Ohio Knife Laws (2026): Preemption, Schools, and Ballistic Knives

Ohio's concealed-weapons statute excludes an ordinary knife from the definition of "deadly weapon" unless it was actually used, carried, or possessed as one, so carrying a knife concealed is not, by itself, the crime of carrying a concealed weapon under that statute. That carve-out is limited to the concealed-carry statute itself; it does not extend to a ballistic knife, which the same chapter classifies as "dangerous ordnance" and bans outright, or to Ohio's school-safety-zone and courthouse weapons offenses, which use a broader "deadly weapon" definition with no knife exclusion. Ohio's statewide firearms-preemption statute has covered knives since September 13, 2022, when Senate Bill 156 added them; a later 2025 amendment added a fee-and-insurance clause to that preemption but did not first bring knives under it.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers Ohio state law only, principally Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2923.11, 2923.12, 2923.17, 2923.122, 2923.123, 3313.66, and 9.68. It does not cover Ohio's concealed handgun license statutes in detail, since those govern handguns rather than knives.

Can you carry a knife openly or concealed in Ohio?

For an ordinary knife not used as a weapon, yes, both openly and concealed, under Ohio's concealed-weapons statute. § 2923.12(H) states: "For purposes of this section, 'deadly weapon' or 'weapon' does not include any knife, razor, or cutting instrument if the instrument was not used as a weapon." That carve-out is limited to § 2923.12 itself; it does not rewrite the general "deadly weapon" definition in § 2923.11(A), which applies throughout §§ 2923.11 to 2923.24 of the Revised Code and has no knife exclusion. Because an unused ordinary knife is not a "deadly weapon" for purposes of the concealed-carry statute, simply carrying one concealed is not, by itself, the offense of carrying a concealed weapon under § 2923.12. This is a use-based test rather than a named-type or blade-length rule: a state with a bowie-knife or switchblade ban asks what kind of knife it is, while Ohio asks what the person did with it in the section where the carve-out applies.

§ 2923.12(A)(1) provides that "no person shall knowingly carry or have, concealed on the person's person or concealed ready at hand," a "deadly weapon other than a handgun." Because § 2923.12(H) excludes an unused knife from that term, this provision does not reach ordinary concealed knife carry. A knife actually used, or carried with the purpose of using it, as a weapon can still qualify as a "deadly weapon" and trigger the statute; the exclusion protects carrying and possession, not use.

Ballistic knives: dangerous ordnance, banned outright

Ohio's knife-friendly definition has one sharp exception. § 2923.11(J) defines a "ballistic knife" as "a knife with a detachable blade that is propelled by a spring-operated mechanism." § 2923.11(K)(1) then classifies a ballistic knife as "dangerous ordnance," a separately defined term that is not subject to the § 2923.12(H) knife carve-out, because that carve-out applies only to "deadly weapon" and "weapon" as used in § 2923.12, not to "dangerous ordnance."

Two statutes follow from that classification. § 2923.12(A)(3) makes it unlawful to knowingly carry or have concealed on the person, or concealed ready at hand, "a dangerous ordnance," with no exception for lawful use and no affirmative defense available (the § 2923.12(D) defensive-purposes defense applies only to a charge under division (A)(1), not (A)(3)). Separately, § 2923.17(A) bans possessing a ballistic knife: "No person shall knowingly acquire, have, carry, or use any dangerous ordnance." § 2923.17(C) exempts eight narrow categories, including law-enforcement and military personnel acting within the scope of their duties and the holder of a license or temporary permit issued under § 2923.18, so the ban is not absolute, but none of those exemptions helps an ordinary owner. A violation of § 2923.17(A) is a felony of the fifth degree under § 2923.17(D). Carrying a ballistic knife concealed under § 2923.12(A)(3) is a felony of the fourth degree under § 2923.12(F)(1), because the weapon involved is dangerous ordnance.

Schools: a safety-zone offense

§ 2923.122(A) and (B) make it a felony to knowingly convey, attempt to convey, or possess a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a school safety zone, a felony of the fifth degree under § 2923.122(E)(1), rising to a fourth-degree felony on a repeat offense. The knife carve-out that protects an unused knife under the concealed-carry statute does not carry over here: § 2923.122 draws on § 2923.11(A)'s general definition of "deadly weapon" ("any instrument, device, or thing capable of inflicting death, and designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried, or used as a weapon"), which contains no knife exclusion of its own. A knife designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried, or used as one, in a school safety zone can be charged under this section even though the same knife carried the same way outside a school safety zone would fall within the § 2923.12(H) carve-out. A ballistic knife, as dangerous ordnance, is banned in a school safety zone regardless of use.

§ 2923.122(D) exempts law enforcement officers and certain state and federal officers and employees acting within the scope of their duties, a school security officer on duty under a board of education contract, and any other person with written authorization from the board of education or governing body of a school who has completed required training and whose authorization has been publicly disclosed by the board.

A separate, non-criminal exposure runs alongside the safety-zone offense. § 3313.66(B)(3) lets the board of education of a city, exempted village, or local school district adopt a resolution authorizing the superintendent to expel a pupil for up to a year for bringing, or possessing, "a knife capable of causing serious bodily injury" at a school or a board-controlled property, interscholastic competition, extracurricular event, or other school program. § 3313.661 requires the board's policy to define "knife capable of causing serious bodily injury" for that purpose, so the operative standard is set locally, district by district, rather than by a single statewide definition. This expulsion authority is independent of § 2923.122 and can reach an ordinary pocketknife that would clear the § 2923.12(H) carve-out everywhere else.

Courthouses: a parallel offense

§ 2923.123 imposes a parallel felony for a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a courthouse or another building or structure in which a courtroom is located. § 2923.123(A) bans knowingly conveying or attempting to convey such a weapon into a courthouse; § 2923.123(B) bans knowingly possessing it or having it under the person's control there. Like § 2923.122, this section draws on § 2923.11(A)'s general "deadly weapon" definition rather than the § 2923.12(H) concealed-carry carve-out, so the same knife-exclusion limits described above for school safety zones apply here. A violation of (A) or (B) is a felony of the fifth degree under § 2923.123(D), rising to a fourth degree on a prior conviction under (A) or (B). § 2923.123(C) exempts judges, magistrates, peace officers, and other law-enforcement personnel acting within the scope of their duties, along with a weapon conveyed or possessed for use as evidence in a pending case.

Statewide preemption now reaches knives

Ohio Rev. Code § 9.68, the state's uniform-firearms-law statute, was amended effective September 13, 2022 by Senate Bill 156 to add knives to its scope. § 9.68(C)(4) defines "knife" for purposes of the section as "a cutting instrument" that "includes a sharpened or pointed blade." The operative text provides that, subject to exceptions under the federal or state constitutions or federal or state law, a person "may own, possess, purchase, acquire, transport, store, carry, sell, transfer, manufacture, or keep any firearm, part of a firearm, its components, and its ammunition, and any knife, without being required to have firearm liability insurance, and without being required to pay a fee for the possession of a firearm, part of a firearm, its components, its ammunition, or a knife," and that the state "preempts, supersedes, and declares null and void any such further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process" imposed by a political subdivision. The fee-and-insurance clause and a companion definition of "firearm liability insurance" at § 9.68(C)(6) were added by a later amendment, Senate Bill 58, effective April 9, 2025; that 2025 amendment did not first bring knives into the section, which already covered them. § 9.68(D) exempts two categories of local zoning ordinance from this preemption: a zoning ordinance that regulates or prohibits the commercial sale of knives in an area zoned residential or agricultural, and a zoning ordinance that sets the hours or geographic areas for the commercial sale of knives, provided it is consistent with zoning for other retail establishments in the same area and does not amount to a de facto prohibition. § 9.68(B) allows a person, group, or entity adversely affected by a conflicting local ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, or practice outside those exceptions to bring a civil action against the political subdivision for damages, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, or a combination of those remedies. A local ordinance regulating knives that predates September 2022 may not yet have been repealed even though it has not been enforceable against the preemption statute since that date.

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, restricts interstate commerce in switchblade knives, barring their manufacture for, or introduction, transport, and sale in, 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. The two switchblade offense sections, §§ 1242 and 1243, do not apply to certain knives and people, listed as exemptions in 15 U.S.C. § 1244. A 2009 amendment, § 1244(5), exempts any knife with a spring, detent, or other closure-bias mechanism that requires hand, wrist, or arm exertion on the blade itself to overcome the bias and assist opening, the carve-out that keeps modern assisted-opening folding knives legal in interstate commerce. A separate exemption, § 1244(4), covers a person with only one arm possessing or carrying a switchblade with a blade three inches or less. Ohio's own dangerous-ordnance ballistic-knife ban under § 2923.17 is a state offense independent of these federal exemptions.

Disclaimer: This article provides general legal information about Ohio's knife laws as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer licensed in Ohio for advice about a specific situation.

For a state-by-state comparison, see knife laws by state. Ohio's self-defense statutes are covered separately on the Ohio 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 pocket knife concealed in Ohio?

Generally yes. Ohio Rev. Code 2923.12(H) excludes a knife, razor, or cutting instrument from the definition of 'deadly weapon' or 'weapon' 'for purposes of this section' unless it was used as a weapon, so an ordinary knife carried concealed but not used as a weapon does not violate the concealed-carry statute, 2923.12.

Are switchblades illegal in Ohio?

An ordinary automatic-opening knife is not named or banned by Ohio's general weapons statutes and is treated the same as any other knife under the 2923.12(H) use-based test. A ballistic knife, which has a detachable, spring-propelled blade, is a different, separately defined item classified as dangerous ordnance and banned outright under 2923.17.

Does Ohio preempt local knife ordinances?

Yes, since 2022. Ohio Rev. Code 9.68 was amended effective September 13, 2022 (Senate Bill 156) to add knives to the state's uniform firearms-preemption statute, so a political subdivision generally cannot regulate the ownership, possession, carrying, sale, or transfer of knives beyond what state law allows. A later amendment effective April 9, 2025 added a fee-and-insurance clause to that preemption; it did not first bring knives into the statute.

Can you carry a knife on school property in Ohio?

Ohio Rev. Code 2923.122 bans conveying or possessing a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a school safety zone, a felony of the fifth degree. The knife carve-out at 2923.12(H) applies only to the concealed-carry statute and does not reach this section, which uses 2923.11(A)'s general 'deadly weapon' definition with no knife exclusion, so a knife designed or used as a weapon in a school safety zone can be charged even though the same knife would be protected under 2923.12 elsewhere. A ballistic knife is banned there regardless of use as dangerous ordnance. Separately, 3313.66(B)(3) lets a local school board adopt a resolution expelling a pupil for up to a year for bringing or possessing a 'knife capable of causing serious bodily injury,' a term each district's policy defines for itself under 3313.661, so an ordinary pocketknife that clears the criminal statutes can still lead to expulsion.

Can you carry a knife into an Ohio courthouse?

No. Ohio Rev. Code 2923.123 bans knowingly conveying or possessing a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a courthouse or another building where a courtroom is located, a felony of the fifth degree. Like the school-safety-zone offense, this section uses 2923.11(A)'s general 'deadly weapon' definition rather than the concealed-carry carve-out, so an ordinary knife designed or used as a weapon is not protected here.

What penalty applies to carrying a concealed knife in Ohio?

Carrying a deadly weapon concealed under 2923.12(A) is generally a first-degree misdemeanor, rising to a fourth-degree felony for a prior conviction, a prior offense of violence, or if the weapon involved is dangerous ordnance, and to a third-degree felony aboard an aircraft. An ordinary knife not used as a weapon is not a 'deadly weapon' and does not trigger this offense at all.