Maryland Concealed Carry Laws: Permits, Training, and Limits

Maryland concealed carry laws require a state-issued wear and carry permit from the Maryland State Police, and since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen, Maryland issues that permit on a shall-issue basis: if you meet the eligibility, training, and background-check requirements, the state must grant it.¹ You no longer have to prove a “good and substantial reason” to carry. You do have to clear a fairly demanding set of gates, and once you have the permit, a long list of places remain off-limits.

Who Qualifies for a Wear and Carry Permit

Maryland Public Safety Code § 5-306 sets the qualifications the Secretary of State Police must verify. You must be at least 21 (active members of the uniformed services or the National Guard are excepted), have no disqualifying criminal history, and pass a background investigation.²

The criminal-history bar is broader than most applicants expect. A felony conviction disqualifies you, as does any misdemeanor punishable by more than one year of imprisonment, unless you’ve received a pardon or federal relief. Any controlled-substance conviction, including simple possession, is an automatic bar. You’re also ineligible if you’re currently on supervised probation for a crime punishable by a year or more, for a DUI involving drugs or alcohol, or for violating a protective order.²

Mental health and substance-related disqualifiers fill out the picture. You cannot get a permit if you currently struggle with alcoholism or addiction (unless substance use is under legitimate medical direction), if you have a mental disorder combined with a history of violent behavior, or if you’ve been involuntarily admitted to a mental health facility for more than 30 consecutive days.² Active protective orders, including extreme risk protective orders and any court order prohibiting firearm possession, also block issuance.

Applicants under 30 face extra scrutiny for their juvenile records. You’re disqualified if you were committed to a juvenile detention or correctional institution for more than a 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 if committed by an adult.²

Federal law adds a second layer. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), you’re prohibited from possessing any firearm if you’re a fugitive from justice, have been dishonorably discharged from the military, have renounced U.S. citizenship, or are unlawfully present in the United States, on top of the categories that overlap with Maryland law.³ The State Police check both state and federal databases, so a federal disqualifier will surface during the investigation.

Training You Have to Complete Before Applying

Maryland requires you to finish a firearms training course before you can submit an application. The initial course is 16 hours. Renewal applicants take an 8-hour course.⁴ The instructor must be a Maryland State Police-approved Qualified Handgun Instructor. Training taken out of state or with a non-approved instructor does not count.

Classroom time covers Maryland firearm law, home firearm safety, and how handguns function mechanically. The live-fire portion requires you to shoot at least 25 rounds from no more than 15 yards and score at least 70% accuracy.⁴ The instructor evaluates whether you can safely handle, load, and fire the handgun and, once you pass, issues a signed certificate with their certification number. You’ll upload that certificate with your application.

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

Applications run through the Maryland State Police Licensing Portal. You create an account, enter personal information, and upload the required documents.¹ Before you start, gather:

The signed training certificate from your Qualified Handgun Instructor.
Your LiveScan electronic fingerprint receipt, taken at an approved processing center and coded to the Licensing Division’s agency authorization and ORI numbers. Applications without this receipt can be delayed or returned unprocessed.⁵
Three character references who are not related to you, with contact information.
A passport-style digital photo taken within the last six months.
Residential addresses for the past several years and employment history.

Fees are:

Initial application: $125, non-refundable, plus fingerprinting fees paid separately.
Renewal: $75, with no new fingerprints required.
Replacement or modification: $20.

Payment is collected in the portal by Visa or Mastercard. Once you submit, the Licensing Division reviews the application for completeness and places it in the background-investigation queue. The statutory processing window is 90 days from the date the division receives your completed application and fee.¹ Approval or denial arrives through the portal and by email; if approved, the physical permit is mailed to the address on file.

How Long the Permit Lasts

An initial permit expires on the last day of your birth month following two years after the date of issuance. Renewals are good for three years. You can keep renewing as long as you still meet the eligibility requirements and pay the $75 fee.

If your permit lapses, you have up to three years to renew without retaking the full 16-hour training course; the 8-hour renewal course is still required. Miss that three-year window and you’re back to the initial training requirement and a fresh application.

Where You Still Can’t Carry

A valid permit does not give you free run of the state. The Gun Safety Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 1) expanded the list of off-limits places by amending Criminal Law § 4-111.⁶ Prohibited locations include:

Preschools, private K-12 schools and their grounds, and buildings of public and private colleges and universities.
Government buildings, public transit vehicles and stations, polling places during elections, and legislative buildings.
Stadiums, amusement parks, racetracks, casinos, museums, healthcare facilities, and locations hosting public demonstrations.
Bars and restaurants where alcohol is served for on-site consumption.
State parks and forests, except in designated areas or during lawful hunting.

Violating these restrictions is a misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The conviction does not merge with any other charge arising from the same conduct, so a judge can stack the sentence on top of other penalties.⁷

Federal facilities inside Maryland are off-limits regardless of your state permit. Under 18 U.S.C. § 930, knowingly possessing a firearm in a federal facility is a federal crime; federal court facilities carry heavier penalties for simple possession.⁸ Post offices are the trap people fall into most often: federal regulations prohibit firearms anywhere on postal property, including the parking lot.

National parks in Maryland follow state law, so carrying with a valid Maryland permit is legal within the park. Any federal building inside the park (visitor centers, ranger stations, fee collection buildings) is still a federal facility where firearms are prohibited.⁹ Discharging a firearm in a national park is prohibited unless you’re in an area where hunting is specifically authorized by federal statute.

Carrying on Private Property

The Gun Safety Act of 2023 set the default on private property to no carrying: you need the owner’s express permission or a posted sign indicating firearms are allowed.¹⁰

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals then reviewed a challenge and ruled the private-property restriction unconstitutional as applied to property held open to the public, meaning businesses, shopping centers, and similar commercial properties. The court upheld the rest of the Act’s location restrictions, including bars, schools, government buildings, and parks. The rule remains enforceable for residential property and private land not open to the public, while its application to commercial establishments open to the general public is on uncertain legal footing. This area of the law continues to evolve; watch for updates from the Maryland State Police Licensing Division.

Dwellings are treated separately. You cannot enter someone else’s home while carrying unless the owner or their agent has given express permission, and the Fourth Circuit’s ruling did not disturb that provision.¹⁰

Traveling With or Into Maryland

Maryland does not recognize concealed carry permits from any other state. An out-of-state permit has no legal effect once you cross the line; carrying concealed here requires a Maryland wear and carry permit.

Going the other way, a Maryland permit is recognized by a fair number of states. Most are permitless-carry states that automatically honor any valid out-of-state permit. Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin specifically recognize Maryland permits. Reciprocity changes often, so check the current list before you travel.

If your route takes you through a state that doesn’t recognize your permit, federal law provides a narrow safe-passage protection. Under 18 U.S.C. § 926A, part of the Firearms Owners Protection Act, you can transport a firearm through any state as long as you could legally possess it at both your origin and destination, the firearm is unloaded, and neither the gun nor ammunition is accessible from the passenger compartment.¹¹ If the vehicle has no separate trunk, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container that isn’t the glove compartment or center console. The protection covers transportation only. You can’t stop overnight, run errands, or otherwise carry in that state.

Denials, Revocations, and Appeals

If the State Police deny your application, you have 10 days from receiving the denial notice to request an informal review, file an appeal with the Handgun Permit Review Board, or both.¹ The informal review goes to the Secretary of State Police, who must respond within 30 days. A Board appeal is a more formal hearing, and you can go there directly without informal review first, though the same 10-day window applies.¹²

An existing permit can be revoked if the Secretary finds you no longer meet the eligibility qualifications, whether from a new criminal conviction, a protective order, or a substance-abuse issue that arose after issuance. Two administrative failures also trigger revocation: carrying without the physical permit on your person, and failing to notify the Licensing Division of an address change within 10 days.¹² The same 10-day rule applies to reporting a lost or stolen permit.

When a permit is revoked, the State Police send written notice explaining the reasons and your appeal rights. You have 10 days to return the physical permit to the Licensing Division. The appeal process mirrors the denial process: informal review through the Secretary, formal appeal to the Board, or both.

1
Maryland State Police. Wear and Carry Permit
2
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Public Safety 5-306
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
4
Maryland State Police. Wear and Carry Permit Training
5
Maryland State Police. Fingerprinting
6
Maryland General Assembly. Fiscal and Policy Note – Senate Bill 1 – Gun Safety Act of 2023
7
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Criminal Law 4-111
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
9
National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks
10
Maryland General Assembly. Chapter 680 – Senate Bill 1 Gun Safety Act of 2023
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
12
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 29.03.02.13 – Revocation