Knives
Penal Code 21310 — a dirk or dagger concealed, and a switchblade of two inches or more
In California, the knife rules turn on two kinds of knife: the dirk or dagger, which may not be carried concealed on the person, and the switchblade with a blade two or more inches long.
A folding knife is a dirk only when it is open and locked. A dirk or dagger is a knife or other instrument capable of ready use as a stabbing weapon that may inflict great bodily injury or death. A nonlocking folding knife, a lawful folding knife or a pocketknife counts only if the blade is exposed and locked into position.
Worn openly in a sheath is not concealed. A knife carried in a sheath that is worn openly suspended from the waist is not concealed for the purposes of the dirk or dagger section. Carrying a dirk or dagger concealed on the person is punishable by up to one year in a county jail, or under the felony sentencing provision the section names.
Switchblades. Carrying a switchblade with a blade two or more inches long on the person, keeping one in the passenger's or driver's area of a vehicle in a public place, or selling or giving one away, is a misdemeanor. A knife that opens with one hand by thumb pressure on the blade or a thumb stud, and has a detent or other mechanism resisting the opening or biasing the blade closed, is not a switchblade.
| The assumption | What the law actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionAny fixed blade on the belt is concealed carry | What the law actually doesA knife in a sheath worn openly at the waist is not concealed |
| The assumptionA folding knife in a pocket is a dirk | What the law actually doesOnly if the blade is exposed and locked into position |
| The assumptionEvery one hand opening knife is a switchblade | What the law actually doesNot one that opens by thumb pressure with a detent or bias toward closing |
Federal buildings, courthouses, airports, schools and private property with its own rules are separate questions, and so are court decisions on whether a listed knife is protected by the Second Amendment. Whether a particular knife, or a particular way of carrying it, falls inside the section is a question for a licensed California attorney.
Sources for this section (5)
- Penal Code 21310 — Dirk or dagger carried concealed
- Penal Code 16470 — Dirk or dagger defined
- Penal Code 21510 — Switchblade knife
- Penal Code 17235 — Switchblade knife defined
- Penal Code 20200 — A knife in a sheath worn openly at the waist is not concealed
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed California attorney.