Utah does not set a magazine capacity limit. State law places no cap on how many rounds a handgun, rifle, or shotgun magazine can hold, and the phrase “high-capacity magazine” does not appear anywhere in the Utah Criminal Code. You can buy, own, carry, transport, and sell magazines of any size throughout the state without permits, registration, or fees.
What Utah Law Actually Says
Utah’s firearms statutes live in Title 76, Chapter 10, Part 5. That part covers concealed carry, loaded firearms in vehicles, weapons near schools, prohibited persons, and background checks. None of it addresses magazine size. The definitions section does not even define the word “magazine.”1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 76-10-501 – Definitions
Because the code is silent, there is no legal distinction in Utah between a 10-round magazine, a 30-round magazine, and a 50-round drum. Standard, extended, and drum magazines are all treated the same. Retailers can sell them, you can order them online, and you can keep them in any quantity.
Carrying a Firearm With Any Size Magazine
Utah adopted permitless concealed carry in May 2021. Anyone 21 or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry concealed without a permit.2Utah Legislature. HB 60 Conceal Carry Firearms Amendments The concealed carry statute addresses age, location restrictions, and permit alternatives, and it says nothing about ammunition quantity or magazine size.3Utah Legislature. Utah Code 53-5a-102.2 – Open and Concealed Carry of a Firearm Outside of an Individuals Residence
The same holds for open carry and for loaded firearms kept in a vehicle. Whether you carry under the permitless framework or with a Utah Concealed Firearm Permit, the state imposes no limit on the magazine loaded in your firearm.
The One Capacity Rule: Shotguns for Migratory Birds
The only capacity rule you’ll run into in Utah is a federal wildlife regulation, not a firearms law. When hunting migratory birds such as ducks, geese, and doves, a shotgun is limited to three shells. If your shotgun holds more than three, it must be fitted with a one-piece plug that cannot be removed without disassembling the gun.4eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal
There is a narrow exception during designated light-goose-only seasons for snow geese and Ross’s geese, when all other waterfowl seasons are closed; the three-shell limit does not apply then.4eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal Conservation officers routinely check plugs during waterfowl season, and under Utah wildlife law a violation can result in a citation and possible forfeiture of game taken.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-301 – Violations in General
The three-shell rule applies only to migratory birds. Utah imposes no capacity restriction for big game, upland game, or any other non-migratory species.
Cities and Counties Cannot Add Their Own Limits
Utah reserves firearms regulation to the state legislature. The preemption statute declares that the legislature “occupies the whole field of state regulation of firearms” and bars any local entity from enacting or enforcing rules that restrict the possession, sale, transport, or use of firearms.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 76-10-500 – Uniform Law
A magazine that is legal anywhere in Utah is legal everywhere in Utah. Salt Lake City cannot create its own cap, and neither can any other municipality or county.
Crossing State Lines Is Where People Get Caught
Utah’s permissive rules stop at the border. A magazine that’s legal in your truck here can become a criminal charge in the next state over. Colorado, Utah’s eastern neighbor, caps magazine capacity at 15 rounds. A first offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor, a second is a Class 1 misdemeanor, and possessing an oversized magazine during a violent crime is a Class 6 felony.7Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Colorado Revised Statutes 18-12-302
Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Arizona impose no magazine capacity limits, so your Utah-legal magazines don’t trigger a capacity issue when crossing those borders. Other carry rules still differ by state, so being clear on capacity doesn’t mean the rest of your transport setup is clear.
Roughly a dozen states plus the District of Columbia have magazine restrictions, with caps ranging from 10 to 17 rounds depending on the jurisdiction. If a trip takes you through California, Illinois, New York, or Colorado, a 30-round rifle magazine from a Utah range day becomes a serious liability. Check the law of every state on your route before you leave.
A Narrow Federal Rule for Imported-Parts Builds
Federal law does not cap magazine capacity for domestic purchases, but 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(r) restricts assembling a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun from imported parts if the finished firearm matches one barred from importation for lacking a “sporting purpose.”8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The ATF treats the ability to accept a magazine holding more than 10 rounds for rifles, or more than 5 rounds for shotguns, as a disqualifying feature. Magazine bodies, followers, and floorplates all count toward the foreign-parts tally for anyone building AK-pattern or similar imported-design rifles.
If you’re buying a factory-complete firearm or a domestically made magazine off the shelf in Utah, 922(r) has no practical effect on what you can own.