Wisconsin Visitor Guide

Wisconsin Honors Your New York Carry License If You Are 21 or Older. Wisconsin Does Not Issue Licenses to Visitors.

At a glance (checked Nov 1, 2026):

• Can a New Yorker get a permit? No. Wisconsin licenses are only for Wisconsin residents and military members stationed in Wisconsin

• Does Wisconsin honor a NY license? Yes, if you are 21 or older and not a Wisconsin resident. New York is on the state Justice Department's list. Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Utah permits are honored too. Florida and Virginia: only their non-resident permits

• Permitless carry for visitors? No concealed carry without an honored license. Open carry is not limited by the license law, with exceptions (see sections 3 and 5)

• Carry in a car without a permit? A handgun may be loaded in the car, but it must not be hidden within reach. With an honored license you may carry concealed

• Magazine limit: None

• Duty to inform: No. You must show your license and photo ID if an officer asks

• Wisconsin concealed carry licenses are issued by the state Department of Justice. By law the applicant must be a Wisconsin resident or a military resident (active duty stationed in Wisconsin), and 21 or older. For more information click here

• A New York resident cannot apply.

• You may not need one: Wisconsin honors a New York carry license (next section).

• The Justice Department: "Any person who is at least 21 years of age, who is not a Wisconsin resident, and who holds a valid concealed carry permit issued by any of the states on Wisconsin DOJ's list, will be recognized in Wisconsin as an out-of-state licensee." For more information click here

• New York is on the list. So are Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Utah and many others.

• Florida and Virginia: only their non-resident licenses are honored. A New Yorker's Florida or Virginia permit is a non-resident permit, so it counts.

• Not honored: Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Missouri, Idaho, West Virginia and Puerto Rico: regular licenses only (no provisional, emergency or expedited ones).

• A NY or NYC premises license is not a carry license. Do not rely on it.

• You must be 21 or older. A visitor under 21 is not covered by any permit.

• With an honored license: you may carry a loaded, concealed handgun in the car. For more information click here

• Without an honored license: anyone who may legally have a handgun may keep it in a car loaded and without a case. But it may not be hidden and within reach. The Justice Department: "Case law has established that a firearm within reach on a seat is concealed." So keep it either in plain view or out of reach (trunk). For more information click here

• Long guns are different: unloaded, and either easy to see from outside the car or out of reach.

With your NY carry license (21 or older) you do not need this in Wisconsin, because your license is honored. It matters if you are under 21, or carrying on a license that is not a carry license.

• Federal law (18 U.S.C. § 926A, part of the Firearm Owners Protection Act) protects a traveler who drives through a state, as long as you are going from a place where you may legally have the gun to another place where you may legally have it.

• The gun must be unloaded. The gun and the ammunition must not be reachable from the passenger area: put them in the trunk. In a car with no trunk (SUV, van), lock them in a container that is not the glove box or the console.

• It protects travel, not a visit. The law does not say how long a stop may be. Keep stops short (gas, food, restroom) and do not take the gun out of the case. For more information click here

• Police stations, sheriff's offices and state patrol stations.

• Prisons, jails and secured mental health facilities.

• Courthouses (and a municipal courtroom when court is in session).

• Beyond the security checkpoint at an airport.

• School grounds. A license holder may carry within 1,000 feet of a school, but not on the grounds.

• Buildings and property where the owner or occupant posts a sign banning guns.

• Taverns: a license holder may carry concealed only if not drinking. A person without a license may not have a handgun in a tavern at all.

• Federal property (federal law applies). For more information click here

Open carry without a license: the Justice Department says the license law "does not limit an individual's right to carry a firearm that is not concealed." But the places above still apply, and without a license you may not have a loaded gun within 1,000 feet of a school (an unloaded gun that is cased, or in a locked rack in a car, is allowed). For more information click here

• Carry your NY license and a photo ID whenever you carry. Show both if an officer asks. For more information click here

• Duty to inform: not required. The Justice Department still recommends telling the officer right away that you have a license, are carrying, and where the gun is, keeping your hands on the wheel and following instructions. For more information click here

• No magazine limit in Wisconsin. For more information click here

• Federal school-zone rule: within 1,000 feet of a school, federal law (18 U.S.C. § 922(q)) exempts a loaded gun only if the license was issued by the state you are in. A New York license is not. On private property it does not apply, and an unloaded gun in a locked container or a locked rack in a car is also exempt. For more information click here

Every state has different laws pertaining to carrying, restrictions etc. It is your responsibility to know these laws and be familiar with them before visiting that state.

This guide summarizes the state's published instructions as of November 1, 2026 and is not legal advice. Fees, forms and rules change; always check the official page before you travel. Tips from others' experience come from users on the chats; they are personal experiences, not official rules.

Checked November 1, 2026.

• Wisconsin Department of Justice, Concealed Carry Reciprocity (list of honored states, age 21, special conditions). For more information click here

• Wisconsin State Legislature, Wis. Stat. § 175.60 (who can get a license; out-of-state licensees; license and ID). For more information click here

• Wisconsin Department of Justice, Concealed Carry FAQ (vehicles, places, open carry, police contact). For more information click here

• Wisconsin Department of Justice, Concealed Carry Weapon License (residents only). For more information click here

• United States Code, 18 U.S.C. § 926A (federal safe passage). For more information click here