California Knife Laws - What You Must Know (in 2024)
California knife laws get complicated fast, but if you’re looking to own or train with one for self-defense purposes, there’s no way around learning the ins-and-outs of your rights with a pocket knife.
California Knife Laws can be sorted into 3 categories:
Knives that may be worn openly but not concealed
Knives that can be carried both openly and concealed
Knives that are always illegal to carry
Below is an overview of the different types of knives that are legal and illegal in California. This overview includes any prohibited types, age restrictions, concealed carry regulations, open carry rules, and penalties for legal violations.
Can I legally carry a knife in California?
This will depend primarily on the knife you are carrying and what category it falls under, as well as how you carry the knife on your person.
What knife sizes are legal in California (2024)?
In California, any switchblade that has a blade of 2 inches or longer is illegal.
Fixed-blade knives with blades that are 2.5 (two-and-a-half) inches or longer are illegal on college / university / school grounds.
Any knife with a blade longer than 4 inches is illegal in a public building.
Otherwise, California state law does not regulate the maximum length of knives. However, certain city or local laws are in place which do limit the maximum length of your knives.
In Los Angeles County: you cannot openly carry knives with blades that are longer than 3 inches.
It is illegal to conceal-carry dirks or daggers across California, and it is also illegal to possess “disguised blades”.
Are Bowie knives legal in California?
Yes, you can openly carry a Bowie knife in California, but you cannot conceal-carry a Bowie knife. Concealed carry of a Bowie knife is a wobbler, which means you can be charged either as a misdemeanor or as a felony. The maximum penalty is 3 years in prison.
Can I defend myself with a pocket knife in California?
Yes, it is legal to carry folding knives in California, such as pocket knives, in the folded position. It is legal to defend yourself with a pocket knife so long as you act within reason.
California law allows you to use force in self-defense or defense of others when you reasonably believe you or someone else is in imminent danger of physical harm, and your force is required to deflect the danger.
You may only use the degree of force that is reasonably necessary under the circumstances. In some cases, only brandishing your knife, and not using it to stab or cut someone, should be sufficient to deter the danger you face.
What is a switchblade?
California Penal Code 17235 defines a switchblade as:
A knife with the appearance of a pocket knife
The blade length is 2 inches or longer
The knife’s blade can be released via the flick of a button, pressure on the knife handle, flip of the wrist, or another mechanical device (like in an automatic knife)
Another name for switchblades are ejector knives, push knives, or pushbutton knives. Switchblades are not to be confused with gravity knives.
What are butterfly knives?
Balisong knives, also known as “butterfly knives”, are gravity knives by definition.
While similar, gravity knives are not entirely the same as switchblades, although they are similarly illegal to carry across all of California. Gravity knives use gravity and momentum to help make the blade open and/or extend.
Knives that may be worn, but not concealed:
This category applies to “dirks” and “daggers”, typically known as fixed-blade knives. According to Penal Code 21310 PC, California makes it illegal to carry a concealed dirk or dagger.
Dirks or daggers are defined as:
any knife or other instrument with or without a handguard
which is capable of ready use as a stabbing weapon
And may inflict great bodily injury or death.
Example of these knives include:
daggers
stilettos
chef’s knives
ice picks
fixed blade knives
bowie knives
knitting needles
scissors
Conceal-carrying a dirk or dagger is a wobbler offense in California, which means you may be charged either as a misdemeanor or as a felony.
Punishment for the misdemeanor charge would be either custody in county jail for up to 1 year, and/or a max fine of $1,000, while punishment for the felony charge would be imprisonment in county jail for 16 months to 3 years and/or a max fine of $10,000.
Examples of concealed carry would be tucking the knife into a waistband or other article of clothing or carrying it in your pocket, purse, backpack, briefcase, or any other container.
However, it is legal to “open-carry” these knives according to California law. This means you can carry your fixed-blade knife openly in public so long as you contain the knife within a sheath and that sheath is worn suspended from your waist.
Notably, carrying your knife by a pocket clip is ambiguous on whether it is open or concealed carry under California Law, but will likely be considered concealed carry.
Knives that may be carried either openly or concealed
According to Penal Code Section 17235, folding knives can be carried either openly or as a concealed knife, provided they are in a folded or closed position.
Legal folding knives include:
pocket knives
swiss-army knives
non-locking folding knives
certain utility knives (for example, snap-blade knives)
other similar type knives which are not switchblade (switchblades are always illegal in California)
Many folding knives use a thumb stud which make you push out to open.
If a folding knife is extended and locked into position, it has become a dirk or dagger and can only be open-carried in a sheath.
Knives that are always illegal
California law make the following types of knives always illegal to possess, sell, manufacture, and import in California:
ballistic or throwing knives
belt-buckle knives (knives that can be disguised in both look and function as a belt-buckle)
lipstick case knives
cane-swords or cane-knives
shobi-zues
air gauge knives
writing pen knives
switchblades, spring-blade, spring-loaded, and/or gravity knives (Balisong or “butterfly” knives are considered gravity knives)
undetectable knives (made from materials that cannot be detected by metal detectors)
The above knives are presumed by law to be dangerous weapons.
Possession of a switchblade or undetectable knife are charged as misdemeanors, punishable by custody in county jail up to 6 months and/or a max fine of $1,000.
Possession, sale, manufacture, or import of any other prohibited knife type is a wobbler, punishable as a misdemeanor (facing up to 1 year in county jail and a max fine of $1,000) and as a felony (facing 16 months to 3 years in county jail and/or a max fine of $10,000).
Possession, sale, manufacture, or import of an undetectable knife is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in county jail and/or a max fine of $1,000.
It is important to know that local municipalities may have their own ordinances regulating certain knives.
Is it illegal to carry knives into certain buildings in California?
Yes, California law restricts you from carrying knives into some places:
Public buildings
Schools
Certain federal property
Law enforcement and military personnel acting within the scope of their job may be able to carry knives in these locations.
Knives in Public Buildings
Penal Code 171b makes it a crime to bring or possess certain knives into:
any state or local public building
a meeting required to be open to the public (such as any state body or legislative body meeting of a local agency, like your city council)
Knives that are prohibited under this statute are as follows:
switchblades
any knife with a blade over four (4) inches and one that has a fixed blade (or one that can be fixed)
any knife prohibited to possess under the law
Violating this law is a wobbler, punishable up to 3 years in state prison.
Knives in Schools and on School Grounds
Penal Code 626.10a1 makes it a wobbler to bring or possess certain knives onto the grounds of the following:
Any k-12 public or private school
California community colleges
University of California (UC) campuses
California State University (CSU) campuses
any private university
certain state colleges
Types of knives prohibited to bring onto school campuses are:
Dirks or daggers
Knives with blades longer than 2.5 inches
Folding knives with fixed blades that can be locked into place, aka a “locking blade”
Ice picks
Razor blades with an unguarded blade
Violating this law is punishable via imprisonment in state prison for up to 3 years.
Additionally, Penal Code 626.10a2 makes it a misdemeanor, punishable up to 1 year in county jail, to bring or possess on the grounds of a K-12 school:
razor blades
box cutters
Switchblades on federal property
15 USC 1241-44 are the federal laws which make it illegal to:
Introduce or transport a switchblade in interstate commerce (defined as transacting or transporting products, services, or money across state borders, as per Article 1 section 8 clause of the U.S. Constitution)
Possess a switchblade on federal or Indian lands, or lands subject to federal jurisdiction
This law does not apply to members of the armed forces who are acting in performance of their duties. The law also does not apply if you only have one arm and your switchblade’s blade length is 3 inches or less.
Violating this law is punishable up to 5 years in jail.
Is it illegal to use a knife as a weapon in California?
Yes, there are three main laws that make it a crime to use a knife as a weapon.
Brandishing a weapon - PC 417
Assault with a deadly weapon - PC 245a1
Use of a dangerous weapon - PC 12022
Brandishing a weapon
Penal Code 417 establishes the crime to “brandish” a knife, meaning to wave a knife in a rude, angry, or threatening manner.
Violating this statute is typically a misdemeanor punished by 30 days to 1 year in county jail, though certain cases can carry up to 3 years of jail time for brandishing.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Penal Code 245a1 establishes the crime of making an “assault with a deadly weapon”, or “ADW".
Under this law, ADW is defined as an assault committed with either a deadly weapon, or other means of force likely to cause great bodily injury to another person.
California law definitively states that a knife counts as a deadly weapon. This means that assault with a deadly weapon includes committing assault while using a knife.
Violating this law is a felony punishable up to 4 years in state prison.
Sentencing enhancement for personal use of a dangerous weapon
Penal Code 12022 imposes certain sentencing enhancements when a felon uses a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
The law says you will face enhanced prison time for felony charges, if while committing the crime, you did the following:
were armed with a firearm
used a dangerous or deadly weapon
Therefore, since knives clearly fall into the category of a deadly weapon, you can receive extra prison time under PC 12022 if you committed a felony and used a knife while committing that offense.
The basic enhancement is an additional 1 year in person, though this sentencing enhancement cannot enhance penalties imposed for brandishing or assault with a deadly weapon charges.
This time period will be added and made consecutive to the punishment you receive for the underlying felony offense you committed.
What legal defenses can I use against California knife laws?
Criminal defense attorneys generally employ these specific legal strategies to contest allegations that you violated California’s knife laws:
Demonstrating that law enforcement conducted an unlawful search and seizure of your person
Showing that you did not have an illegal knife
Establishing that you did not know you had a prohibited knife
Making clear that you were legally open-carrying the knife, and the police mistook it as concealed-carry.
Law enforcement unlawfully searched me for my knife
The authorities cannot conduct a search for your knife or seize your knife with a valid search warrant. Without any warrant, the police must have a legal excuse for not having a warrant.
It is a form of police misconduct for the police to obtain a knife from unlawful searches and seizures, meaning that evidence can be excluded from a criminal case.
Excluding your knife as evidence can mean your charges will be reduced or your case may be dismissed entirely.
My knife isn’t illegal, how do I show this in court?
California state law only specifically bans or prohibits possessing, owning, making, or importing certain types of knives. Many of these knives have precise legal definitions, meaning you can argue that your knife cannot be defined under an illegal category.
For example, the definition of a switchblade is as follows:
A knife with the appearance of a pocket knife
The blade length is 2 inches or longer
The knife’s blade can be released via the flick of a button, pressure on the knife handle, flip of the wrist, or another mechanical device (like in an automatic knife)
You can therefore avoid being convicted if you show that your blade of your knife was just shorter than 2 inches.
Would it help my case if I didn’t know my knife was illegal?
Yes. The prosecutor must prove a few elements to convict you of possessing, selling, or making a prohibited knife:
You knew you had an illegal knife
You knew the knife had the characteristics of an illegal knife
Given that the prosecutor must demonstrate your knowledge, you can avoid guilt by demonstrating that you did not have this prior knowledge. For example, you may have bought an illegal shobi-zue from an antique store, and therefore you have no idea it was prohibited under law.
