The Indiana License to Carry a Handgun
Indiana has had a permitless carry option since July 1, 2022. An adult who meets the proper person standard in state law may carry a handgun openly or concealed with no license at all. So why do Hoosiers still apply for the License to Carry a Handgun by the tens of thousands every year. Because it is free, because a lifetime version exists, and because it is the only thing that travels with you across a state line. This guide covers the license as the Indiana State Police describe it in September 2026.
What the license costs
Nothing, from the state. The five-year license became fee exempt on July 1, 2020 and the lifetime license became fee exempt on July 1, 2021. The state police fee schedule lists both the five-year and lifetime personal protection licenses, and the five-year and lifetime hunting and target licenses, at zero dollars. You still pay two small outside charges: electronic fingerprinting is listed at $12.95, and online processing adds one dollar plus two percent of the transaction. A replacement or duplicate license is $20. Local law enforcement agencies may charge their own processing fee, which varies by jurisdiction.
The four license types
Indiana issues a personal protection license and a hunting and target license, each in a five-year and a lifetime version. The five-year and lifetime licenses may be applied for and held at the same time. Most people who carry day to day take the personal protection license; the lifetime version never needs renewing, which is the whole point of picking it when both are free.
How to apply
The state police describe a three-step process:
- Step one: complete the handgun license application online at the Indiana State Police handgun licensing portal.
- Step two: schedule and complete an electronic fingerprint appointment at a location you choose.
- Step three: complete processing with your local law enforcement agency, meaning your county sheriff or your city or town police department.
Steps two and three must be finished within 365 days of submitting the application, or it lapses. Once the application is approved, the license is mailed to you. If it is denied, the state police send a letter explaining how to appeal. The licensing unit takes questions by phone and email and is based in the Indiana Government Center North in Indianapolis.
Reasons people still get one
The first is travel. Permitless carry stops at the Indiana line, and a resident license is what other states look at when they decide whether to honor your carry. Reciprocity changes without much warning and is decided by each destination state, so check the destination attorney general's list before every trip rather than trusting a map you saved last year.
The second is proof. A licensed carrier has a card that answers the question quickly at a traffic stop or at a range counter, which matters more than people expect. The third is simple risk management: eligibility is checked when the license is issued, so an applicant who has an old case that might disqualify them finds out at the application stage rather than at a much worse moment.
What the license does not do
It does not replace the NICS background check when you buy from a dealer. Some states have permits that the federal government accepts as a Brady alternative; plan on the dealer running the check on every purchase in Indiana. It does not override posted private property, an employer's policy or the restricted places listed in state and federal law. And it is not a hunting license: for hunting you also need the appropriate Department of Natural Resources license, which is a separate purchase through the state's outdoor licensing system.
Where carry is still barred
School property, school buses and school functions are restricted by statute with limited exceptions. Secure areas of commercial airports are off-limits under federal and airport rules. Courthouses and other government buildings have their own policies, federal facilities and military installations follow federal law, and private property owners and employers may bar firearms outright. Posted signs carry weight, and in a place you visit often it is worth reading the actual rule rather than guessing.
Choosing a carry pistol
Most Indiana carry is concealed and most of the year involves a jacket, which widens your options compared with a Gulf Coast summer. Single-stack and slim double-stack nine millimetres in the Glock 43X, Sig P365, Smith and Wesson Shield Plus and Springfield Hellcat class dominate for good reason: enough rounds, small enough to disappear under a shirt, and an optic cut on most current models. A compact like a Glock 19, P320 Compact or CZ P-10 C carries fine under a coat from October to April and shoots noticeably better on a range day.
Whatever you pick, buy a holster that covers the trigger guard completely and a belt stiff enough to hold it. A rigid belt and a mediocre holster beat a good holster on a soft belt every time. Then shoot it. The Department of Natural Resources ranges listed on our city pages are cheap or free, and a hundred rounds at Atterbury or Wilbur Wright teaches more than any amount of reading.
Next steps
Read our Indiana gun laws guide for the purchase side, or the Indianapolis buying guide if you are in Marion County or the doughnut counties. When you are ready, the catalog ships to the Indiana dealer you choose, and the city index covers the rest of the state.
General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.
