Utah: Where Your CCW Isn’t Valid

One of the most common questions asked about CCW in the state of Utah is where you can and cannot legally carry a concealed firearm. Since your CCW permit does not grant you permission to carry anywhere you choose, there are some key places to avoid if you have your gun on you.

According to the Utah.gov website, anyone with a concealed firearm permit is allowed to carry into public schools so dropping your kids off or picking them up from school isn’t a problem when legally armed.

However, you are not allowed to carry:

“… into federal or state restricted areas i.e. any airport secured area, federal facilities, courts, correctional & mental health facilities, law enforcement secured areas, a house of worship or private residence where notice given and/or posted, any secured area in which firearms are prohibited and notice posted, or otherwise prohibited by state of federal law.”

No Guns Allowed Signs

Suppose the coffee shop you like to hit before work puts up a sign saying all guns, legal or not, are banned from their property. Does that sign carry the weight of the law?

The short answer is yes, if you see such a sign you can assume that you can get in legal trouble if you ignore it. I was unable to find any documentation discussing what laws you are violating and what sort of punishments one could expect to incur. But the most common way of dealing with this situation is to charge the offender with criminal trespass, which is usually a misdemeanor offense.

The Utah.gov site had this to say about it:

“Naturally, private property owners may apply whatever restrictions they want. Whether or not these restrictions violate one’s constitutional rights is for the civil courts to decide. But the only statutory restrictions on a permit holder are secured areas such as airports and federal buildings.”

However, there are no requirements for these signs in how they are to be worded, formatted, and displayed. In some states, like Texas, specific requirements are detailed in order for the sign to carry the weight of the law. Signs in Texas must meet a particular format and displayed in such a way as to be easily visible.

Utah has no such requirements, which means that paper towel taped at the bottom of the back-door counts. If it’s discovered that you are carrying in a prohibitive business and asked to leave and you comply immediately, police generally won’t pursue charges, but it depends, of course, on the situation and the officer’s discretion.

The best course of action is to simply avoid these establishments and cast your most valuable vote with your wallet.

Can You Carry Concealed in a Bar?

Yes. As long as you’re only drinking Shirley Temples and Virgin Daiquiris. According to the Utah.gov site:

“There is nothing in state statute that prohibits permit holders from being in a bar with a concealed firearm. However, it is illegal to be intoxicated and in possession of a firearm. The level of intoxication that is considered illegal is the same standard as when driving a car. (.05 B.A.C.)”

This also implies that not only are you not allowed to have a gun on you while drinking in a bar, you are also at risk for prosecution while drinking at deer camp. Many hunters keep a flask of whiskey waiting on them when they come down out of the mountains after long hikes chasing big bucks and bull elk. But know that if the game warden were to see that flask, they have legal power to take action.

Disclaimer:

I am not, nor do I ever intend to be, a lawyer. Do your own research and talk to actual law experts for verification. If you have any comment or evidence that helps to reform or clarify the topic, please feel free to leave it in a comment below for the benefit of everyone.

Check out our Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Map Builder to see what other states your CCW permit is valid in.