Concealed Carry in Wisconsin

No. Wisconsin does not have permitless concealed carry. Anyone who carries a concealed and dangerous weapon is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor unless an exception applies, such as holding a Wisconsin license or a recognized out-of-state license, being a peace officer or qualified current or former officer, or carrying in one's own home, place of business, or on land one owns, leases or legally occupies. Wisconsin residents must hold a Wisconsin license to carry concealed in Wisconsin, even if they hold another state's license.

License to carry a concealed weapon (CCW license), issued by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Shall-issue: DOJ 'shall issue' a license to any applicant who is not disqualified and who completes the application, and must issue or deny within 21 days of a complete application. Applicant must be 21 or older, a Wisconsin resident or military resident stationed in the state, not prohibited from possessing a firearm, and show proof of training (for example a hunter education program, a firearms safety course from a certified instructor or law-enforcement agency, or qualifying military training). The license covers handguns, electric weapons and billy clubs. Fee: DOJ lists $40 for a new license and $22 for a renewal. A new license is valid for 5 years from issuance; renewals do not need new training.

Wisconsin honors concealed carry licenses held by non-residents 21 or older from the states on the DOJ list: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Honored with conditions: Virginia and Florida non-resident licenses only; Idaho regular or enhanced licenses only; Puerto Rico regular licenses only; West Virginia regular resident or non-resident licenses (not provisional); Missouri regular licenses only. Not honored: Guam, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon and the Virgin Islands.

Licensees may not carry in police stations, sheriff's offices, state patrol stations and DOJ special-agent offices; prisons, jails and secured correctional facilities; secured mental health units; county, state or federal courthouses (unless a judge permits); municipal courtrooms in session; and beyond airport security checkpoints. Anyone (licensee or not) commits a Class I felony by possessing a firearm on school grounds; within 1,000 feet of a school only licensees, and unloaded encased firearms, are exempt from a forfeiture. Handguns are banned on premises licensed to sell alcohol for on-site drinking (Class B license) unless the person is a licensee not drinking, or another exception applies. Private property and businesses, special events, government buildings and university buildings may ban firearms by notice; for buildings this means a sign at least 5 by 7 inches posted near all entrances, and violations are a Class B forfeiture. No state ban at polling places was found.

A handgun may be possessed or transported in a vehicle loaded or unloaded, but a person without a concealed carry license who keeps a handgun hidden within reach commits the crime of carrying a concealed weapon; the Wisconsin Supreme Court has said an unlicensed person can comply by placing the loaded handgun out of reach (State v. Grandberry, 2018). Long guns (rifles and shotguns) must be unloaded in or on a vehicle, except when the vehicle is stationary; no one may load a non-handgun firearm in a vehicle. Violations of the vehicle rule carry a forfeiture of up to $100. Licensees may keep weapons in their own vehicles, and employers may not forbid licensees from storing a weapon in their own vehicle.