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OTF Knife Laws by State (2026): 50-State Automatic Knife Guide
By Tactical Chris, Uppercut Tactical. Last reviewed: October 12, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and court rulings change, and cities and counties can add their own rules.
Short answer
In most U.S. states, adults can legally own an OTF (out-the-front automatic) knife. A few jurisdictions still ban or tightly limit them: Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Washington D.C., and Washington state. New Jersey allows possession only with a lawful purpose. In January 2026 a federal appeals court upheld California's switchblade law (Knife Rights v. Bonta). Others cap blade length (California under 2 inches, Connecticut 1.5 inches) or restrict concealed carry (Colorado over 3.5 inches, Hawaii, Maryland). Federal law (the Switchblade Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241–1245) limits interstate shipment of automatic knives, with exceptions. Check your state and city before you buy or carry.
At a glance: OTF knives are legal to own for adults in most states. The main exceptions and limits are in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Washington D.C., Washington state, New Jersey (lawful purpose only), and blade-length caps in California and Connecticut. Find your state in the table, then check your city.
Jump to your state: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
State-by-state table (as of Oct 12, 2026)
Primary source: AKTI, "State Laws Regarding Automatic Knives" (akti.org/state-laws-regarding-automatics/, read Oct 12, 2026). Each row cites the state statute, session law, or court ruling we checked. Rows labeled "secondary" were checked against a published copy of the statute (such as Justia), and rows labeled "Source: AKTI (not independently verified)" rely on AKTI alone.
| State | Status for automatic/OTF knives | Statute / source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Alaska | Legal to own since Sept. 18, 2013 (possession ban repealed). Knife regulation is reserved to the state. | Ch. 54 SLA 2013 (HB 33), repealing AS 11.61.220(a)(5) (akleg.gov, official) |
| Arizona | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Arkansas | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| California | Legal only with a blade under 2 in. At 2 in. or more, carrying on the person, keeping it in a vehicle's passenger/driver area in public, or selling/transferring it is a misdemeanor. Knife Rights v. Bonta, No. 24-5536 (9th Cir. Jan. 30, 2026) upheld the law against a facial Second Amendment challenge, ruling specifically on the concealed-carry ban, § 21510(b). | Cal. Penal Code §§ 17235, 21510, 21590 (text quoted in the opinion, verified); 9th Cir. opinion verified |
| Colorado | Legal since Aug. 9, 2017 (the switchblade definition was repealed by SB 17-008). The concealed "knife" definition covers blades over 3.5 in. | C.R.S. § 18-12-101(1)(q) and history note (Justia 2025, secondary) |
| Connecticut | Carrying an automatic (spring-release) knife with a blade over 1.5 in. is a class E felony. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-206(a) (2025 text, Justia: secondary) |
| Delaware | Legal to own since July 30, 2025 (switchblade ban § 1446 repealed). A switchblade is still a "deadly weapon," so concealed carry requires a license. SETTLED. | 85 Del. Laws c. 119 (SB 108), signed July 30, 2025 (verified at legis.delaware.gov, official); 11 Del. C. § 222(6) |
| District of Columbia | Prohibited: possessing a switchblade is illegal (no unlawful intent required). | D.C. Code § 22-4514(a) (code.dccouncil.gov, official) |
| Florida | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Georgia | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Hawaii | Possession, sale, and transport are legal since May 13, 2024. Concealed carry (on the person or in a carried bag) is a misdemeanor, with a defense for being in your own home. SETTLED: Act 21 (2024) rewrote § 134-52; the 2025 Justia text was stale. | HRS § 134-52 as amended by 2024 Haw. Sess. Laws Act 21 § 5 (official session law, data.capitol.hawaii.gov); see Teter v. Lopez (9th Cir. en banc, Jan. 22, 2025, mooted after Act 21) |
| Idaho | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Illinois | Switchblades are generally prohibited, but the ban does not apply to a person with a valid FOID card, or to businesses that sell or manufacture them. | 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(1), (e)(2) (verified at ilga.gov, official) |
| Indiana | Legal since July 1, 2013. Only ballistic (projectile) knives remain banned. | IC 35-47-5-2 as amended by P.L. 289-2013 (iga.in.gov, official) |
| Iowa | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Kansas | Legal since July 1, 2013. Statewide switchblade limits were removed and local knife rules preempted. Convicted felons may not possess switchblades. | HB 2033 (2013), K.S.A. 21-6301, 21-6304 (kslegislature.gov, official) |
| Kentucky | Not prohibited. A switchblade is likely a "deadly weapon" (any knife other than an ordinary pocket or hunting knife), so concealed carry needs age 21+ or a license. | KRS 500.080(4)(c) (legislature.ky.gov, official); KRS 237.109, 237.110 |
| Louisiana | Legal since Aug. 1, 2022 (concealed-carry ban removed). | HB 463, Act 587 of 2022, amending R.S. 14:95 (legis.la.gov, official) |
| Maine | Legal. The dangerous-knives statute was repealed in 2015. | 17-A M.R.S. § 1055, repealed PL 2015, c. 23 (legislature.maine.gov, official) |
| Maryland | May own and openly carry. Concealed carry is prohibited (switchblades are a listed "weapon"), and selling, bartering, or displaying for sale is illegal. Baltimore City has its own limits. | Md. Code, Crim. Law §§ 4-101, 4-105 (mgaleg.maryland.gov, official) |
| Massachusetts | Carrying is no longer enforceable. The SJC held the switchblade carry ban unconstitutional on Aug. 27, 2024 (Commonwealth v. Canjura, SJC-13432). The statute text still contains the old language. | G.L. c. 269 § 10(b) (malegislature.gov, official, text unchanged); Canjura summary at mass.gov (official) |
| Michigan | Legal since Oct. 11, 2017 (switchblade ban repealed). | MCL 750.226a, repealed by PA 96 of 2017 (legislature.mi.gov, official) |
| Minnesota | Prohibited: manufacture, transfer, or possession | Minn. Stat. § 609.66 subd. 1(a)(4) (verified at revisor.mn.gov, current through 2024 amendments) |
| Mississippi | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Missouri | Legal since 2012, except where possession violates federal law (e.g., interstate commerce). | RSMo § 571.020(1)(6)(d) as amended by SB 489 (2012) (senate.mo.gov, official) |
| Montana | Legal since Apr. 3, 2019 (automatic-knife limit repealed; local knife rules preempted). Concealed knife limits were removed in 2017 by HB 251. | HB 155 (2019), repealing MCA 45-8-331; HB 251 (2017) enrolled text (secondary: amgoa.org copy and press coverage) |
| Nebraska | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Nevada | Legal since July 1, 2015 (switchblades removed from the prohibited list). Concealed carry of a dangerous weapon still needs a permit. | SB 176 (2015), amending NRS 202.350 (enrolled bill text via akti.org, secondary) |
| New Hampshire | Legal since May 18, 2010 (switch knives removed). | RSA 159:16 as amended by HB 1665 (2010) (gencourt.state.nh.us, official) |
| New Jersey | Possession is a 4th-degree crime unless there is an "explainable lawful purpose," which the State must disprove. Courts have accepted keeping a weapon at home for self-defense (State v. Montalvo, 2017), but self-defense away from home is generally not a lawful purpose. Selling, shipping, or manufacturing is separately restricted (2C:39-9(d)). A federal challenge was filed Sept. 2026 (No. 26-cv-12401) and is pending. SETTLED: possession legal only with a lawful purpose; carrying is risky. | N.J.S. 2C:39-3(e) (Justia 2025, secondary); NJ model jury charge (njcourts.gov, official) |
| New Mexico | Prohibited: manufacturing, possessing, displaying, selling, lending, giving away, or buying a switchblade is a petty misdemeanor. Upheld in State v. Murillo, 2015-NMCA-046. The statute itself has no own-property exception; AKTI describes one. Source: AKTI (not independently verified). | N.M. Stat. § 30-7-8 (Justia 2025, secondary) |
| New York | Prohibited: possessing a switchblade is criminal possession of a weapon in the 4th degree (Class A misdemeanor). Gravity knives were legalized in 2019; switchblades were not. NYC also bans public carry of blades 4 in. or longer. | N.Y. Penal Law §§ 265.00(4), 265.01(1) (nysenate.gov, official); NYC Admin. Code § 10-133 |
| North Carolina | Owning is legal. Concealed carry is risky: the "ordinary pocket knife" exception excludes spring-opened knives, so a concealed switchblade may count as an "other deadly weapon." | G.S. 14-269 (ncleg.gov, official) |
| North Dakota | Owning is legal. Switchblades, gravity knives, and any knife with a blade of 5 in. or more are "dangerous weapons," so concealed carry needs a license. | N.D.C.C. § 62.1-01-01 (ndlegis.gov, official) |
| Ohio | Legal to make and sell since Apr. 12, 2021. Ohio has no statewide knife preemption, so local rules may apply. | SB 140 (133rd GA), amending ORC 2923.20 (legislature.ohio.gov, official) |
| Oklahoma | Legal since Nov. 1, 2015 (switchblades removed from the carry ban). Local knife rules are preempted. | HB 1911 and HB 1460 (2015), 21 O.S. § 1272 (oklegislature.gov, official) |
| Oregon | Owning is legal. Concealed carry of a switchblade is a Class B misdemeanor. | ORS 166.240 (oregonlegislature.gov, official) |
| Pennsylvania | Legal since Jan. 2, 2023 (automatic knives removed from "offensive weapons"). | 18 Pa.C.S. § 908 as amended by Act 119 of 2022 (palegis.us, official) |
| Rhode Island | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| South Carolina | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| South Dakota | Legal. No current statewide switchblade ban; the automatic-knife ban was reportedly repealed in 1976. Source: AKTI (not independently verified) for the 1976 repeal date. | AKTI; LawLert (secondary) |
| Tennessee | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Texas | No switchblade offense in the Penal Code. Ch. 46 restricts only "location-restricted knives" (blade over 5.5 in.) for under-18s and in listed places such as schools, courts, polling places, secured airport areas, and 51% alcohol premises. | Tex. Penal Code §§ 46.01(6), 46.02(a-4), 46.03 (verified at statutes.capitol.texas.gov) |
| Utah | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
| Vermont | Legal since July 2, 2025 (the switchblade ban for blades 3 in. or longer was repealed). | 13 V.S.A. § 4013, now covering zip guns only (legislature.vermont.gov, official) |
| Virginia | Legal. Switchblades are no longer listed in the prohibited-sale statute. | Va. Code § 18.2-311 (verified at law.lis.virginia.gov, official) |
| Washington | Prohibited for most people. Possession is limited to on-duty law enforcement, fire/rescue, and military, plus contract/testing exceptions. SSB 5534 (repeal) passed the Senate 46–2 on Mar. 12, 2025 but did not pass the House; it sat in Senate Rules "X" file as of Feb. 26, 2026 and is not law. | RCW 9.41.250, 9.41.251 (verified); SSB 5534 bill history at app.leg.wa.gov (verified) |
| West Virginia | Not prohibited per AKTI. A switchblade counts as a "knife" (deadly weapon) under the definitions, which matters for concealed carry. Age 21+ rule: Source: AKTI (not independently verified). | W. Va. Code § 61-7-2(9), (15) (Justia 2025, secondary) |
| Wisconsin | Legal since Feb. 8, 2016 (switchblade ban repealed). | 2015 Wis. Act 149, repealing § 941.24 (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, official) |
| Wyoming | Not prohibited. No state statute was found restricting switchblades or OTF knives; per AKTI, the state never enacted one. General weapon and carry laws still apply. | AKTI state page (no state statute found) |
FAQ
Are OTF knives legal in my state?
In most states, yes. See the table. Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, D.C., and Washington state are the main exceptions, New Jersey requires a lawful purpose, and several states limit blade length or concealed carry.
Is an OTF the same as a switchblade?
Legally, usually yes. Most statutes cover any knife whose blade opens automatically by a button or spring, which includes OTFs.
Does a small blade make an OTF legal everywhere?
No. Blade-length limits exist in only a few states, and bans in places like Minnesota apply regardless of size. Learn how to measure blade length.
Can I buy an OTF online?
Federal law restricts interstate shipment of switchblades, and your state's law still applies. See is it legal to buy an OTF online.
Do cities have their own rules?
Yes, many do. Some states preempt local knife ordinances; others don't. Check your city code.
Where can't I carry even if it's legal?
Commonly schools, courthouses, government buildings, airports past security, and places that serve alcohol (per AKTI).
Know your local knife laws.
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