430 ILCS 66/65:
Prohibited Locations for Concealed Carry

Overview of Section 66/65

Section 65 of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act (430 ILCS 66/65) establishes a comprehensive list of locations where concealed carry is prohibited, even for holders of a valid CCL.^[1] Section 65 lists 23 categories of prohibited locations. Private property owners and businesses may also prohibit concealed carry by posting approved signage.^[2]

Educational Institutions

Concealed carry is prohibited in any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public or private elementary or secondary school, as well as any pre-school or child care facility. A child care operator in a family home may own or possess a firearm in the home or hold a license under the Act if no child under child care is present or the firearm is stored in a locked container when such a child is present. The prohibition also extends to public or private colleges, community colleges, and universities, covering buildings, real property, and parking areas under their control. These institutions may permit carrying or use of firearms for instruction and curriculum of officially recognized programs, including military science and law enforcement training, or in designated areas used for hunting or target shooting.^[1]

Government Buildings and Courts

The Act prohibits concealed carry in any building, parking area, or portion of a building under the control of an executive or legislative branch officer. This does not prohibit licensed carry on real property, bikeways, or trails in DNR-regulated parks, or in designated public hunting areas or buildings where DNR permits firearm possession under Section 1.8 of the Wildlife Code. Any building designated for matters before a circuit court, appellate court, or the Supreme Court, or any building or portion of a building under the control of the Supreme Court, is also prohibited. Buildings or portions of buildings under the control of a unit of local government are likewise off-limits.^[1]

Detention and Correctional Facilities

Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of an adult or juvenile detention or correctional institution, prison, or jail is a prohibited location.^[1]

Healthcare Facilities

Concealed carry is prohibited in any public or private hospital or hospital affiliate, mental health facility, or nursing home.^[1]

Public Transportation

Concealed carry is prohibited on any bus, train, or other form of transportation paid for in whole or in part with public funds, and in buildings, real property, and parking areas under the control of a publicly funded public transportation facility. A licensee may travel along a public right of way that touches or crosses the property when carrying on their person in accordance with the Act or transporting the firearm in a vehicle in accordance with other applicable law.^[1]

Alcohol-Serving Establishments

Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of an establishment that serves alcohol on its premises is a prohibited location if more than 50% of the establishment's gross receipts within the prior 3 months are from the sale of alcohol. A restaurant where food revenue exceeds alcohol revenue within the prior 3 months is not prohibited by the alcohol-receipts rule, though individual owners may still post signage prohibiting firearms.^[1]

Entertainment, Recreation, and Cultural Venues

The following are all prohibited locations:^[1]

• Stadiums, arenas, and their real property and parking areas, including any collegiate or professional sporting event
• Amusement parks, zoos, and museums, including their real property and parking areas
• Public libraries, including their real property and parking areas
• Gaming facilities licensed under the Illinois Gambling Act or the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975, including inter-track wagering location licensees and their controlled buildings, real property, or parking areas
• Public parks, athletic areas, and athletic facilities under the control of a municipality or park district, except that a licensee may carry a concealed firearm on a trail or bikeway if only a portion of it includes a public park
• Public playgrounds (430 ILCS 66/65(a)(12))
• Cook County Forest Preserve District property is still listed in Section 65(a)(14), but a federal district court held that restriction unconstitutionally overbroad on September 13, 2021, and the stay of that ruling lapsed on June 7, 2022

Special Events and Other Locations

Any public gathering or special event on property open to the public that requires a permit from a unit of local government is prohibited, except for a licensee who must walk through the gathering to access a residence, place of business, or vehicle (430 ILCS 66/65(a)(10)). Any building or real property issued a special event retailer's license or a special use permit license is also prohibited during the time designated for alcohol sales under the license (430 ILCS 66/65(a)(11)). Concealed carry is also banned in any airport (430 ILCS 66/65(a)(19)), in nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development facilities regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and in any area where firearms are prohibited under federal law.^[1]

Private Property Signage

Beyond the statutory list, private property owners may prohibit concealed carry on property under their control. Unless the property is a private residence, they must post the ISP-prescribed sign conspicuously at the entrance. A CCL holder who knowingly carries a firearm on or into properly posted private property violates the Act, subject to the parking-area and public-right-of-way exceptions.^[1]

Parking Area Exception Under 430 ILCS 66/65(b)

Most prohibited locations carry a parking-area exception. Under 430 ILCS 66/65(b), a licensee may carry a concealed firearm within a vehicle into the parking area of a prohibited location and may store the firearm or ammunition concealed in a case within a locked vehicle, or in a locked container out of plain view within the vehicle. The licensee may also carry the concealed firearm in the immediate area surrounding the vehicle for the limited purpose of storing or retrieving it from the trunk. The exception does not apply to nuclear facilities or areas where firearms are prohibited under federal law.

Penalties

A first violation of the prohibited locations provision is a Class B misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class A misdemeanor. A licensee convicted or found guilty of an Act violation who has a valid license and is otherwise eligible to carry a concealed firearm is subject only to Section 70 penalties and is not subject to the Criminal Code penalties specified in Section 70(f). Other violations remain subject to penalties not excluded by that subsection.^[2]

Public Transportation Prohibition Under 430 ILCS 66/65(a)(8)

Section 66/65(a)(8) prohibits carrying loaded and accessible firearms on publicly funded transportation, including the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, Pace buses, and any other publicly funded transportation system, and at publicly funded public transportation facilities. This prohibition was challenged by four Illinois CCL holders in Schoenthal v. Raoul.

On September 2, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the transit prohibition, finding it consistent with the historical tradition of firearm regulation required by New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. On April 6, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the plaintiffs' petition for certiorari (case 25-541), leaving the Seventh Circuit ruling in place ^[3]. The transit carry prohibition remains in force.

An Illinois CCL holder may not carry a loaded and accessible firearm on a CTA bus or train, on Metra, on Pace, or on any other publicly funded transit. The ruling recognizes transport exceptions, including firearms that are unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container by a person who has been issued a currently valid FOID card.