or ammunition:1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Anyone convicted of a felony (a crime punishable by more than one year in prison)
- Fugitives from justice
- Unlawful users of, or people addicted to, a controlled substance
- People adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- People unlawfully present in the United States
- Anyone dishonorably discharged from the military
- Anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship
- People subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order
- Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
Washington adds its own firearm prohibitions under RCW 9.41.040 for people convicted of serious offenses, certain felonies, and specific domestic violence crimes against a family member or intimate partner, including fourth-degree assault, stalking, harassment, and violating a protection order.4Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.040 – Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Penalties That statute names firearms rather than ammunition, but the federal prohibition covers both for the overlapping categories of people.
One group faces an explicit state-level ammunition ban: anyone serving a sentence under the Department of Corrections is barred from owning, using, or possessing firearms or ammunition under RCW 9.41.045.5Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.045 – Offenders Under Supervision of the Department, Possession Prohibited, Penalties
Private Sales and Gifts
Washington’s universal background check law applies to firearm transfers, not ammunition. You can buy ammunition from a private seller without going through a licensed dealer.
Gifts work the same way. No state law restricts giving ammunition as a present. The federal prohibited-person rules still apply, so you cannot knowingly provide ammunition to someone barred from having it, but the transfer itself needs no paperwork.
Buying Ammunition Online
Online purchases are legal, and retailers can ship directly to your address. Ammunition does not have to be routed through a licensed dealer the way a firearm does.
Some online sellers refuse to ship to Washington anyway. That’s usually a business decision tied to the state’s magazine ban rather than a legal barrier to standard ammunition. If one vendor won’t ship, another usually will.
The 10-Round Magazine Limit
Since 2022, Washington has prohibited the manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Violating the ban is a gross misdemeanor.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines, Exceptions, Penalty
Possession itself is not criminalized. If you already owned a larger magazine before the law took effect, you can keep it and use it. You just can’t buy new ones in the state, sell the ones you have to another Washington buyer, or bring more in. Limited exceptions cover sales to military and law enforcement, and licensed dealers can ship large-capacity magazines to out-of-state buyers whose home laws allow them.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.370 – Large Capacity Magazines, Exceptions, Penalty The Washington Supreme Court upheld the ban, finding that large-capacity magazines are not “arms” under either the state or federal constitution.
Ammunition Types With Extra Restrictions
Armor-Piercing Rounds
Federal law bans the manufacture and import of armor-piercing ammunition and prohibits sale to the general public.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The definition is narrow: a projectile made entirely of hard metals like tungsten, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium that can be used in a handgun, or a full-jacketed handgun projectile larger than .22 caliber where the jacket makes up more than 25 percent of the total weight.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions Standard rifle ammunition with steel components that doesn’t meet the statutory definition remains legal. Washington adds nothing on top.
Tracer and Incendiary Rounds on Public Lands
Washington prohibits discharging tracer or incendiary ammunition on lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources, including state forests and trust lands. Violating the rule is a misdemeanor.8Washington State Legislature. WAC 332-52-145 – Firearms and Target Shooting The restriction is about where you shoot, not whether you can buy the ammunition.
Local Ordinances Cannot Add More Rules
Washington fully preempts local regulation of firearms and ammunition under RCW 9.41.290. Cities, counties, and towns cannot enact their own ammunition restrictions beyond what state law authorizes, and any more-restrictive local ordinance is automatically preempted.9Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 9.41.290 – State Preemption The rules described above apply the same in Seattle, Spokane, or anywhere else in the state.