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Gun Purchase Waiting Periods by State
How long you must wait between buying a gun and taking it home in each state.
As of October 6, 2026: No waiting period: 37 states; 3 days: 5 states; 7 days: 4 states; 10 days: 2 states and DC; 14 days: 1 state; Up to 30 days (no permit): 1 state.
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⚖️Every state
| State | Law | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No waiting period | None |
| Alaska | No waiting period | None |
| Arizona | No waiting period | None |
| Arkansas | No waiting period | None |
| California | 10 days | 10 days, all firearms |
| Colorado | 3 days | 3 days, all firearms (or until the check is approved, if later) |
| Connecticut | No waiting period | None |
| Delaware | No waiting period | None |
| District of Columbia | 10 days | 10 days, all firearms |
| Florida | 3 days | 3 business days (or until check completes), all firearms; licence holders and some long-gun buyers exempt |
| Georgia | No waiting period | None |
| Hawaii | 14 days | 14 days, all firearms |
| Idaho | No waiting period | None |
| Illinois | 3 days | 72 hours, all firearms |
| Indiana | No waiting period | None |
| Iowa | No waiting period | None |
| Kansas | No waiting period | None |
| Kentucky | No waiting period | None |
| Louisiana | No waiting period | None |
| Maine | 3 days | 72 hours, all firearms (in force; 1st Cir. vacated the injunction 2026-04-03) |
| Maryland | 7 days | 7 days for handguns and other regulated firearms |
| Massachusetts | No waiting period | None |
| Michigan | No waiting period | None |
| Minnesota | Up to 30 days (no permit) | Up to 30 days for dealer sales of handguns and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons unless the buyer has a transferee or carry permit (police may waive) |
| Mississippi | No waiting period | None |
| Missouri | No waiting period | None |
| Montana | No waiting period | None |
| Nebraska | No waiting period | None |
| Nevada | No waiting period | None |
| New Hampshire | No waiting period | None |
| New Jersey | 7 days | 7 days from handgun permit application to delivery (each handgun needs a permit) |
| New Mexico | 7 days | 7 days, most firearm sales (in force; federal courts held it unconstitutional, but the injunction covers only the two plaintiffs; appeal expected) |
| New York | No waiting period | None |
| North Carolina | No waiting period | None |
| North Dakota | No waiting period | None |
| Ohio | No waiting period | None |
| Oklahoma | No waiting period | None |
| Oregon | No waiting period | None |
| Pennsylvania | No waiting period | None |
| Rhode Island | 7 days | 7 days, all firearms |
| South Carolina | No waiting period | None |
| South Dakota | No waiting period | None |
| Tennessee | No waiting period | None |
| Texas | No waiting period | None |
| Utah | No waiting period | None |
| Vermont | 3 days | 72 hours, all firearms |
| Virginia | No waiting period | None |
| Washington | 10 days | 10 business days, all firearms |
| West Virginia | No waiting period | None |
| Wisconsin | No waiting period | None |
| Wyoming | No waiting period | None |
🔎About this data
Days between buying a handgun and taking it home, where the state requires a wait. New Mexico's 7-day law is shown because it is still enforced (a 2026 federal ruling against it covers only the two plaintiffs). Long-gun waits, exemptions for permit holders and court cases are in the popup.
Source: State statutes (official legislature code sites), state police / attorney general pages and court orders; citation for every item is in the popup. Compiled by Map the Block, law as of 2026-10-06
Coverage: All 50 states and DC
How it was checked: Drafted from the statutes, then checked against official pages fetched for this layer (state code sites, state police and county pages, court orders, bill-status pages): 80 automated text checks passed across 29 states and 12 more items were settled by reading the page; 7 draft values were corrected that way (WV permitless age, CT long-gun age, MN waiting period, NM injunction scope, ND and MT carry rules, WA training requirement). All states were also compared item by item with a separate summary table (283 comparisons): 3 differences remain, each explained in the report. RAND's database and NCSL refused or block AI crawlers, so neither was used; CA, HI and DC code sites refused or block us, so those states rest on statute citations plus the table cross-check. Law as of 2026-10-06.
💬Questions and answers
Waiting period: how many states?
As of October 6, 2026: No waiting period: 37 states; 3 days: 5 states; 7 days: 4 states; 10 days: 2 states and DC; 14 days: 1 state; Up to 30 days (no permit): 1 state.
No waiting period: which states?
37 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
3 days: which states?
5 states: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Vermont.
7 days: which states?
4 states: Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island.
10 days: which states?
2 states and DC: California, District of Columbia, Washington.
Where does this data come from?
State statutes (official legislature code sites), state police / attorney general pages and court orders; citation for every item is in the popup. Compiled by Map the Block, law as of 2026-10-06. Coverage: All 50 states and DC.
Is the map free to use?
Yes. Map the Block is free, with no ads or paywall. You may quote figures with credit to Map the Block (maptheblock.com); for bulk or commercial use there is a Data API.
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Numbers computed from the live map data on October 18, 2026. Free to quote with credit to “Map the Block (maptheblock.com)”; see reuse terms.