Maryland Knife Laws (2026): Concealed vs. Open Carry Rules

Maryland splits knife carry into two different standards depending on how the knife is carried. Concealing a dirk knife, bowie knife, switchblade knife, or star knife is illegal outright, with no intent element required, while carrying one of those same knives openly is illegal only if done with the intent or purpose of injuring someone unlawfully. Maryland separately bans selling or bartering a switchblade knife statewide, and bans carrying any knife at all on public school property.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers Maryland state law only, principally Md. Crim. Law §§ 4-101, 4-102, 4-105, and 4-209. It does not cover Maryland's general assault and robbery statutes, which can apply to a knife used as a weapon regardless of how it was carried.

Maryland's weapon definition governs the carry statute

Md. Crim. Law § 4-101(a)(5) provides:

"Weapon" includes a dirk knife, bowie knife, switchblade knife, star knife, sandclub, metal knuckles, razor, and nunchaku. "Weapon" does not include: 1. a handgun; or 2. a penknife without a switchblade.

A "star knife" is separately defined in § 4-101(a)(4) as "a device used as a throwing weapon, consisting of several sharp or pointed blades arrayed as radially disposed arms about a central disk." An ordinary penknife that lacks a switchblade mechanism is expressly excluded from this "weapon" definition. The carrying prohibitions in subsection (c), however, are not written against the defined term "weapon"; they use the separate, undefined phrase "a dangerous weapon of any kind" (concealed carry, paragraph (1)) or "a dangerous weapon, chemical mace, pepper mace, or a tear gas device" (open carry with intent, paragraph (2)), and subsection (a)(5)'s penknife exclusion is not written to control that different phrase. The exclusion sits inside the section's definitions rather than inside subsection (c) itself, so the safest reading is that an ordinary penknife without a switchblade falls outside the carrying prohibition, but that reading rests on a definitional cross-reference rather than on express language in (c).

Concealed carry is banned outright; open carry requires intent to injure

Section 4-101(c) sets two different standards:

(c) (1) A person may not wear or carry a dangerous weapon of any kind concealed on or about the person. (2) A person may not wear or carry a dangerous weapon, chemical mace, pepper mace, or a tear gas device openly with the intent or purpose of injuring an individual in an unlawful manner.

Concealing a dirk knife, bowie knife, switchblade knife, or star knife is illegal under paragraph (1) regardless of intent; the concealment itself is the offense. Carrying one of these same items openly is illegal under paragraph (2) only if done with the intent or purpose of injuring someone unlawfully; openly carrying one of these knives without that intent is not covered by this subsection.

Section 4-101(d) sets the penalty: a violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to three years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. If the evidence shows the weapon was carried, whether concealed or openly, with the deliberate purpose of injuring or killing another, the court is required to impose the highest sentence of imprisonment prescribed.

Exceptions to the carrying ban

Section 4-101(b) exempts several categories of people from the carrying prohibition: a state, county, or municipal officer entitled or required to carry the weapon as official equipment, or a conservator of the peace from Maryland or another state temporarily in Maryland; a railroad special agent; a holder of a Maryland handgun permit; and, most broadly, "an individual who carries the weapon as a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger," subject to a court's judgment of the reasonableness of the carrying and the occasion for it, based on the evidence in the case.

Minors: a nighttime carrying restriction in twelve counties

Section 4-101(c)(3) applies a narrower rule to minors in twelve named counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Cecil, Harford, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, and Worcester Counties. In those counties, a minor may not carry a dangerous weapon, whether concealed or not, between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise, except while on a bona fide hunting trip, or engaged in or traveling to or from a bona fide trap shoot, sport shooting event, or organized civic or military activity.

Selling a switchblade is separately banned statewide

Md. Crim. Law § 4-105 targets the sale and display of certain knives, not their possession or carry:

A person may not sell, barter, display, or offer to sell or barter: (1) a knife or a penknife having a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring, or other device in the handle of the knife, commonly called a switchblade knife or a switchblade penknife; or (2) a device that is designed to propel a knife from a metal sheath by means of a high-compression ejector spring, commonly called a shooting knife.

A violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months imprisonment and a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $500. This statute reaches the sale, barter, or display of a covered knife; it does not itself criminalize simply owning or carrying one, which is instead governed by § 4-101 above.

School property: no penknife exception

Md. Crim. Law § 4-102(b) provides a flat rule for public schools:

A person may not carry or possess a firearm, knife, or deadly weapon of any kind on public school property.

Unlike § 4-101's carrying statute, which excludes a penknife without a switchblade from its "weapon" definition, § 4-102 names "knife" generically and without that carve-out, so it reaches any knife on public school property, not just the dirk, bowie, switchblade, and star knife categories covered elsewhere. A violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to three years imprisonment and/or a $1,000 fine, except that a handgun violation of this section is sentenced under a separate subtitle. The statute exempts on-duty law enforcement officers, certain off-duty or retired officers visiting as a parent, guardian, or visitor while displaying credentials and carrying concealed, security personnel hired by a county board of education, people engaged in organized shooting activity for educational purposes, and people with written principal permission for a historical weapons demonstration.

Does Maryland preempt local knife ordinances?

No. Maryland's local-preemption statute, Md. Crim. Law § 4-209(a), states that the state "preempts the right of a county, municipal corporation, or special taxing district to regulate the purchase, sale, taxation, transfer, manufacture, repair, ownership, possession, and transportation of: (1) a handgun, rifle, or shotgun; and (2) ammunition for and components of a handgun, rifle, or shotgun." By its own text, this preemption is scoped to firearms and their ammunition and components; it does not name knives, so a Maryland county or municipality is not barred by this statute from separately regulating knives. Because knives are not preempted, local ordinances can be stricter than state law, including blade-length limits in some jurisdictions. Check the county or municipal code for where you carry.

Federal law: what it does and does not reach

Federal law does not ban an individual from owning or carrying a switchblade. The Federal Switchblade Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1241 to 1245, instead regulates interstate commerce in switchblade knives, barring their manufacture, sale, transport, or introduction into interstate commerce, and, in 15 U.S.C. § 1245, makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess, manufacture, sell, or import a ballistic knife in or affecting interstate commerce or within federal territorial jurisdiction. 15 U.S.C. § 1244 is captioned "Exceptions" and provides that the chapter "shall not apply to" the knives it lists, exempting them from the Act's prohibitions in 15 U.S.C. §§ 1242-1243 rather than changing the switchblade definition in 15 U.S.C. § 1241(b). Since a 2009 amendment, that exemption in § 1244(5) has covered any knife with a spring, detent, or other closure-bias mechanism that requires hand, wrist, or arm exertion to overcome the bias and assist opening, the carve-out that keeps modern assisted-opening folding knives legal in interstate commerce. A separate exception, § 1244(4), lets a person with only one arm possess and carry a switchblade with a blade three inches or less. None of this changes what Maryland allows for ordinary carry; Maryland's own concealed-versus-open-carry distinction above governs that question within the state.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Maryland's knife laws as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer licensed in Maryland for advice about a specific situation. Whether carrying a knife openly meets 4-101's "intent or purpose of injuring an individual in an unlawful manner" standard depends heavily on the specific facts.

For a state-by-state comparison, see knife laws by state. Maryland's self-defense statutes are covered separately on the Maryland self-defense laws page.

Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-18.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to carry a knife in Maryland?

It depends on how it is carried. Concealing a dirk knife, bowie knife, switchblade knife, or star knife is illegal outright under Md. Crim. Law 4-101(c)(1). Carrying one openly is illegal only if done with the intent to injure someone unlawfully. A penknife without a switchblade is excluded from 4-101(a)(5)'s 'weapon' definition, and subsection (c)'s carrying ban is written against the separate, undefined phrase 'a dangerous weapon of any kind' rather than against 'weapon' itself. The exclusion sits in the definitions rather than in (c), so the safest reading is that an ordinary penknife falls outside the carrying prohibition, but that rests on a definitional cross-reference rather than express language in (c).

Are switchblades illegal in Maryland?

A switchblade knife is a 'weapon' under Md. Crim. Law 4-101 and is covered by the concealed-carry ban. Selling, bartering, or displaying a switchblade for sale is separately banned statewide under 4-105, regardless of how it would be carried.

Can you carry a knife on Maryland school property?

No. Md. Crim. Law 4-102(b) bans carrying or possessing a firearm, knife, or deadly weapon of any kind on public school property. Unlike the general carrying statute, this school-property ban does not carve out an ordinary penknife.

Does Maryland preempt local knife ordinances?

No. Maryland's local-preemption statute, Md. Crim. Law 4-209, is scoped to handguns, rifles, and shotguns and their ammunition and components. It does not name knives, so it does not preempt local knife regulation, and a county or municipal ordinance can be stricter than state law, including a local blade-length limit in some jurisdictions.