Maryland Carry Laws: Permits, Restricted Places, and Penalties

To carry a handgun in public in Maryland, you need a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit issued by the Maryland State Police (MSP), and Maryland concealed carry laws require civilian permit holders to keep the handgun concealed at all times. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, Maryland must issue a permit to any applicant who meets the statutory requirements, but the Gun Safety Act of 2023 sharply expanded the list of places where even permit holders cannot carry.¹

One boundary to set at the outset: the Wear and Carry Permit is not the same as the Handgun Qualification License (HQL). The HQL lets you buy, rent, or receive a handgun; it does not let you carry one in public.² Only the Wear and Carry Permit does that.³

Concealed Only, Not Open

Despite the “Wear and Carry” name, civilian permit holders must keep the handgun hidden under clothing or inside an enclosed case whenever they carry in public. Momentary, accidental exposure of the firearm or its outline does not violate the law. The concealment rule is waived only for specific working professionals: licensed security guards, correctional officers, railroad police, and armored car employees acting within the scope of their employment.⁴

Who Qualifies

You must meet every one of the following. Falling short on any single item means the MSP will deny your application.⁵

You are at least 21 years old. Active members of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard, or uniformed services may apply under 21; there is no other under-21 exception.
You have no disqualifying criminal history. Maryland defines a “disqualifying crime” as any crime of violence, any felony, or any misdemeanor that carries a possible sentence of more than two years.⁶
You have no habitual substance abuse history. Two controlled substance convictions, at least one within the past five years, disqualify you.
You are not subject to a protective order, peace order, or extreme risk protective order.
You are not federally prohibited from possessing firearms under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), which bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison, those with dishonorable discharges, those adjudicated as mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution, unlawful drug users, people subject to qualifying domestic violence restraining orders, and those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence.⁷

Extra Screening If You Are Under 30

Applicants under 30 face additional review of their juvenile record. The MSP will deny your application if you were committed to a juvenile detention or correctional facility for more than one year after a delinquency adjudication, or if you were adjudicated delinquent for conduct that would have been a violent crime, a felony, or a misdemeanor carrying more than two years had you been an adult.

Mental Health History

A past diagnosis or voluntary treatment does not automatically disqualify you. What matters is whether you have been involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, which is separately a federal disqualifier under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(4).⁷ The MSP may request records from mental health professionals during its background investigation, and a serious history that indicates a current safety risk can support a denial. The question the state is asking is whether you currently pose a risk, not whether you have ever received care.

Training You Have to Complete Before Applying

Maryland requires 16 hours of approved firearms training for an initial application. The course must be taught by a Qualified Handgun Instructor approved by the MSP and covers Maryland firearm law, home firearm safety, and handgun operation. It includes a live-fire qualification: most civilian applicants must fire at least 25 rounds at distances up to 15 yards and hit at least 70% of the target. Security guards, private detectives, special police, and armored car personnel complete a longer course of at least 50 rounds at up to 25 yards with the same 70% threshold.⁸

Your training must have been completed within two years before you submit the application, and you upload the signed qualification score sheet through the MSP Licensing Portal.

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

Applications go through the MSP Licensing Portal. Before you start, you need three items ready: completed LiveScan fingerprints submitted under the wear and carry authorization code, your signed training qualification score sheet, and a color passport-style photograph.³

One trap for non-residents: out-of-state LiveScan providers are not approved by Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. You have to get printed at an approved Maryland location. The fingerprinting fee is paid separately to the vendor and is not part of the MSP application fee.

Application fees are paid electronically at submission:

Initial permit: $125 (fingerprint fees not included)
Renewal: $75 (fingerprints not required)
Replacement or modification: $20
Active or retired Maryland law enforcement: $0

After you submit a completed application with the fee, the MSP has up to 90 days to notify you of its decision. Applications missing documentation can be returned unprocessed, which resets that clock.

Where You Cannot Carry, Even With a Permit

Having a permit does not authorize carry everywhere. Maryland’s list of prohibited “sensitive places” grew significantly under the Gun Safety Act of 2023, and the restrictions are spread across several sections of the Criminal Law Article rather than sitting in a single consolidated list. Review the current provisions before carrying in any public venue.

Government and Public Facilities

Firearms are prohibited in government buildings, including courthouses and state agency offices, and on public transportation vehicles and in transit facilities. Federal buildings such as post offices and Social Security offices are separately prohibited under federal law, with penalties up to a year for simple possession, up to five years if the firearm is intended for use in a crime, and up to two years for federal court facilities.⁹

Schools

Firearms are banned on all public and private school grounds. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act also makes possession within 1,000 feet of a school a federal offense, but it exempts people licensed by the state where the school zone sits, as long as that state requires law enforcement to verify the applicant’s qualifications before issuing the license.¹⁰ Because Maryland’s Wear and Carry Permit requires a background check, Maryland permit holders generally fall within that federal exemption for the 1,000-foot buffer. You still cannot carry onto school property itself under state law.

Other Sensitive Places

The Gun Safety Act of 2023 added museums, hospitals and doctors’ offices, stadiums, casinos, establishments that sell alcohol, and areas within 1,000 feet of a public demonstration. State parks and forests are also restricted.

Private Property Is Opt-In

This is the rule that most often trips up permit holders. For private property open to the public, such as retail stores and restaurants, the default under the Gun Safety Act of 2023 is that firearms are not allowed unless the owner has posted a clear and conspicuous sign saying carry is permitted. For a private home, you need express permission from the owner or their agent before bringing a firearm inside.¹¹ Unless you see the sign or have permission, assume the property is off-limits. Entering anyway can also expose you to trespassing charges.

Transporting a Handgun Without a Permit

You do not need a Wear and Carry Permit to transport a handgun in a few narrow situations, but the handgun must be unloaded and kept in an enclosed case or enclosed holster the entire time. The permitted transport situations are:¹²

To or from a place of legal purchase or sale, or to or from a repair shop.
Between your homes, or between your residence and a business you substantially own and operate.
To and from target shooting, hunting, sport shooting events, or hunter safety classes.
On real estate you own or lease, or inside a business you own or lease, with no special transport precautions required.

The unloaded-and-enclosed rule is not optional. A loaded handgun in your glove box is a criminal offense even on the drive home from the gun store.

Penalties for Carrying Without a Valid Permit

Carrying a handgun in public without a valid permit is a misdemeanor in Maryland, but the punishments are heavier than most people expect, and they carry mandatory minimums a judge cannot suspend below.¹²

First offense: a mandatory minimum of 30 days in jail, up to five years, and a fine between $250 and $2,500.
Second offense: a mandatory minimum of one year and up to ten years in prison.

Carrying in a prohibited area, such as a school or government building, can bring additional or enhanced charges, and carrying in a federal facility opens the door to a separate federal prosecution alongside the state case.⁹

Renewal and Revocation

An initial permit expires on the last day of your birth month two years after the issue date. Renewals then run for three years at a time. The MSP recommends starting the renewal 90 days out. Renewal requires an 8-hour refresher course, an updated background check, and the $75 fee; new fingerprints are not required. If your permit expires before renewal is approved, you cannot legally carry until the new one issues.

The MSP can revoke or suspend your permit if you are arrested for a disqualifying offense, become subject to a protective order, are found to have provided false information on your application, or are deemed a danger to public safety. Revocation is immediate. You must surrender the permit, and continuing to carry after a revocation carries the same penalties as carrying without any permit at all.

Out-of-State Permits Do Not Work Here

Maryland does not recognize concealed carry permits from any other state. A Virginia or Pennsylvania permit has no legal effect the moment you cross into Maryland; you need a Maryland Wear and Carry Permit to carry here. In the other direction, roughly two dozen states honor Maryland’s permit through formal agreements or unilateral recognition, but the list changes. Confirm current reciprocity with the destination state’s attorney general or law enforcement agency before traveling.

Appealing a Denial or Revocation

If the MSP denies your application or revokes your permit, you can appeal to the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). The OAH must schedule and conduct a full hearing within 60 days of receiving your request and issue a written decision within 90 days after the final hearing.¹³ The hearing is de novo, so the OAH considers the evidence fresh rather than deferring to the MSP file.

If the OAH rules against you, you have 30 days to file a petition for judicial review in a Maryland circuit court. Two limits are worth knowing. A court cannot order the MSP to issue or renew a permit while the appeal is pending. And filing an appeal does not by itself stop a revocation from taking effect; you would need to file a separate motion asking the court to stay the agency’s action.

1
Oyez. New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen
2
Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Qualification License
3
Maryland Department of State Police. Handgun Wear and Carry Permit
4
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-307 – Scope of Permit
5
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-306 – Qualifications for Permit
6
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-101 – Definitions
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
8
Maryland Department of State Police. Wear and Carry Permit Training
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
11
Maryland General Assembly. Fiscal and Policy Note for Senate Bill 1 – Gun Safety Act of 2023
12
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-203 – Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Handgun
13
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-312 – Action by Board