No Firearms Sign Laws by State: What a No Guns Sign Must Say

Three ways states treat a no guns sign

In 11 places (Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin), carrying past a properly posted sign can itself be an offense or a fine. Several of those limit it to people with a carry license, so the sign does not reach someone carrying without one.

In 19 states the sign is notice. Carrying past it is not a crime on its own, but if the owner or staff ask the person to leave and they refuse, ordinary trespass law applies. In the remaining 21, the statutes we read do not say what a gun-only sign does, so treat it the same way: a clear notice, backed by your right to ask someone to leave.

Texas: the 30.06, 30.07 and 30.05 signs

Texas does not use a general no guns sign. Penal Code 30.06 covers handgun license holders carrying concealed, and 30.07 covers license holders carrying openly. Each sign must show the statute's notice word for word, in English and in Spanish, in contrasting colors, with block letters at least 1 inch tall. The 30.07 notice goes at each entrance; the 30.06 notice must be conspicuous and clearly visible to the public.

Section 30.05 is the notice for people carrying a firearm without a license (a license holder carrying a handgun is reached by 30.06 and 30.07 instead), and its wording only has to be identical or substantially similar to the statute's. The statutes give no Spanish text. The Texas Department of Public Safety published Spanish versions of the 30.06 and 30.07 notices, which is what our Texas 30.06 signs and Texas 30.07 signs print. A plain picture of a gun with a slash has no legal effect under these sections.

States that write the sign for you

Tennessee asks for the words NO FIREARMS ALLOWED, at least 1 inch tall and 8 inches wide, the line "As authorized by T.C.A. § 39-17-1359", and a firearm inside a circle with a diagonal slash, at least 4 by 4 inches, at every main entrance. South Carolina sets an 8 by 12 inch sign with a black handgun in a 7 inch circle, a slash from lower left to upper right, and NO CONCEALABLE WEAPONS ALLOWED in 1 inch black capitals at the bottom, hung 40 to 60 inches above the bottom of the door.

Illinois uses a 4 by 6 inch picture sign designed by the State Police, a black handgun in a red circle and slash with nothing within 1 inch of it. Kansas uses a picture-only sign too, with the symbol at least 6 inches across on white, at every outside entrance within 12 inches of the door and between 4 and 6 feet off the ground. Minnesota sets the words "(name of the operator) BANS GUNS IN THESE PREMISES." in black Arial letters at least 1.5 inches tall on a bright background of at least 187 square inches. Arizona bars and restaurants that sell liquor post a sign the state supplies at no cost.

States that set a size or written notice

Missouri asks for a sign at least 11 by 14 inches with letters at least 1 inch tall, and Wisconsin for a sign at least 5 by 7 inches that states the restriction near every entrance. Arkansas and Mississippi set written words readable from 10 feet: "carrying a handgun is prohibited" in Arkansas, and "carrying of a pistol or revolver is prohibited" in Mississippi.

Ohio, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Mexico and the District of Columbia ask only for a conspicuous sign or notice, with no set wording or size. In Oklahoma and Kentucky, a business open to the public that bans guns must post signs saying so. Our no firearms signs include the Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi wording and a symbol-only version, and the builder checks letter and symbol sizes against these rules for the state you pick.

States where the sign is notice, not a crime

Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, Louisiana, Indiana and most other states have no statute that gives a private no guns sign force of its own. The sign still matters: it tells visitors where you stand, and in many of these states trespass law covers anyone who stays after being told to leave or after being warned by a posted sign.

California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Hawaii passed laws in 2022 and 2023 that limited carrying on private property unless the owner allowed it. Courts have since blocked or struck down some of those rules for places open to the public, so check the current law in those states before you rely on any sign.

Posting the sign so it counts

Most of these laws talk about each entrance, a conspicuous place, or a spot the public can clearly see, so plan on one sign beside every public door at eye level. Where a state sets a height or a distance from the door, as South Carolina, Kansas and Minnesota do, measure it when you mount the sign. For most states we read the official statute text; for Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming we read a published copy of the law, so check the official text there.

• One sign at every public entrance, readable before a person reaches the door.
• Eye level unless your state sets a height.
• Use the wording and size your state sets; the builder's state box lists them.
• Keep a photo of each posted sign with the date.

Common questions

Sources

• Texas Penal Code chapter 30 (30.05, 30.06, 30.07), Texas Legislature
• Tennessee Public Chapter 823 (2018), T.C.A. 39-17-1359 signs
• South Carolina Code 23-31-235, SC Legislature
• Illinois 430 ILCS 66/65, Illinois General Assembly
• Minnesota Statutes 624.714, Office of the Revisor
• Missouri RSMo 571.107, Revisor of Statutes
• Wisconsin Statutes 943.13, Wisconsin Legislature
• Ohio Revised Code 2923.126
• Kansas Statutes 75-7c10, Revisor of Statutes
• Arizona Revised Statutes 4-229

This guide explains the rules in plain words; it is not legal advice. We read the sources above on October 24, 2026. Rules change and many are set by your state or city: check the current text, or ask your local code official, before you rely on it.