Texas Knife Laws (2026)

The 5.5-Inch Rule

PC 46.01 defines two things and nothing else about knives. A knife is any bladed hand instrument that can cause serious injury by cutting or stabbing. A location-restricted knife is a knife with a blade over five and one-half inches. That is the entire classification system. There is no list of banned designs, no distinction between folding and fixed, and no separate rule for automatics.

Measure from the tip of the blade to where it meets the handle. At 5.5 inches or under, you can carry it anywhere an adult can carry a pocket knife. Over 5.5 inches, the places in section 04 are closed to it, and nothing else changes.

Switchblades, OTFs and Every Other Design

Texas repealed its switchblade ban in 2013, so automatic knives, including OTFs, are legal to buy, sell, own and carry. In 2017, House Bill 1935 removed the "illegal knife" category from the Penal Code altogether, which ended the old bans on daggers, Bowie knives, swords, spears and blades over 5.5 inches, and replaced them with the location rule. In 2019 the state repealed its ban on knuckles as well, so a knife with a knuckle guard is no longer a prohibited item.

Today the prohibited-weapons list in PC 46.05 contains no knives at all. Ballistic knives are not banned by Texas law, though federal law still bars making, importing or shipping them across state lines. Our ballistic knife guide covers that.

Open Carry, Concealed Carry and Your Car

For adults, Texas makes no distinction between carrying a knife openly and carrying it concealed. Neither needs a permit, and there is no limit on how many you carry. Your vehicle is covered the same way: any knife of any length may ride in your car or truck. Non-residents passing through have exactly the same rights and limits as Texans.

Where a Long Blade Cannot Go

PC 46.03 lists the places where a blade over 5.5 inches is prohibited. Shorter blades are not covered by this section at all.

• Schools and collegesTheir grounds, school-sponsored events and school buses. The one place where the offense is a felony.
  46.03(a)(1)
• Polling placesOn election day and during early voting.
  46.03(a)(2)
• Courts and court officesUnless the court gives written permission.
  46.03(a)(3)
• Racetracks
  46.03(a)(4)
• The secured area of an airportFederal rules ban every knife past security anyway.
  46.03(a)(5)
• Within 1,000 feet of an executionOn the day it is scheduled, once you have been given notice.
  46.03(a)(6)
• BarsBusinesses with 51 percent or more of their income from alcohol served on site. Look for the red 51 sign at the door.
  46.03(a)(7)
• High school, college and professional sporting eventsUnless you are a participant and the knife is used in the event.
  46.03(a)(8)
• Correctional and civil commitment facilities
  46.03(a)(9), (10)
• Hospitals, nursing facilities and mental hospitalsUnless the administration gives written authorization.
  46.03(a)(11), (12)
• Amusement parks
  46.03(a)(13)
• Open meetings of a governmental bodyWhen the body gives notice that weapons are prohibited.
  46.03(a)(14)

Churches and places of worship are no longer on the list. Private businesses can still post their own rules.

Minors

Anyone under 18 may carry a knife with a blade of 5.5 inches or under anywhere an adult can. A longer blade is restricted for minors under PC 46.02(a-4): they may carry one only on their own premises, inside or on the way to a vehicle they own or control, or under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian. PC 46.15 adds two exceptions: lawful hunting, fishing or sporting activity on the premises where it happens, including the trip there and back, and historical demonstrations or ceremonies where the knife is part of the event.

Selling or giving a location-restricted knife to someone under 18 is a Class A misdemeanor for the adult under PC 46.06, unless a parent gave written permission for a sale or consent for a gift.

Cities and Counties: One Law Statewide

Texas preempts local knife law. LGC 229.001 bars any city from adopting or enforcing rules on the possession, wearing, carrying, ownership, transport or sale of knives, and any such ordinance is void. The same section says a knife may not be seized from someone who is carrying it lawfully. Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio all operate under the same Penal Code. There are no city-specific knife rules to learn.

Penalties

Hunting, Fishing and Traveling

PC 46.15 says the carry rules do not apply to someone engaged in lawful hunting, fishing or another sporting activity on the premises where it takes place, or traveling between there and home, a vehicle or a boat, as long as the knife is the kind commonly used in the activity. Peace officers, military personnel on duty and commissioned security officers are exempt as well. Flying is the one place state law gives way to federal law: no knife of any size goes through airport security, so pack every knife in checked baggage.

Texas and TEKTO

Every TEKTO knife has a blade well under 5.5 inches, from the 1.85-inch A2 Badger to the 3.80-inch A4 and F3 Charlie, and including the 3.30-inch X1 Atlas fixed blade. Every one of them can be carried open or concealed anywhere in Texas by an adult, with no location restrictions. The four below cover the main types: a compact OTF, a full-size OTF, a side-opening automatic and a fixed blade.