Washington Knife Laws (2026): Spring Blade, Intimidation Rule

Washington bans manufacturing, selling, or possessing a spring-blade or gravity knife outright, and separately bans furtively concealing a dagger or dirk with intent to conceal it, but sets no statewide blade-length limit for an ordinary knife carried openly or without that intent (a knife with a blade longer than three inches is instead a listed deadly weapon for sentencing purposes, not a carry offense). A broader catch-all reaches any knife carried in a way that intimidates another person or creates public alarm, regardless of type, and open carry of a knife capable of and commonly used to cause death or bodily injury is separately banned at the state capitol campus, in a municipal building used for governing-body meetings, and at or near a permitted demonstration.

Jurisdiction scope: This page covers Washington state law only, principally RCW 9.41.250, 9.41.251, 9.41.270, 9.41.280, 9.41.282, 9.41.284, 9.41.290, 9.41.300, 9.41.305, 9.41.800, and 9.94A.825. It does not cover Washington's concealed pistol license statutes in detail, since those govern firearms rather than knives.

Can you own, open carry, or conceal carry a knife in Washington?

Ownership and carry of an ordinary knife, one that is not a spring blade or gravity knife and is not being furtively concealed with intent, is not restricted by RCW 9.41.250, Washington's core dangerous-weapons statute. That statute makes it a gross misdemeanor for a person who "(a) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slungshot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife; (b) Furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon." Subsection (2) defines "spring blade knife" broadly: "any knife, including a prototype, model, or other sample, with a blade that is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement." This single defined term covers both a traditional switchblade and a gravity knife, and its possession, manufacture, sale, or disposal is banned outright, not just its carrying.

The definition carries its own carve-out, mirroring the federal assisted-opening exemption: "A knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires physical exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife is not a spring blade knife." A modern assisted-opening folding knife, which requires the user's own force on the blade to overcome a closure bias, falls outside the ban.

Separately, § (1)(b) reaches "furtively" carrying a dagger or dirk "with intent to conceal" it. This is a narrower offense than a blanket concealed-carry ban: the furtive-intent element means an ordinary dagger or dirk carried concealed without that intent does not violate this subsection. No blade-length threshold appears anywhere in RCW 9.41.250.

RCW 9.41.251 exempts the § 9.41.250 spring-blade-knife ban for a general authority law enforcement officer, firefighter or rescue member, Washington State Patrol officer, or military member while on official duty, or while transporting or storing the knife off duty, and for manufacture, sale, transport, or provisional evaluation of spring blade knives under contract with a qualifying agency, or with another knife manufacturer or commercial distributor.

Washington sets no blade-length threshold for carrying a knife under any of the statutes above. A three-inch line does exist elsewhere in Washington law, but it does not make carrying a knife unlawful: RCW 9.94A.825 lists "any knife having a blade longer than three inches" among the deadly weapons that trigger a deadly-weapon special verdict, a sentencing enhancement applied when a person is found to have been armed with a deadly weapon during commission of a separate crime. The same list applies to minimum-term calculations under RCW 9.95.040. Carrying a knife with a blade longer than three inches is not itself an offense; the length matters only if the knife is present during a different crime.

The broader "apparently capable of producing bodily harm" catch-all

Washington's carrying-weapons statute reaches further than § 9.41.250 for any knife, not just a spring blade or a furtively concealed dagger. RCW 9.41.270(1) provides: "It shall be unlawful for any person to carry, exhibit, display, or draw any firearm, dagger, sword, knife or other cutting or stabbing instrument, club, or any other weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm, in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons." A violation is a gross misdemeanor. Under the version in force as of this page's last update, a person convicted loses any concealed pistol license they hold; a 2025 amendment (2025 c 370 s 15), effective May 1, 2027, will additionally revoke any permit to purchase firearms the person already holds. Subsection (3) exempts a person in their own home or fixed place of business, a law enforcement officer performing official duties, a person acting in self-defense or defense of another against presently threatened unlawful force, a person making or assisting a lawful felony arrest, and a person engaged in government-sponsored military activities. This statute, unlike § 9.41.250, applies to any knife regardless of type, but only when the manner of carrying manifests intent to intimidate or warrants alarm; ordinary carry for a lawful purpose does not trigger it.

Open carry restrictions: the capitol, municipal meetings, and permitted demonstrations

Outside the intimidation-and-alarm catch-all above, Washington bans open carry of a knife outright in two specific settings, regardless of the manner of carrying. RCW 9.41.305(1) makes it unlawful to "knowingly open carry a firearm or other weapon, as defined in RCW 9.41.300(1)(b), while knowingly being in" the west state capitol campus grounds, the named buildings on the capitol grounds, a state legislative office, a state legislative hearing or meeting, or a city, town, county, or other municipality building used for a governing-body meeting, or any public meeting or hearing of such a governing body. A first violation is a misdemeanor; a second or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor. RCW 9.41.300(2)(a)-(b) separately bans knowingly open carrying a weapon at a permitted demonstration, or within 250 feet of one after a law enforcement officer has advised of the demonstration and directed the person to leave; a violation is a gross misdemeanor under § 9.41.300(16).

Both statutes borrow the same definition, cross-referenced from RCW 9.41.300(1)(b): "weapon" means "any firearm, explosive as defined in RCW 70.74.010, or any weapon of the kind usually known as slungshot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or any knife, dagger, dirk, or other similar weapon that is capable of causing death or bodily injury and is commonly used with the intent to cause death or bodily injury." An ordinary knife that meets that functional test, not only a spring blade or furtively concealed dagger, is covered. Both statutes exempt duly authorized law enforcement and military personnel acting in an official capacity, and both state that "[n]othing in this section applies to the lawful concealed carry of a firearm by a person who has a valid concealed pistol license," a carve-out written for firearms that does not reach a knife carried openly in these settings.

Schools, child care centers, and voting facilities

RCW 9.41.280(1) bans knowingly carrying onto or possessing on public or private elementary or secondary school premises, school transportation, areas used exclusively by the school, or areas of facilities while being used for official meetings of a school district board of directors: a firearm; "any other dangerous weapon as defined in RCW 9.41.250," meaning the § 9.41.250 list of a spring blade or gravity knife, slungshot, sand club, metal knuckles, or a furtively concealed dagger or dirk; nunchaku; throwing stars; an air gun; or a stun gun. A first violation is a misdemeanor, and a second or subsequent violation is a gross misdemeanor. Because the statute cross-references § 9.41.250 rather than banning "any knife" outright, an ordinary knife openly carried on school property, without a spring-blade mechanism or furtive concealment intent, is not named by this list. Subsection (2) makes any violation by an elementary or secondary school student "grounds for expulsion from the state's public schools in accordance with RCW 28A.600.010," and requires an appropriate school authority to promptly notify law enforcement and the student's parent or guardian.

A related statute, RCW 9.41.282, bans carrying onto or possessing on licensed child care center premises, its provided transportation, or areas a child care center uses exclusively: a firearm, an RCW 9.41.250 weapon (the same list as the school statute), an air gun, or a stun gun. Unlike the school statute, § 9.41.282(1) has no "knowingly" element on its face. A first violation is a gross misdemeanor, harsher than a first school violation, and a conviction involving a firearm costs the person their concealed pistol license for three years and bars a new application for three years. Exceptions cover a licensed pistol carrier picking up or dropping off a child, and a person 18 or older with the item secured in an attended vehicle or locked out of view in an unattended one while conducting business at the center.

RCW 9.41.284 imposes a structure similar to the school statute at a ballot counting center, voting center, student engagement hub, or county elections and voter registration office: a firearm, an RCW 9.41.250 weapon, an air gun, or a stun gun may not knowingly be carried onto or possessed at these locations, subject to exceptions in subsections (3) and (4).

Courthouses, jails, bars, libraries, zoos, transit facilities, and secure airport areas

RCW 9.41.300(1) bans knowingly possessing or controlling a weapon while entering eight categories of places: (a) the restricted access areas of a jail, law enforcement facility, or confinement facility; (b) areas of a building used in connection with court proceedings, including courtrooms, jury rooms, judges' chambers, and adjacent corridors; (c) the restricted access areas of a public mental health facility licensed for inpatient hospital care, or a state institution for the care of the mentally ill; (d) a portion of an establishment classified as off-limits to persons under 21; (e) the restricted access area of a commercial-service airport covered by an approved federal security plan; (f) the premises of a public library; (g) the premises of an accredited zoo or aquarium; and (h) the premises of a transit station or transit facility. Categories (f), (g), and (h) were added by 2024 c 285 s 1.

The statute's governing definition of "weapon" depends on which category applies. For category (b), the court-proceeding-area restriction, the statute defines "weapon" broadly on its own terms: "any firearm, explosive as defined in RCW 70.74.010, or any weapon of the kind usually known as slungshot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or any knife, dagger, dirk, or other similar weapon that is capable of causing death or bodily injury and is commonly used with the intent to cause death or bodily injury." Whether an ordinary utility knife meets that two-part test, capable of causing death or bodily injury and commonly used with that intent, is a question of fact rather than a bright-line rule. For every other category, including (a) and (c) through (h), subsection (17) supplies a narrower definition: "'Weapon' as used in this section means any firearm, explosive as defined in RCW 70.74.010, or instrument or weapon listed in RCW 9.41.250," the spring-blade or gravity-knife and furtive-concealment list, not an ordinary knife by name. A violation of subsection (1) is a gross misdemeanor. The local legislative authority responsible for a restricted court area must provide a locked storage box or a designated official to receive a weapon owner's weapon during a visit.

No statewide preemption reaching knives

Washington's preemption statute, RCW 9.41.290, is scoped to firearms. It provides: "The state of Washington hereby fully occupies and preempts the entire field of firearms regulation within the boundaries of the state, including the registration, licensing, possession, purchase, sale, acquisition, transfer, discharge, and transportation of firearms, or any other element relating to firearms or parts thereof, including ammunition and reloader components." A city, town, or county may enact only firearms-related ordinances specifically authorized by state law, such as those permitted under RCW 9.41.300. Read directly, the statute's text does not mention knives at all, so a Washington local government is not preempted by RCW 9.41.290 from adopting its own knife-specific ordinance.

Protection orders can require surrendering a knife

Washington's protection-order surrender statute, RCW 9.41.800, reaches knives by its own words, not only firearms. When a court enters an order under the domestic-violence, harassment, sexual-assault, stalking, extreme-risk, or antiharassment protection chapters listed in subsection (1), and finds that the restrained party "[u]sed, displayed, or threatened to use a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a felony, or is ineligible to possess a firearm under the provisions of RCW 9.41.040," the court must "(a) Require that the party immediately surrender all firearms and other dangerous weapons" and "(c) Prohibit the party from accessing, having custody or control, possessing, purchasing, receiving, or attempting to purchase or receive, any firearms or other dangerous weapons." A knife that is capable of causing death or bodily injury falls within that surrender-and-possession bar for a person subject to a qualifying order, making this the one Washington statute that can bar a specific named person from possessing a knife at all.

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 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 operative 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 a 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. Washington's own spring-blade-knife definition, above, tracks this same language almost word for word. A separate federal exemption, § 1244(4), covers a person with only one arm possessing or carrying a switchblade with a blade three inches or less.

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

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

No. RCW 9.41.250(1)(a) makes manufacturing, selling, or possessing a 'spring blade knife,' the statute's term for a switchblade or gravity knife, a gross misdemeanor. A knife with a closure-bias spring that requires the user's own hand, wrist, or arm exertion to assist opening is exempted from that definition.

Does Washington have a blade-length limit for knives?

No statute sets a blade-length threshold for carrying a knife; RCW 9.41.250 defines its banned category by opening mechanism, not length. A three-inch line does exist elsewhere: RCW 9.94A.825 lists a knife with a blade longer than three inches as a deadly weapon for the sentencing-enhancement special verdict, which applies only if the knife was present during a separate crime, not to carrying it on its own.

Can you carry a knife openly in Washington?

Generally yes, for an ordinary knife that is not a spring blade or gravity knife, as long as the manner of carrying does not manifest intent to intimidate or create alarm under RCW 9.41.270. Furtively concealing a dagger or dirk with intent to conceal it is separately unlawful under RCW 9.41.250(1)(b). Open carry of a knife capable of and commonly used to cause death or bodily injury is banned outright, regardless of manner, on the state capitol campus and in a municipal building used for governing-body meetings under RCW 9.41.305 (a place-based ban that does not switch off between meetings), and at or within 250 feet of a permitted demonstration under RCW 9.41.300(2).

Can you carry a knife into a Washington courthouse, library, or child care center?

A knife that is capable of and commonly used to cause death or bodily injury cannot go into a court-proceeding area under RCW 9.41.300(1)(b). An ordinary knife outside that functional test is not barred from the other RCW 9.41.300(1) locations (jail restricted areas, mental health facility restricted areas, the 21-and-over part of a liquor establishment, secure airport areas, libraries, zoos and aquariums, and transit facilities), because those categories use the narrower RCW 9.41.250 weapon list. A licensed child care center is governed separately by RCW 9.41.282, which bans any RCW 9.41.250 weapon there; an ordinary knife without a spring-blade mechanism or furtive concealment intent is not on that list either.

Does Washington preempt local knife ordinances?

No. Washington's statewide preemption statute, RCW 9.41.290, is scoped to firearms and does not mention knives, so a Washington city, town, or county may adopt its own knife-specific ordinance.