Wisconsin Gun Laws

Wisconsin

Wisconsin follows the "Shall Issue" principles and operates at the state level. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is the responsible agency for the issuance of Concealed Carry Weapons licenses. The State does not require firearm registration, background checks, or laws limiting the sales and purchases of guns. 

Wisconsin issues resident permits only. Non-residents are not allowed to acquire a Wisconsin CCW license. The State's reciprocity accepts permits from states they have reciprocity agreements with, as well as states that have the same background check conducted under Wisconsin law.

Open Carry is legal for individuals who are at least 18-years-old and are not prohibited by the state and federal law to possess a firearm. For Concealed Carry is only legal if the person has a Wisconsin Concealed Weapons License or (CWL). The State's CWL is only issued for residents and military personnel stationed in Wisconsin. To acquire a Wisconsin CWL, the applicant must be at least 21-years-old and have completed a state-approved firearms training course, along with other criteria the State had imposed.

 

Wisconsin CWL Process

Minimum Requirements
The applicant must:

  • Be at least 21-years-old
  • Complete the state-approved firearms training course and can provide proof
  • Not been prohibited by a court order from possessing a firearm
  • Be a legal Wisconsin resident with a current or valid Wisconsin Driver's License or Identification Card; or
  • An active military stationed in Wisconsin
  • Not been convicted of a felony
  • Not been convicted of a crime elsewhere that would be a felony if convicted in Wisconsin
  • Not been adjudicated delinquent for an act committed on or after April 21, 1994, that if committed by an adult in Wisconsin would be a felony
  • Not been committed to treatment and ordered not to possess a firearm
  • Not found not guilty or not responsible for a crime elsewhere that would be a felony in Wisconsin by reason of insanity or mental illness, disease, or defect
  • Meet Federal Law requirements

Wisconsin CWL is valid for five years, with permits issued only for residents and military personnel stationed in the State. Non-residents are not allowed to apply. However, for other state permit holders, which Wisconsin has reciprocity agreements with, your license is valid.

Here's how to apply for a Wisconsin CWL:

  • Complete the required state-approved firearms training course
  • You can complete the application either by mail or online
  • Provide the following documents:
    • Completed application form with required original signatures (photocopy is not allowed)
    • Current Wisconsin residential mailing address
    • Current and valid Wisconsin Driver's License or Identification Card
    • Proof of Training
    • License Fee of $40
  • You can submit the form online or mail your application to the Wisconsin Department of Justice
    • Wisconsin Department of Justice
      ATTN: Firearms Unit
      P.O. Box 7130
      Madison, WI, 53707-7130
  • You will be notified via mail if your application is approved or denied

All licensees are eligible to renew their license within 120 days before the expiration date. The State offers a 90 days grace period after the expiration date; however, you are no longer authorized to carry a concealed handgun. Usually, the Firearms Unit mails all licensees a renewal notice that includes a unique ID number, which they can use to access the online renewal system. To further assist you in your renewal process, follow these steps:

  • Download the renewal application or complete the online application via the unique ID number included in your renewal notice
  • Provide the following documents:
    • Completed application form with required original signature (photocopies not allowed)
    • Current Wisconsin residential mailing address
    • Current and Valid Wisconsin Driver's License or Identification card
    • License Fee ($22)
  • Submit the form online or mail your application to this address:
    • Wisconsin Department of Justice
      ATTN: Firearms Unit
      P.O. Box 7130
      Madison, WI, 53707-7130
  • You will be notified via mail if your application is approved or denied

Here's the summary of the license fees in Wisconsin:

  • Application - $40
  • Renewal - $22

You can pay using a check, money order - payable to the "Wisconsin Department of Justice." The name and address must be imprinted on the checks (no "counter or starter checks").

Wisconsin CCW Basics

Must Notify Officer

No - Must Notify Officer

You are obliged to inform a law enforcement officer that you are carrying a concealed firearm. However, if documentation or proof of valid carry is requested, you must present your license, including your photo ID.

Vehicle Carry

Yes/No - With/Without Permit

Vehicle Carry is allowed in Wisconsin either with or without a permit. If you do not have a permit, you can still carry a handgun in a vehicle if it is visible, meaning above the window line and not concealed in any manner.

No Weapons Allowed

Yes - "No Weapons Allowed" Sign Enforced

Wisconsin provides the force of law to "No Weapons Allowed" signs posted on private properties or businesses. However, properties posting these signs must adhere to the 5"x7" size requirement with types of guns and carry statements to make it legally enforceable. Legal penalties are imposed for individuals breaking the law.

Wisconsin Gun Forms & Supporting Documentation

Purchase and Possession

PURCHASE

Any purveyor of guns attempting the legal transfer of ownership and possession of a handgun must have identification from the transferee and thorough and complete information, and fill out a notification form. In addition to these procedures, a $13.00 (USD) fee shall be collected. The Department of Justice shall be notified and informed of all the details listed on the notification form via a toll-free telephone number which shall then conduct a thorough background check including any relevant information regarding criminal history, coercive and involuntary commitment or detainment of any kind, domestic violent crimes and civil cases resulting in restraining standing or prior restraining orders. No transfer of legal ownership of a handgun may be facilitated by a firearms dealer until no less than 48 hours following his confirmation of the transferee’s background check approval.

The regulations listed above do not affect the transfer of guns conducted by or pertaining to agencies of law enforcement or military service, wholesale or retail firearms dealers and antique firearms.

Second hand article or jewelry dealers and pawnbrokers may not partake in the transfer, purchase, collection or exchange of guns or ammunition, of any kind, from any possible recipient without first acquiring all necessary and relevant information, a valid form of identification and then using the aforementioned information to complete a form that must include a detailed description of the firearm and all details pertinent to the buyer. Following the 24 hour period after a secondhand article or jewelry dealer or pawnbroker completes the purchase or receipt of any used or secondhand firearm or ammunition, the dealers mentioned in this section must be prepared to submit the properly completed form or the item itself for review by a law enforcement officer.

In the event that any firearms dealer receives a non-approval number and thus a denial of the buyer’s right to purchase a firearm then he or she may request a review by the Department of Justice of the appropriate firearms restriction records search. Should the buyer dispute the results of this review then he or she may file an appeal with the Department of Justice according to their procedures and regulations.

POSSESSION

The state of Wisconsin does not require any permit to own a handgun, shotgun or rifle; however, any person was involuntarily placed in a mental health facility, explicitly prohibited from carrying a firearm by a mental health professional, convicted of a felony, or proclaimed insane to avoid a conviction, committed a crime as a delinquent that would have been considered a felony for a criminal adult in which the resulting court case was concluded on or following April 21, 1994, perpetuating domestic violence or the physical or emotional abuse of children or is or was under the binds of a civil restraining order, may not possess a firearm of any kind.  

The state of Wisconsin prohibits persons under the age of 18 to possess a firearm without the vigilant guidance of a parent or guardian and must be participating in target shooting or a gun safety course or class. Children between the ages of 12 and 16 with the intention to hunt can only do so with the proper supervision of a parent or guardian. This extends to children between the ages of 12 and 16 who are participating in a gun safety course that focuses on the practice of safe hunting.

No firearms may be carried on any school ground or premises by any persons.    Persons licensed to carry a firearm are exempt from this regulation as it applies to the 1000 foot zone surrounding the school but they still must meet one of the qualifications listed below in order to carry a firearm on the actual grounds of the school. This regulation does not apply to law enforcement officers, security guards with the job description of protecting the school, firearms that are on private property off of the school premises, firearms that are actively used and supported by a school-sanctioned program, persons with explicit permission from the school to carry an unloaded weapon through the school grounds in order to access hunting areas that are located beyond the school premises, and unloaded guns that are securely sealed in a locked container or gun rack within a car or other motor vehicle.

Students who actively violate this regulation and carry a firearm on the school grounds will be suspended and face the likely consequence of expulsion.

Carrying a Firearm

As of November 1, 2011 the “Personal Protection Act” effectively legalized the carrying of concealed weapons without a permit and simultaneously decreased the number of applicable civil conduct laws that may be used to counter the open and blatant carrying of firearms.

Residents of the state of Wisconsin who meet all the requirements of and are not explicitly prohibited by Wisconsin state law or federal law and have not been ordered by any court to refrain from carrying a firearm may apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon. The Department of Justice is responsible for the distribution of applications.

The following items are required when submitting an application for a license to carry a concealed weapon: a completed application; $37 (USD) to satisfy the processing fee; and proof in the form of a document or certificate that attests to the completion of a gun safety course. Within 21 days of a standard background check (which includes a $13 fee) the Department of Justice will either approve the application and issue the license via mail or deny the application and inform the applicant of any and all reasons why the request for a license was denied. Any person who feels that have been wrongly denied a permit by the state of Wisconsin may enter a claim with the designated appeals process.

The standard proof of firearms competency for residents is a photo copy of a certificate of completion of any course facilitated by a state or NRA certified instructor. Persons affiliated with or previously in the service of the Military or law a law enforcement agency may offer proof of their completion of basic training in firearms or a similar law enforcement shooting course to attest to their competency in firearms. Concealed weapons licenses issued by other states or valid entities, hunting safety cards that prove completion of a safety course in hunting and firearms and photo copies thereof may also be submitted to satisfy the above requirement. For a complete list of detailed information on licenses to carry a concealed weapon please visit http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dles/cib/ConcealedCarry/ ConcealedCarry.asp. 

The state of Wisconsin recognizes concealed firearm licenses throughout the state. The following is a list of places in which carrying a concealed firearm is prohibited and the license to carry validate such an action:

  • Department of Justice criminal investigation divisions, sheriff offices, police stations or state police facilities.
  • Buildings under the ownership or lease of the federal or state government in which proper signage is posted in the front of the building that expresses the prohibition of carrying firearms within.
  • All correctional facilities, jails, prisons or any sections of other premises that function as such.
  • Mental institutions.
  • County, state or federal courthouses and any portion of a building that functions as such. There is, however, an exemption for persons with judicial authority such as judges or District Attorneys.
  • Municipal court rooms currently in session
  • Any location beyond a security checkpoint at an airport.

Guns located in personal motor vehicles are exempt from these regulations including any time the vehicle is in a parking structure associated with any of the above listed items. Employees who possess a license to carry a concealed weapon have the right to keep that weapon locked in their personal vehicles while at work. This right is maintained even if the employee is required to use his or her personal vehicle for work-related tasks.

Residents of Wisconsin in dire need of protection or in serious danger of bodily harm or death may file a petition for an emergency license in their county of residence. If the court accepts the petition then an emergency license will be granted with an expiration date of 30 days after the issuance of the license.

Any possessor of a standard license will receive a notice from the Department of Justice 90 days prior to the expiration of their license. This notice will also include the appropriate forms for renewal. Any license holder who still satisfies the original qualifications can submit these renewal forms along with a fee of $25 (USD) and receive a license renewal without any additional provisions.

Any resident of another state may carry a concealed firearm in Wisconsin so long as the person in question maintains a license to carry a concealed firearm from another state that conducts a comparable background check to that of the state of Wisconsin. The Department of Justice determines and maintains reciprocity agreements with other states and may be contacted for any information regarding the acceptance of gun licenses in Wisconsin.

Antiques & Replicas

Replica or “look-alike” firearms are illegal to sell, distribute or transfer in the state of Wisconsin. No toy gun, water gun, replica gun or air-soft gun that resembles or is designed to resemble a gun that was manufactured after December 31, 1897. Exempt from this regulation are all firearms purchased and owned by persons maintaining a license to collect replica guns from the U.S. Department of Treasury, replica firearms that do not fire and are based entirely on guns that were originally manufactured before 1898 as well as recreational guns that fire projectiles using air pressure (paintball, bb or pellet guns).

Machine Guns

The state of Wisconsin is currently reforming and rewriting the details of many laws pertaining to suppressors, machine guns, explosives and other illegal items. The following sections present the laws on these illegal articles as they stand.

Machine guns and all other types of automatic firearms are illegal to possess, carry, use or transport. Any exemptions to this regulation must strictly comply with all relevant laws and regulations that apply to the scenario.

The state of Wisconsin defines a “machine gun” as any firearm that shoots, by a single trigger action, a more than one projectile automatically and without the necessity of manual reloading.

Exemptions to this state ban on machine guns include machine guns with the expressed purpose of scientific research, study or experimentation with the approval of the state, machine guns that do not fire and are possessed for the purpose of display, and machine guns that have been mechanically modified to accept pistol cartridges with peaceful intentions and practices.

The chief of police of any city may personally clear the transportation, sale, and/or possession of a machine gun.

It is illegal in the state of Wisconsin to sell, distribute, posses or transport any and all varieties of short-barreled rifles and shotguns (rifles and shotguns less than 26 inches). This regulation does not apply to on-duty federal or state law enforcement officers or United States Military and National Guard active-duty personnel.

Range Protection

Domestic corporations in the state of Wisconsin who are conceived for the purpose of providing firearms training or the enhancement of shooting skills through practice and exercises may lawfully create, maintain, service and use a rifle range, provided they can establish appropriate grounds and facilities to do so.

WIS. STAT. ANN. §182.021 (2011)

182. 021. Gun clubs

Any domestic corporation formed for the purpose of sharpshooting or improving in the use of firearms may acquire suitable grounds therefore, and may establish, use and maintain a rifle range for its exercises. After such grounds and range are permanently located and improved by the erection of buildings, breastworks, ramparts or otherwise, no public street shall be opened through the tract so used or occupied, unless the necessity therefore shall be first established by verdict of a jury; nor shall any suit be maintained against such corporation to restrain, enjoin or impede its exercises at the place so selected on complaint of any private individuals or parties, who shall acquire title to any property adversely affected by such exercises after such grounds and range are permanently located and improved as aforesaid.

Wisconsin Concealed Carry Reciprocity

Wisconsin's Reciprocity States

States honoring a Wisconsin license

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

Licenses Wisconsin honors

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming

Districts & Territories
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

States not honoring a Wisconsin license

California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Washington.

Districts & Territories
District of Columbia

Prohibited Areas

  • Any building that is a police station, sheriff’s office, state patrol station.
  • Prison, jail, house of correction, or secured correctional facility.
  • Secure mental health facility for sexually violent Persons.
  • Wisconsin Resource Center.
  • Secured unit of a mental health institute, including a facility designated as the Maximum Security Facility at Mendota Mental Health Institute.
  • County, state, or federal courthouse.
  • Municipal courtroom if the court is in session.
  • Beyond a security checkpoint in an airport.
  • School grounds or within 1000 feet of a school. This applies to elementary school, middle school, junior high school, senior high school, or high school- public or private. You can be within 1000ft of a school if you have a CCW license.
  • Prohibited by Federal Law

Allowed Places

  • State parks
  • State and national forests
  • Roadside rest areas
  • Vehicle
  • Other areas not listed above

Miscellaneous

Personal firearms are exempt from property taxation by the state of Wisconsin.In the state of Wisconsin it is illegal to:

  • Carry a firearm in a wildlife refuge with the exception of those who are current possessors of a license to carry a concealed firearm.
  • Hunt if you are a person born after January 1, 1973 without the proper and state-recognized certificate of accomplishment. This regulation does not include persons who can adequately prove to the Department of Justice that they have completed a hunting safety course, approved by the state of Wisconsin, in another state or any person who can adequately prove their completion of basic training in the United States Military reserves, National Guard or armed forces.
  • “Fire” or discharge any gun within a range of no less than 660 feet around any public enclosure, square or park owned by any municipality of Wisconsin.
  • Fire or otherwise operate any firearm following the consumption or use of any alcoholic substance or other intoxicant that has caused the temporary or permanent deterioration
  • Create or otherwise deploy a trap that uses a spring-activated firearm to kill game or wildlife of any kind.
  • Fire a gun within 100 yards of a building occupied by others or devoted to that purpose without the expressed permission of that building’s owner. This regulation does not include mobile places of occupancy such as tents or trailers.
  • Shoot any gun in such a way that the trajectory of the bullet will lead it across a highway.
  • Shoot any firearm within a zone of no less than 50 feet from the center of any road.
  • Carelessly keep a loaded gun within easy reach or access of any child, 14 or under. Should the child carry this gun without the legal permission of the gun’s owner and then proceed to discharge that gun in a public place, including incidences in which the child injures or kills himself or another, then the owner of this weapon is subject to legal prosecution and imprisonment. Buyers of commercial firearms shall receive explicit, written warnings regarding the dangers and illegality of keeping firearms within easy access of children.

Wisconsin Off Limits Statues

(a) Except as provided in par. (b), neither a licensee nor an out−of−state licensee may knowingly carry a concealed weapon, a weapon that is not concealed, or a firearm that is not a weapon in any of the following places:

1. Any portion of a building that is a police station, sheriff’s office, state patrol station, or the office of a division of criminal investigation special agent of the department.

2. Any portion of a building that is a prison, jail, house of correction, or secured correctional facility.

3. The facility established under s. 46.055. (Secure mental health facility for sexually violent Persons)

4. The center established under s. 46.056. (Wisconsin Resource Center)

5. Any secured unit or secured portion of a mental health institute under s. 51.05, including a facility designated as the Maximum Security Facility at Mendota Mental Health Institute.

6. Any portion of a building that is a county, state, or federal courthouse.

7. Any portion of a building that is a municipal courtroom if court is in session.

8. A place beyond a security checkpoint in an airport.
(b) The prohibitions under par. (a) do not apply to any of the following:

1. A weapon in a vehicle driven or parked in a parking facility located in a building that is used as, or any portion of which is used as, a location under par. (a).

2. A weapon in a courthouse or courtroom if a judge who is a licensee is carrying the weapon or if another licensee or out−of−state licensee, whom a judge has permitted in writing to carry a weapon, is carrying the weapon.

3. A weapon in a courthouse or courtroom if a district attorney, or an assistant district attorney, who is a licensee is carrying the weapon.

(17) Penalties
(a) Any person who violates sub. (2g) (b) or (c) may be required to forfeit not more than $25, except that the person shall be exempted from the forfeiture if the person presents, within 48 hours, his or her license document or out−of−state license and photographic identification to the law enforcement agency that employs the requesting law enforcement officer. (ac) Except as provided in sub. (11) (b) 2., any person who violates sub. (11) (b) 1. may be required to forfeit $50. (ag) Any person who violates sub. (2m) (e), (12), or (12g) may be fined not more than $500 or sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than 30 days or both. 2017 WI 19, 373 Wis. 2d 543

(2) (a) Any individual who knowingly possesses a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is in or on the grounds of a school is guilty of a Class I felony. Any individual who knowingly possesses a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a school is subject to a Class B forfeiture.
(b) Paragraph (a) does not apply to the possession of a firearm by any of the following: 1r. Except if the person is in or on the grounds of a school, a licensee, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (d), or an out-of-state licensee, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (g).

3. A person possessing a gun that is not loaded and is any of the following:
 a. Encased.
 b. In a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle.

1987 a. 332; 1991 a. 17

(1)(b) “School” is defined as “a public school, parochial or private school, or tribal school, as defined in s.115.001(15m), which provides an educational program for one or more grades between grades 1 and 12 and which is commonly known as an elementary school, middle school, junior high school, senior high school, or high school.”(c) “School premises" means any school building, grounds, recreation area or athletic field or any other property owned, used or operated for school administration.

1987 a. 332; 1991 a. 17

1. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains at a residence that the actor does not own or occupy after the owner of the residence, if he or she has not leased it to another person, or the occupant of the residence has notified the actor not to enter or remain at the residence while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm.

In this subdivision, “residence," with respect to a single-family residence, includes the residence building and the parcel of land upon which the residence building is located, and “residence," with respect to a residence that is not a single-family residence, does not include any common area of the building in which the residence is located or any common areas of the rest of the parcel of land upon which the residence building is located. 1m. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains in a common area in a building, or on the grounds of a building, that is a residence that is not a single-family residence if the actor does not own the residence or does not occupy any part of the residence, if the owner of the residence has notified the actor not to enter or remain in the common area or on the grounds while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm. This subdivision does not apply to a part of the grounds of the building if that part is used for parking and the firearm is in a vehicle driven or parked in that part.

2. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains in any part of a nonresidential building, grounds of a nonresidential building, or land that the actor does not own or occupy after the owner of the building, grounds, or land, if that part of the building, grounds, or land has not been leased to another person, or the occupant of that part of the building, grounds, or land has notified the actor not to enter or remain in that part of the building, grounds, or land while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm. This subdivision does
not apply to a part of a building, grounds, or land occupied by the state or by a local governmental unit, to a privately or publicly owned building on the grounds of a university or college, or to the grounds of or land owned or occupied by a university or college, or, if the firearm is in a vehicle driven or parked in the parking facility, to any part of a building, grounds, or land used as a parking facility. 3. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains at a special event if the organizers of the special event have notified the actor not to enter or remain at the special event while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm. This subdivision does not apply, if the firearm is in a vehicle driven or parked in the parking facility, to any part of the special event grounds or building used as a parking facility.

4. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains in any part of a building that is owned, occupied, or controlled by the state or any local governmental unit, excluding any building or portion of a building under s. 175.60 (16) (a), if the state or local governmental unit has notified the actor not to enter or remain in the building while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm. This subdivision does not apply to a person who leases residential or business premises in the building or, if the firearm is in a vehicle driven or parked in the
parking facility, to any part of the building used as a parking facility.

5. While carrying a firearm, enters or remains in any privately or publicly owned building on the grounds of a university or college, if the university or college has notified the actor not to enter or remain in the building while carrying a firearm or with that type of firearm. This subdivision does not apply to a person who leases residential or business premises in the building or, if the firearm is in a vehicle driven or parked in the parking facility, to any part of the building used as a parking facility.

2013 a. 166 ss. 76, 77; 2015 a. 23.

(1) Definitions. In this section:
(d) “Licensee” means an individual holding a valid license to carry a concealed weapon issued under this section.
(j) “Weapon” means a handgun, an electric weapon, as defined in s. 941.295 (1c) (a), a knife other than a switchblade knife under s. 941.24, or a billy club. 2017 a. 5.

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