Under Florida’s concealed carry law, any adult who meets the state’s eligibility rules can carry a concealed firearm in public without a state-issued license. The change took effect on July 1, 2023, when House Bill 543 removed the requirement to hold a Concealed Weapon or Firearm License before carrying concealed.1Florida Senate. House Bill 543 (2023) Every other firearm restriction stayed in place: age limits, prohibited-person categories, location bans, and federal gun-free zones all still apply. The state also continues to issue the license, and there are real reasons to get one.
Who Can Carry Concealed Without a License
Permitless carry is only available to people who would already pass the background check for a license. To qualify, you must be:
- At least 21 years old.
- A U.S. resident who is either a citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
- Not disqualified from firearm possession under any state or federal law.
The disqualifying categories are broad. You cannot carry a concealed firearm if any of the following apply:
- You have a felony conviction and your firearm rights have not been formally restored.2Justia Law. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
- You had an adjudication of guilt or suspended sentence for a misdemeanor crime of violence within the last three years.
- You had an adjudication of guilt or suspended sentence for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence within the last three years. Federal law separately bars firearm possession for anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, with no time limit.
- You have been committed to a mental institution or adjudicated incapacitated.
- You are subject to a domestic violence injunction or risk protection order.
- You have been committed for substance abuse under Chapter 397 of the Florida Statutes.
- You chronically abuse alcohol to the point of impairment.
These are the same criteria that have long governed the license.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm The difference is enforcement timing. With a license, the Department of Agriculture confirms your eligibility before you ever carry. Under permitless carry, nobody checks until something goes wrong, and carrying while disqualified carries the same criminal consequences as it did before HB 543.
The law covers concealed carry specifically. Your firearm must be hidden from the ordinary sight of another person, whether in a holster beneath clothing, inside a bag, or in a similar covered manner.
Where You Still Cannot Carry
HB 543 did not shorten the list of off-limits locations. Concealed carry remains prohibited in all of the following, whether or not you hold a license:
- Police stations, sheriff’s offices, highway patrol stations, detention facilities, prisons, and jails.
- Courthouses and courtrooms, though a judge may authorize exceptions in their own courtroom.
- Polling places.
- Meetings of the legislature, county commissions, school boards, or other governing bodies.
- Elementary schools, secondary schools, school administration buildings, and college or university facilities.
- The passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport.
- Any portion of a bar or restaurant primarily devoted to serving alcohol.
- Career centers.
- Places of nuisance as defined in Florida law.
Knowingly carrying in one of these places is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.4Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 2025 – 790.06 If carrying coincides with another offense in a sensitive location like a jail or courthouse, the exposure can escalate.
Federal Buildings
Firearms are prohibited in buildings owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work. That includes post offices, Social Security offices, VA facilities, and federal courthouses.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities No state carry rule, licensed or not, overrides this. Federal court facilities carry a separate and stiffer prohibition under the same statute.
National parks are different. Federal law defers to the law of the state the park sits in, so someone eligible to carry in Florida can carry in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress, and other Florida federal park land. Any building inside the park, like a visitor center or ranger station, is still off-limits.
The School Zone Gap
The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. One exception applies to someone licensed by the state where the school zone is located, but only when the state’s licensing process requires a law enforcement background check.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Florida’s CWFL qualifies because it requires that check. Permitless carriers have no license to point to, so the exemption does not cover them.
In any urban or suburban area, you cross a 1,000-foot school radius constantly without noticing. Prosecutions of otherwise lawful gun owners are uncommon, but the exposure is real for anyone carrying without the license.
Carrying in a Vehicle
Florida has always allowed anyone 18 or older to keep a handgun inside a private vehicle, as long as the firearm is securely encased, meaning in a glove compartment, snapped holster, gun case, or similar closed container, and not in your manual possession.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.25 – Lawful Ownership, Possession, and Use of Firearms and Other Weapons That rule survived HB 543.
What changed is that anyone eligible for permitless carry can now carry a concealed firearm on their person inside a vehicle, in a hip holster for instance, without a license. Watch the age gap: an 18-year-old can keep a handgun securely encased in the car, but on-person concealed carry still requires meeting the 21-and-over permitless carry rule.
Open Carry
HB 543 did not legalize open carry. The statute banning it, Section 790.053, remains on the books and still reads as a blanket prohibition, with exceptions only for self-defense chemical sprays and nonlethal stun devices.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons In September 2025, however, a Florida appellate court struck down the ban. The state attorney general then directed law enforcement not to arrest people who openly display handguns in public and declared open carry lawful statewide.
The practical result is unusual: the statute text has not been repealed, but the state’s top law enforcement official has said it will not be enforced. If you open carry on the strength of that ruling, know that further court proceedings or legislative action could change the picture again. Intentionally displaying a firearm in an angry or threatening way, outside of self-defense, remains illegal regardless.
Private Property and No-Guns Signs
Florida does not give no-firearms signs the force of law. Walking past a “no guns allowed” sign is not, by itself, a crime. A business can refuse you service and ask you to leave, but the sign alone creates no criminal liability.
That changes the instant you are asked to leave and refuse. Staying after a property owner or employee tells you to go can be charged as armed trespassing, a felony. You can lawfully carry past a sign; you cannot lawfully stay once asked to leave.
What to Do During a Police Encounter
If you carry concealed without a license, you must have valid identification on you and must show it when a law enforcement officer asks. Failing to produce ID is a noncriminal violation with a $25 fine payable to the clerk of court.2Justia Law. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm The fine is small, but an officer who cannot confirm who you are can turn a brief stop into something longer. A driver’s license or state ID handles it.
Florida does not impose a general duty to volunteer that you are armed. You must produce ID on request, but you are not required to announce the firearm during a traffic stop or other interaction.
Why Getting the License Still Makes Sense
The Department of Agriculture still issues the Concealed Weapon or Firearm License, and the license carries practical advantages that permitless carry does not.
No Three-Day Waiting Period
Florida requires at least a three-business-day wait between the purchase and delivery of a firearm. License holders are exempt and can take delivery the same day.9The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 790.0655 – Purchase and Delivery of Firearms; Mandatory Waiting Period; Exceptions; Penalties
Reciprocity Out of State
Permitless carry stops at the Florida line. Cross a state border without a recognized license and you risk criminal charges in the destination state. Florida’s CWFL is currently recognized in roughly 36 other states. Having no license leaves you with nothing to show in states that require one, and even some permitless-carry states extend that treatment only to their own residents.
Federal School Zone Coverage
Only license holders qualify for the Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption. For anyone who drives through residential areas regularly, that single difference is often the strongest reason to apply.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Cost and Term
A new CWFL costs $97, with tax collector offices sometimes adding a $12 to $22 convenience fee. Renewals run $45 for residents and $87 for nonresidents. The license is valid for seven years.2Justia Law. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm Applicants must complete a firearms training course and pass the Department of Agriculture background check.