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West Virginia Concealed Carry Permit

West Virginia allows permitless carry for non-prohibited adults 18+. A CHL is still available and is what other states recognize.

Permitless carry is legal in West Virginia

A non-prohibited adult aged 18 or older may carry a concealed handgun without a permit (since 2016). YES — permitless ("constitutional") concealed carry is lawful in West Virginia. §61-7-7(c): "Any person may carry a concealed deadly weapon without a license therefor who is: (1) At least 18 years of age; (2) A United States citizen or legal resident thereof; (3) Not prohibited from possessing a firearm under the provisions of this section; and (4) Not prohibited from possessing a firearm under the provisions of 18 U.S.C. §922(g) or (n)." IMPORTANT RECENT CHANGE: the minimum age dropped from 21 to 18 on June 12, 2026. HB 4106 (2026 Reg. Sess.), signed April 1, 2026, repealed §61-7-3 — the section that had made it a crime for persons under 21 to carry concealed without a provisional license — and amended §61-7-7. The WV Attorney General's July 2026 guide states directly: "As of June 12, 2026 (effective date of HB 4106), any person who is (1) at least 18 years of age, (2) a United States citizen or legal resident, and (3) not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a firearm may carry a concealed handgun in West Virginia without a license." There is NO residency requirement — an out-of-state visitor aged 18+ may carry concealed in WV permitless, which makes reciprocity largely moot for lawful visitors. Permitless OPEN carry is also lawful. Persons under 18 who are unmarried and unemancipated may not carry concealed or openly (§61-7-8), subject to hunting and own-property exceptions. sinceYear 2016 reflects WV's original adoption of permitless carry at age 21 (SB 347); I verified the 2026 lowering to 18 from primary sources but did not independently re-verify the 2016 date from a primary source.

Getting the permit anyway is still worth it for most people: other states recognize the permit, not your residency, so without one you generally cannot carry across state lines.

W. Va. Code §61-7-7(c); §61-7-3 repealed by HB 4106 (2026 Reg. Sess.), effective June 12, 2026

There are 12 details on this page we could not confirm from a primary source. Read what they are before relying on this.

Requirements at a glance

Permit name Concealed Handgun License (CHL) — statutorily "License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon"; optional. A separate Provisional CHL exists for ages 18–20.
Issuing authority County sheriff of the applicant's county of residence (nonresidents may apply to any WV county sheriff). Uniform applications are prepared by the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police, which also maintains the statewide license registry.
System shall-issue
Minimum age 21 — 21 for the standard (optional) resident or nonresident CHL — §61-7-4(b)(3). 18–20 year old WV residents may instead obtain a Provisional CHL under §61-7-4a, which expires when the licensee turns 21 and is marked "NOT NICS EXEMPT." Separately, no license of any kind is needed to carry concealed at age 18+ (§61-7-7(c)). The CHL is worth obtaining mainly for out-of-state reciprocity, the federal NICS purchase exemption (CHLs issued on/after June 4, 2014), and limited school-parking-lot and municipal-building privileges.
Training required Yes, live fire required
State fee $50 initial / $50 renewal — the state's own charge, not the total
Valid for 5 years
Processing time The sheriff must issue, reissue, or deny within 45 days after the application is filed, once all required background checks are completed (§61-7-4(g); same 45-day rule for provisional licenses under §61-7-4a(f)).
Fingerprints Not required
Non-resident permit Available

What it actually costs

The state fee is rarely the whole bill. Fingerprinting is usually charged by a private vendor, training is bought from an instructor, and several states add photographs, notarisation or other requirements on top.

State fee $50
Training course $75–$250 (private instructor)
Non-resident licence $100
Provisional licence, ages 18-20 $30 — $15 at application and $15 before issuance
Realistic total $125–$300

§61-7-4(a) sets $50 for a resident licence, collected by the sheriff in two halves — $25 with the application, $25 before issuance — and split $25 to the State Police and $25 to the sheriff's own licence administration fund. No fingerprints are required. Training is required and §61-7-4(e) demands live fire, though no hour count is set. West Virginia requires no licence to carry at all, so the $50 and the course buy recognition in other states rather than permission to carry in this one.

Statutory amounts (§61-7-4(a)): resident CHL $50 paid to the sheriff at time of application; NONRESIDENT CHL $100. §61-7-4(d)(1) allocates the resident fee as $25 to the State Police account and $25 to the sheriff's concealed weapons license administration fund, which corroborates the $50 total. The WVSP application form WVSP 44A (rev. 05/2024) describes the same $50 as two payments: $25 with the application and an additional $25 upon approval before issuance. PROVISIONAL CHL (ages 18-20): $15 at application plus $15 before issuance = $30 total (§61-7-4a(a), (g)). Lost/destroyed license replacement: $5. Reissue after an address change: not to exceed $5. Renewal: the statute sets no separate renewal fee — a renewal is a fresh application to the sheriff paying "the applicable fees," so $50 for a resident and $100 for a nonresident; training is waived on renewal. FEE EXEMPTIONS: honorably discharged U.S. armed forces / reserve / National Guard veterans and honorably retired law-enforcement officers (§61-7-4(q)); Supreme Court of Appeals justices, circuit judges, senior-status retired justices/judges, family court judges, magistrates, prosecuting and assistant prosecuting attorneys, and prosecutors' investigators (§61-7-6). Tax credit of up to $50 for training/application fees (§61-7-4(s)). DISCREPANCY FLAGGED: the WV Attorney General's FAQ page and the FAQ section of the AG's own July 2026 booklet state "$75.00 to the sheriff at the time you apply" plus "an additional $25.00 prior to issuance." That contradicts the statutory text of §61-7-4(a)(1) and (d)(1) reproduced verbatim later in the SAME AG booklet, and contradicts the WVSP application form. I treat $50 (statute) as controlling and consider the AG FAQ figure stale or erroneous, but an applicant should confirm the current amount with their county sheriff before applying.

How to apply

  1. Confirm you actually need a license: since June 12, 2026 any non-prohibited U.S. citizen or legal resident aged 18+ may carry concealed in West Virginia with NO permit (§61-7-7(c)). The CHL is optional and is worth getting mainly for out-of-state reciprocity, the federal NICS purchase exemption, and limited school-parking-lot/municipal-building privileges.
  2. Complete a qualifying handgun training course that includes actual live firing of ammunition (NRA course, law-enforcement/college/institution course, state- or NRA-certified instructor course, or U.S. military/reserve/National Guard training or qualification). Obtain a completion certificate, instructor affidavit, or equivalent document showing the instructor's name, signature, and NRA or state instructor ID number if applicable.
  3. Download and complete WVSP Form 44A, "Application for Concealed Pistol/Revolver License" (ages 18-20 use Form 44C for a Provisional CHL). Complete it in ink or by typewriter.
  4. Have the application notarized — all concealed weapons license applications must be notarized by a WV-licensed notary public (§61-7-4(f)). Falsification is false swearing, a misdemeanor under §61-5-2.
  5. Attach a photocopy of your valid WV-issued photo ID (driver's license or non-driver ID) and a copy of your training completion certificate.
  6. Submit the application in person to the sheriff of your county of residence with the application fee. Nonresidents may apply to any WV county sheriff and pay the $100 nonresident fee. Per the statute the resident fee is $50; the WVSP form collects $25 at application and $25 on approval. Confirm the current amount with your sheriff, since the AG's FAQ lists a conflicting $75 figure.
  7. The sheriff conducts a nationwide background investigation — NICS, West Virginia criminal history records, and the National Interstate Identification Index. No application is accepted without a NICS Transaction Number (NTN). No fingerprints are required by statute.
  8. Receive a decision within 45 days of filing. If approved, pay any remaining issuance fee and collect your license plus a wallet-sized duplicate card bearing your photograph, uniform across all 55 counties.
  9. If denied, the sheriff must state the specific reasons. You may petition the circuit court of the county where you applied within 30 days; if the denial is not upheld you may be entitled to reasonable costs and attorney's fees payable by the sheriff's office.
  10. Report address changes in writing to the appropriate sheriff within 20 days; a replacement license bearing the new address and the original expiration date costs no more than $5. To renew, reapply to your county sheriff and pay the applicable fees — the training requirement is waived if you previously qualified.

Apply on the official West Virginia site

What disqualifies you

Where to get the required training

West Virginia does not publish a central list of certified instructors. Confirm directly with County sheriff of the applicant's county of residence (nonresidents may apply to any WV county sheriff). Uniform applications are prepared by the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police, which also maintains the statewide license registry. that a course will be accepted before you pay for it.

Training providers in West Virginia

Businesses in our directory that offer firearms training. These are not state-verified as certified permit instructors — check against the official list above, or ask the provider directly.

All firearms training in West Virginia →

Reciprocity

Carrying into West Virginia

West Virginia recognizes permits from 37 other jurisdictions.

Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming

33 jurisdictions honor a West Virginia permit

Derived from what each of those states officially publishes.

Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Official West Virginia reciprocity page Full reciprocity matrix →

Building your own in West Virginia

Build for personal use
Allowed
Serial number required
No

West Virginia law does not prohibit building a firearm for personal use, does not require a serial number on a self-made firearm, and has no firearm registration scheme. This is a finding of ABSENCE of law rather than an affirmative authorization: I reviewed the full section index of Chapter 61, Article 7 (the state's dangerous-weapons article, running §61-7-1 to §61-7-17, with §61-7-13 repealed in 1990) and the WV Attorney General's July 2026 firearms guide, and neither contains any self-manufacture, "ghost gun," unfinished-receiver, or serialization provision. §8-12-5a reinforces this by voiding municipal ordinances "designed or enforced to effectively restrict or prohibit the sale, purchase, transfer, manufacture, repair, or display of firearms," so no WV city may impose its own rule either. IMPORTANT: federal law still applies independently — a self-made firearm may not be an NFA item without ATF approval, may not be undetectable under 18 U.S.C. §922(p), may not be made by a prohibited person, and may not be manufactured for sale or distribution without a federal manufacturer's license. Because I could not run a full-text search across the entire West Virginia Code, I cannot rule out a relevant provision located outside Chapter 61, Article 7.

No provision — W. Va. Code ch. 61, art. 7 (§§61-7-1 through 61-7-17) contains no section addressing self-manufacture, serialization, or registration of firearms. See also W. Va. Code §8-12-5a (state preemption of municipal firearm regulation, expressly voiding local ordinances restricting the "manufacture" of firearms) and W. Va. Code §61-7-9 (machine guns).

Federal law, gunsmithing schools, and tools →

Statutes

What we could not confirm

  • FEE CONFLICT, UNRESOLVED. The WV Attorney General's FAQ page and the FAQ section of the AG's own July 2026 booklet both say a CHL costs "$75.00 to the sheriff at the time you apply" plus "an additional $25.00 prior to issuance." This directly contradicts the verbatim statutory text of §61-7-4(a)(1) ($50 at application) reproduced later in that SAME booklet, contradicts the fee allocation in §61-7-4(d)(1) ($25 + $25 = $50), and contradicts WVSP Form 44A (rev. 05/2024), which instructs $25 at application and $25 on approval. I report $50 because the statute controls, but I could not determine why the AG's consumer-facing text says $75. Applicants should confirm with their county sheriff.
  • RENEWAL FEE NOT SEPARATELY STATED. §61-7-4 sets no distinct renewal fee. The AG guide says a renewal applicant "may apply to the sheriff in your county of residence and pay the applicable fees," which implies the same $50 resident / $100 nonresident application fee. I inferred this rather than reading an explicit renewal-fee provision.
  • RECIPROCITY LIST IS A DERIVATION, NOT A PUBLISHED INBOUND LIST. West Virginia publishes no standalone list of out-of-state permits it honors. §61-7-6a(a)(4) defines inbound recognition as contingent on the other state recognizing WV CHLs, so I derived the 37-state list from the AG's official outbound reciprocity map by excluding the 12 red "does not recognize WV license" states. This is legally grounded but is not a verbatim official inbound list.
  • The AG reciprocity map is dated October 1, 2025 — roughly eight months before HB 4106 took effect and ten months before today. Reciprocity status can change without notice and I could not find a more recent official map.
  • §61-7-6a(e) and (g) require the West Virginia State Police to maintain a reciprocity registry and to "make available to the public a list of states" with reciprocity or recognition. I could not locate that WVSP public list anywhere on wvsp.gov; the site's own Forms page links out to the Attorney General instead. If WVSP publishes a list, it may differ from the AG map.
  • The statutory inbound reciprocity conditions in §61-7-6a(a) require the out-of-state permit holder to be 21 or older AND a non-resident of West Virginia — narrower than permitless carry under §61-7-7(c), which has no residency requirement and a minimum age of 18. I could find no official guidance reconciling how these two provisions interact for an 18-20 year old non-resident permit holder, though the plain text of §61-7-7(c) appears to let such a person carry permitless regardless.
  • NO STATE INSTRUCTOR REGISTRY LOCATED. §61-7-4(e)(3) accepts courses taught by "a handgun instructor certified as such by the state or by the National Rifle Association," but I found no West Virginia page listing state-certified instructors, and no evidence of a state instructor certification program. instructorRegistryUrl is reported as null; I could not confirm whether one exists but is unpublished.
  • HOME MANUFACTURE IS AN ABSENCE-OF-LAW FINDING. I confirmed that Chapter 61, Article 7 (§§61-7-1 to 61-7-17) contains no self-manufacture, serialization, or registration provision, and that the AG's July 2026 guide is silent on the subject. Because web search was unavailable I could not run a full-text search of the entire West Virginia Code, so I cannot completely exclude a relevant provision elsewhere in the code.
  • I could not retrieve the enrolled text of HB 4106 itself — the WV Legislature's bill-text pages returned "the text for House Bill 4106 is not available." I verified the repeal of §61-7-3 and the substance of the change through three independent official channels instead: the official code site's §61-7-3 page (marked Repealed), the current §61-7-7 text and section title, and the AG's July 2026 booklet, which states the repeal and the June 12, 2026 effective date explicitly.
  • permitlessCarry.sinceYear is reported as 2016, reflecting West Virginia's original adoption of permitless carry at age 21. I verified the June 12, 2026 lowering to age 18 from primary sources but did not independently confirm the 2016 enactment year or its effective date from a primary source.
  • Web search quota was exhausted at the start of this task, so all sourcing was done by fetching official URLs directly. It is possible an official page exists that I did not find by URL guessing — most relevantly, a post-HB 4106 reciprocity map or the WVSP public reciprocity list.
  • The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories do not appear on the AG reciprocity map, so West Virginia's treatment of their permits is unknown.

Sources