There is no minimum age to carry a knife in Indiana. State law does not set an age cutoff for possessing or carrying a knife, so a teenager and an adult face the same rules: nearly every knife is legal to own and carry, with restrictions based on the type of knife and where it is carried rather than on how old the person is.
That means a minor in Indiana can legally carry a pocket knife, a folding knife, or a fixed-blade knife without a permit. There is no state blade-length limit, and both open and concealed carry are allowed.
Why People Think There Is an Age Law
Some online sources point to Indiana Code 35-47-10 as an age-based knife rule. That chapter is titled “Children and Firearms” and deals only with minors and guns, covering firearm safety courses, dangerous possession of a firearm, and unlawful transfers of firearms to children. None of its sections mention knives or edged weapons. If a parent is trying to figure out whether a 15- or 16-year-old can legally carry a folding knife in Indiana, the state statute gives the same answer it gives for adults: yes, within the limits below.
The One Knife Indiana Bans Outright
The only knife type Indiana prohibits entirely is the ballistic knife, meaning a knife with a detachable blade that can be launched from the handle by a spring, gas, or similar mechanism. Manufacturing, possessing, selling, lending, or buying one is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-5-2 – Knife With a Detachable Blade2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-3 – Class B Misdemeanor This rule applies to everyone regardless of age.
Everything else common is legal to own and carry in Indiana: switchblades, automatic knives, butterfly knives, daggers, stilettos, dirks, Bowie knives, karambits, and gravity knives. Indiana repealed its ban on automatic knives in 2013, and the ballistic-knife statute is now the only knife-specific prohibition in the state criminal code. Chinese throwing stars became legal for general possession on July 1, 2023.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-5-2.5 – Possession of a Knife on School Property
Where a Minor’s Age Matters: School Property
The place where age becomes a practical issue is school, because that is where minors spend their day. Indiana Code 35-47-5-2.5 makes it illegal to knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally possess a knife on school property, a school bus, or a special purpose bus. The statute defines “knife” here as a bladed instrument intended to be used as a weapon, and it specifically lists daggers, dirks, stilettos, switchblades, gravity knives, and throwing stars as examples.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-5-2.5 – Possession of a Knife on School Property
The “intended to be used as a weapon” element matters. A box cutter in a backpack for an after-school job is not treated the same as a hunting knife brought to school to show off.
Penalties step up with the circumstances:
- First offense: Class B misdemeanor, up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-3 – Class B Misdemeanor
- Repeat offense: Class A misdemeanor, up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-2 – Class A Misdemeanor
- If bodily injury results: Level 6 felony, six months to two and a half years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
School Property Exemptions
Two exceptions apply. The ban does not reach knives the school corporation itself provides or authorizes for a school-approved activity, and it does not reach a knife left secured inside a motor vehicle on school grounds.3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-47-5-2.5 – Possession of a Knife on School Property
School Discipline Is Separate from Criminal Law
A school’s code of conduct can prohibit all knives regardless of intent, even though the criminal statute requires that the knife be intended as a weapon. A student who avoids criminal prosecution can still face suspension or expulsion under district policy. Check the handbook for your school district alongside the state statute.
Federal Buildings
Indiana state law does not broadly restrict knives in courthouses or government buildings, but federal law covers federal facilities. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 930, possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal facility is a crime punishable by up to one year in prison, rising to up to two years in a federal court facility. The statute’s definition of “dangerous weapon” is broad enough to reach most knives, but it explicitly excludes pocket knives with blades shorter than two and a half inches.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
If you or your teenager carries a knife with a blade longer than that, leave it in the vehicle before entering a federal courthouse, post office, Social Security office, or VA medical center. Indiana state courthouses and local government buildings may also restrict weapons at the discretion of the local unit of government, especially where there is a courtroom or metal detectors at the entrance, so check signage and local rules before carrying.
Local Governments Cannot Add Their Own Rules
Under Indiana Code 35-47-5-12, the state preempts local knife regulation. Cities and counties cannot pass ordinances restricting knives beyond what state law already does. If you see a claim that a particular Indiana city has banned a certain knife, that ordinance is unenforceable, and the statewide rules described here apply uniformly.
Crossing State Lines
Indiana’s permissive rules stop at the border. Neighboring states, including Illinois and Ohio, treat knives differently, and a knife that is legal to carry here may be restricted where you are headed. There is no federal law protecting interstate knife transport the way federal law protects gun transport; a proposed interstate transport bill has not been enacted. Research the law of your destination before traveling with a knife that is legal in Indiana.