Can You Conceal Carry in Las Vegas: Permits, Casinos, Airports

Yes, you can conceal carry in Las Vegas if you hold a valid Nevada Concealed Firearm Permit or an out-of-state permit that Nevada recognizes. Nevada is a shall-issue state, so the sheriff’s office must grant a permit once you meet every statutory requirement. Carrying concealed without one is a category C felony punishable by one to five years in prison.¹

If you don’t have a permit, Nevada still lets you openly carry a holstered handgun almost anywhere that isn’t a prohibited location, with no license required. The permit question is only about carrying hidden.

Who Qualifies for a Nevada Permit

You must be at least 21 years old to apply. Active-duty military and honorably discharged veterans can apply at 18.² You also need to be a Nevada resident living in the county where you apply.

Every applicant has to complete an approved eight-hour firearms safety course taught by a Nevada-certified instructor. The course covers handgun use and state firearms law, and includes a live-fire qualification where you demonstrate safe handling and shooting of a handgun.³

A combined state and FBI background check screens applicants. You will be disqualified by any felony conviction under Nevada, federal, or another state’s law; a domestic violence or stalking conviction or active protective order; an outstanding warrant or fugitive status; a judicial finding of incompetence or insanity; voluntary or involuntary admission to a mental health facility within the past five years; or a conviction for a violent misdemeanor within the past three years.³

How to Apply Through LVMPD

Clark County residents apply through the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. You can start the application online or in person, but fingerprinting and photographs have to be done at LVMPD headquarters. Bring the original firearms training certificate from your instructor. Copies are not accepted.⁴

The total fee for a new application is $99: a $60 application fee plus a $39 FBI background check.⁵ After submitting online, you have 30 days to pay through a secure link, and once payment clears you can schedule the fingerprint appointment.

By statute, the sheriff’s office has up to 120 days to process the application.⁵ Approved permits are valid for five years and arrive by mail. If you move while the permit is still active, you have to notify the issuing sheriff in writing within 30 days.⁴ Renewal requires a shorter four-hour course that still includes live-fire qualification, plus another background check.³

Visiting With an Out-of-State Permit

Nevada recognizes concealed carry permits issued by a long list of other states. The Nevada State Police Records, Communications and Compliance Division maintains the official list, and it can change.⁶ As of the most recent update, recognized states include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho (Enhanced only), Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi (Enhanced only), Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota (Class 1 only), Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota (Enhanced only), Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

For Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Nevada only honors the upgraded permit type listed above. A basic permit from those states will not work. You also have to carry the physical permit on you whenever you are carrying a firearm.⁶

One important trap: Nevada has no permitless (constitutional) carry law. If you come from one of the 29 states that let residents carry concealed without a permit, that right does not travel with you. You need a recognized permit, or you are limited to open carry.

Where You Still Cannot Carry

A valid permit is not a key to every door. Several categories of location remain off-limits, and the penalties range from a gross misdemeanor to a federal felony.

Casinos and Other Private Property

This one surprises most visitors. Nearly every major casino on the Strip prohibits firearms. Casinos are private property, and Nevada law lets any property owner ban firearms by posting signs at public entrances.⁷ If a casino posts a no-firearms sign, carrying inside, whether concealed or open, violates its policy. Security can ask you to leave, and refusing can lead to a trespassing charge. Secure your firearm in a hotel room safe or your vehicle before you go in.

Schools, Childcare Facilities, and College Campuses

Possessing a firearm on the property of any school, childcare facility, or Nevada System of Higher Education campus is a gross misdemeanor unless you have written permission from the institution.⁸ The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act adds another layer, making possession within 1,000 feet of a school a federal offense. There is an exception for people who hold a permit issued by the state where the school zone is located, so a Nevada CCW covers you inside Nevada. Out-of-state permit holders may not fall under that exception.

Airports

You cannot carry a firearm anywhere on public airport property, including the terminal, secure areas, and the surrounding grounds.⁷ If you are flying out of Harry Reid International, your firearm has to be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided container, and declared at the airline counter for transport in checked baggage.

Government and Federal Buildings

Nevada bars concealed carry in any public building that uses metal detectors at every entrance or posts firearm bans at every entrance.⁷ Federal law separately makes it a crime to bring a firearm into any federal facility, including post offices, federal courthouses, and Social Security offices. The penalty is up to one year in prison for a standard federal facility and up to two years for a federal court facility.⁹

Carrying While Drinking

This matters more in Las Vegas than almost anywhere else. Possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is a misdemeanor in Nevada, with the same 0.08 blood alcohol threshold used for drunk driving.¹⁰ If an officer asks you to submit to a blood or breath test, the statute requires you to comply; unlike a DUI traffic stop, you do not have the option to refuse. The rule applies whether you are carrying concealed or openly. If you plan to drink, leave the firearm secured.

Federal Lands Near the City

Day trips from Las Vegas often cross into federal land, and the rules shift with the managing agency. In National Park Service areas like Lake Mead National Recreation Area, you can possess a firearm as long as you follow Nevada’s state laws and are not otherwise prohibited. Your Nevada permit or a recognized out-of-state permit is valid there. Firearms are still barred inside any federal facility on park land, such as visitor centers, ranger stations, and fee buildings. Discharging a firearm inside a park unit is also prohibited except where hunting is specifically authorized by federal statute.¹¹

On Bureau of Land Management public lands, firearms and recreational shooting are generally allowed, but you cannot discharge at developed recreation sites unless they are specifically designated for shooting. Local BLM offices sometimes close areas to shooting during fire season or for other temporary reasons, so check before heading out.¹²

Retired Law Enforcement

The federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act lets qualified retired officers carry concealed nationwide, Nevada included, without a state permit. You need at least 10 years of service (or separation due to a service-connected disability), separation in good standing, a firearms qualification completed within the past 12 months at your own expense, and a photographic ID from your former agency identifying you as retired.¹³ LEOSA does not override the prohibited-location rules above. Federal buildings, schools, and private property signage still apply.

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.350 – Manufacture, Importation and Disposition of Certain Dangerous Weapons or Silencers
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3657 – Application for Permit; Eligibility; Denial or Revocation of Permit
3
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Carry Firearm Permits (CCW)
4
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Apply for a CCW Permit Online
5
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Concealed Firearm Permit – FAQs
6
State of Nevada. Out-of-State CCW Recognition
7
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.3673 – Permittee Authorized to Carry Concealed Firearm While on Premises of Public Building; Exceptions; Penalty
8
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.265 – Possession of Dangerous Weapon on Property or in Vehicle of School or Child Care Facility
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
10
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 202.257 – Possession of Firearm When Under the Influence of Alcohol, Controlled Substance or Other Intoxicating Substance
11
U.S. National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
12
Bureau of Land Management. Recreational Shooting
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926C – Carrying of Concealed Firearms by Qualified Retired Law Enforcement Officers