Can You Carry a Concealed Gun in Illinois? CCL Rules & Limits

Concealed carry in Illinois is legal only with a state-issued Concealed Carry License (CCL), and only for handguns. You also need a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card first, because the FOID lets you possess firearms and the CCL lets you carry one loaded and concealed in public. The CCL costs $150 for residents, requires 16 hours of approved training, and takes roughly 90 to 120 days to process.

Who Qualifies for a CCL

Three baseline requirements get you in the door: you must be at least 21 years old, hold a valid FOID card, and have a current Illinois driver’s license or state ID.¹ The FOID itself is issued by the Illinois State Police and is a separate application from the CCL.²

Meeting the basics is not enough on its own. The Illinois State Police will deny a CCL application if any of these apply:

A misdemeanor conviction involving the threat of physical force or violence within the past five years.¹
Two or more DUI-related violations within the past five years.
Residential or court-ordered treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction within the past five years.
Admission to a mental health facility within the past five years, unless firearm rights have been restored through the FOID Card Review Board.³
An outstanding arrest warrant or pending prosecution that could result in disqualification.

Most of these use a five-year lookback, so they eventually clear.

The 16-Hour Training Requirement

Every applicant must complete a 16-hour firearm training course taught by an instructor approved by the Illinois State Police.¹ The curriculum covers firearm safety, basic marksmanship, maintenance, and Illinois concealed carry law. It ends with a live-fire qualification: a minimum of 30 rounds, 10 each from 5, 7, and 10 yards at a standardized target.

Courses run from one long day to a weekend. Price and quality vary. If you use an instructor who is not on the ISP’s approved list, your certificate will be rejected when you apply.

How to Apply, What It Costs, and How Long It Takes

The CCL application runs entirely online through the Illinois State Police Firearm Services Bureau portal. You create an account, upload your training certificate, provide an electronic headshot, and pay the fee.²

The application fee is $150 for Illinois residents and $300 for non-residents from eligible states. Both are non-refundable, even on denial. Payment goes through Illinois ePay, which adds a 2.25% service fee (minimum $1.00) for cards. Electronic checks are accepted; cash, paper checks, and money orders are not.⁴

Submitting electronic fingerprints is optional. With fingerprints, the ISP targets a 90-day processing window. Without them, it can take up to 120 days.¹ Fingerprinting is done at a private Live Scan vendor and costs extra on top of the application fee. Application status is tracked through the ISP portal.

How Long the License Lasts

A new Illinois CCL is valid for five years from the date of issue.⁴ Renewal runs through the same ISP portal and requires a shorter refresher course rather than the full 16 hours. Your FOID must remain valid for the entire life of the CCL. If the FOID is revoked or expires, the CCL becomes invalid regardless of its own expiration date.

Where You Can and Can’t Carry

A valid CCL lets you carry a concealed handgun on your person or in your vehicle anywhere in Illinois, with “concealed” being the operative word. The firearm must not be openly visible. Illinois generally prohibits open carry in public even for license holders; the exception is your own property, home, or fixed place of business.⁵

Private property owners can prohibit firearms on their premises by posting a standardized sign at every entrance. The sign has exact specifications set by the Illinois State Police, including a white background, a handgun graphic with a red circle-and-slash, measuring 4 inches by 6 inches.⁶ If you see that sign, you cannot legally enter with your firearm.

Prohibited Locations

Even with a valid CCL, the Firearm Concealed Carry Act bars carry in a long list of places. Carrying in any of these is a criminal offense regardless of your license status.⁵

All public and private elementary and secondary schools, pre-schools, child care facilities, and their parking areas.
Buildings controlled by the executive or legislative branches, courthouses, and buildings under the Illinois Supreme Court.
Prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers.
Buses, trains, and publicly funded transportation, along with their stations and parking areas.
Any building, parking area, or property controlled by an airport.
Hospitals, mental health facilities, and nursing homes.
Establishments whose primary business is selling alcohol for on-site consumption.
Public playgrounds, parks, and athletic facilities, though trails and bikeways managed by the Department of Natural Resources may be exempt.
Casinos, racetracks, libraries, museums, and nuclear facilities regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Parking Lot Exception

One rule saves a lot of trouble. Even when you cannot carry inside a prohibited building, you can still drive into that building’s parking lot with your concealed firearm. Once parked, you must store the firearm concealed in a case within a locked vehicle or locked container, out of plain view. You may briefly step outside the vehicle in the immediate surrounding area only to move the firearm to or from the trunk.⁵

A “case” is interpreted broadly: a glove compartment or console that fully encloses the firearm, the trunk, or any firearm carrying box or shipping container all qualify. The exception does not apply at nuclear facilities or anywhere firearms are prohibited under federal law.

Transporting Without a CCL

If you have a FOID card but no CCL, you can still transport a firearm in your vehicle under limited conditions. It must be unloaded and enclosed in a case or carrying box, broken down into a non-functioning state, or stored so it is not immediately accessible. These rules cover moving a gun to the range or between locations, not keeping a loaded weapon within reach while driving.

Alcohol and Carrying Don’t Mix

Illinois flatly prohibits carrying a concealed firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, using the same standard that governs DUI charges under the Illinois Vehicle Code. A first or second violation is a Class A misdemeanor with up to one year in jail. A third violation becomes a Class 4 felony, with one to three years of possible imprisonment.⁷

The license takes a hit too. The ISP can suspend a CCL for up to six months after a second violation and will permanently revoke it after a third. If you are carrying, do not drink.

Visitors and Non-Residents

Illinois does not broadly recognize concealed carry permits from other states. Non-residents can apply for an Illinois CCL only if they live in a state the ISP has identified as having “substantially similar” firearm laws. As of the most recent update, those states are Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, and Virginia.⁸ The ISP updates the list periodically.

Qualifying non-residents must complete the same 16-hour training, meet the same eligibility criteria, apply through the same ISP portal, and pay $300 instead of $150.⁴ If you hold a permit from a state not on the list, that permit carries no legal weight in Illinois, and carrying concealed without a valid Illinois CCL can result in felony charges.

1
Illinois State Police. Concealed Carry License
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Illinois State Police. Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card Information
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Illinois State Police. Mental Health Admissions / Clear and Present Danger Incidents
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IL Firearm Applicant Portal. CCL Frequently Asked Questions
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Illinois General Assembly. 430 ILCS 66/65 – Prohibited Areas
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Illinois State Police Firearms Services. Requirements for Concealed Carry Signage
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Illinois General Assembly. 430 ILCS 66/70 – Violations
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Illinois State Police Firearm Services Bureau. Concealed Carry License (CCL)