Knives in California

[Semper Praesidio]

I am about to make a business trip to California. I am seeing some conflicting information and hope someone can help.

I have a Kershaw Scallion (Ken Onion design) that is my EDC in my home state. I have read in some places that ANY assisted opening knife is illegal to carry in CA and then other places where it indicates the Ken Onion Kershaws are fine as long as the blade length is under 3 inches.

Can anyone help clarify?

 

[Cereal_killer]

There is no state law on blade length but plenty of locals have blade length limits in place. Where are you going specifically?

Welcome to BFC, this thread may get moved to the "knife law" sub-forum.

 

[Jens Schuetz]

I am about to make a business trip to California. I am seeing some conflicting information and hope someone can help.

I have a Kershaw Scallion (Ken Onion design) that is my EDC in my home state. I have read in some places that ANY assisted opening knife is illegal to carry in CA and then other places where it indicates the Ken Onion Kershaws are fine as long as the blade length is under 3 inches.

Can anyone help clarify?

All assisted folders are legal concealed and unconcealed. (Autos are illegal)
Fixed knifes are all legal as long as they are not concealed.
Local knife laws can vary from state law.

 

[Bob6794]

In Oakland your looking at a 3in limit, no fixed blades. LA I think it's 3in limit again. In government buildings theres a 2.5in limit such as post office, police stations, court, etc on the State level. And I want to say there is another 3in or mabey 2.5in limit in San Francisco but the wording was for when your "loiter" which is a pretty broad interpretation, so it is most likely a law in place against gangs and homeless. On a State level your knife is perfectly legal in fact we had law makers fight to keep assisted opening knives legal here due to their advantages to EMS/Firefighters/Law Enforcement. In terms of blade length I know of nothing that has a limit lower than 2.5in in CA (excluding flat out banned), and for the Bay Area I know of no laws limiting you on carrying a spring assisted knife. In fact in the Bay Area I wouldn't hesitate to carry a Kershaw Scallion anywhere, and I try my best to stay on top of these laws as I can't afford a charge concerning weapons with the profession I am trying to get into.

But as always try to check local laws, they are the hardest to track down and find unfortunately. And sadly asking a cops isn't a good way to go about it, in most cases I've known a lot more on our knife laws than they do and it just seems like they were grasping at straws when it came to how technical we can get with this.

One of the key wordings which make the assisted opening knife legal such as the speedsafe in kershaws is that it has a "Bias towards closure" and possibly a few other things going for it. I am going off memory but if you read up on Ca laws this one be easy to find.

 

[RamZar]

Local jurisdiction rules in Oakland, SF and LA. Keep it at or below 3 inch blades for folders and you'll be fine except for Public Schools (2.5") and the Feds have their own regs. It's complicated as is everything in our hypocritical state. Remember, we choose to live here.

Here's a link I've found useful: California State Knife Laws (2013 revision)

 

[jazub]

I carry anything I want in the Bay Area, SoCal, in NorCal. Too much real crime in LA to get your pockets looked at, too many homeless and crazies in SF to get noticed by anybody other than yuppies, nobody cares in the rest of the state. CA knife laws are very liberal so just avoid police and you'll be in good shape. :thumbup:

 

[Derek the Destroyer]

well said. My mom lives in Half Moon Bay, My Dad is in Sacramento, my sister is in san diego, and I am in Corona. That covers more than half of the state and I have been EDCing a 3.5-4 inch blade nearly every day..... That is unless i wanted my cricket spyder edge. Then I' do both

I carry anything I want in the Bay Area, SoCal, in NorCal. Too much real crime in LA to get your pockets looked at, too many homeless and crazies in SF to get noticed by anybody other than yuppies, nobody cares in the rest of the state. CA knife laws are very liberal so just avoid police and you'll be in good shape. :thumbup:

 

[Semper Praesidio]

Thanks for all the feedback! I'm going to be in the LA/Orange County area for this trip.

Thanks, RamZar, for the link. I'll take a closer look at it later!

 

[ninjarabbi]

Get a little California legal Auto. They have to be under 2 inches I think but it would be a fun legal choice.

 

[RamZar]

Get a little California legal Auto. They have to be under 2 inches I think but it would be a fun legal choice.

Agreed. I have a bunch of the California-legal ProTech Runt and Sprint automatics with 1.94" blades. Cute, nice-looking and useful.

 

[Los Angeles]

LA's 3" limit only applies to fixed blades, which must be carried openly. Folders of any length are allowed. I have carried assisted knives up to 5.5" and even showed them off to on-duty LAPD patrolmen. They admired and handed them right back.

 

[Los Angeles]

California knife laws are some of the most forgiving outside of Arizona. Even if something is specifically outlawed, there are huge and generous work and outdoors/leisure exceptions.

 

[RamZar]

LA's 3" limit only applies to fixed blades, which must be carried openly. Folders of any length are allowed. I have carried assisted knives up to 5.5" and even showed them off to on-duty LAPD patrolmen. They admired and handed them right back.

All the regs I've read indicate a 3" blade length limit on folders! Are you also saying you can carry an under 3" fixed blade concealed? Please link me. LEO don't know the regs.

 

[amg137]

All the regs I've read indicate a 3" blade length limit on folders! Are you also saying you can carry an under 3" fixed blade concealed? Please link me. LEO don't know the regs.

You can carry fixed blades of any length openly (but not concealed), but doing so in cities is going to get you harassed by the police.

Edit: I'm speaking of State law only. Not sure the details of LA's regs.

 

[amg137]

If you're in OC, you can carry any length folder, assisted or no, and be fine. Or a sub-2" auto. The only places there tend to be additional restrictions are government buildings and schools. Aside from K-12 schools, those additional restrictions are not enforced unless you're causing a disturbance of some kind, at least in my experience.

I carry multiple folders including a large 3-4 inch one every day, and I work on a UC campus. There's a legal exemption for university employees that allows them to carry such knives, but I've never been questioned about them - even when I was using them in front of an officer.

 

[b yond]

3” limit on fixed blades in LA? Yeesh that sucks.

I guess I got spoiled living in far-far-norcal. I can walk into town with a 16" FB on my hip and nobody bats an eye. The further out of the big cities you get in CA the more rational the people and local ordinances tend to be.

"That's not a noife, this is a noife.”

 

[Los Angeles]

All the regs I've read indicate a 3" blade length limit on folders! Are you also saying you can carry an under 3" fixed blade concealed? Please link me. LEO don't know the regs.

There are at least 100 threads in this forum alone on this. You'll find it without much looking. 3" limit only applies to "plain view" carry of "dirks and daggers" This has been consistently interpreted to mean any fixed blade knife or stabbing weapon like an ice pick. A folder in your pocket is NOT a dirk or dagger and it is NOT in plain view. That's 2 reasons the 3" limit doesn't apply, not just one.

The only thing people get worried about is whether or not a pocket clip is considered "plain view" but if you do a search, you'll find that there isn't a single online report of someone getting arrested for carrying a folder over 3", let alone that arrest starting with "I can see your pocket clip" so that point is moot. In other words, cops don't interpret pocket clips as "plain view," though it is possible that they could one day.

EDIT: Here's a link to CA laws in general and a great summary below: http://zknives.com/knives/articles/law/caknifelaws.shtml

Very Short Summary

State California allows for concealed carry of the folding knives and there is no limit to the blade length. As long as the knife is not banned by PC 16100-17360 or in Part 6/Title 3/Division 5, it is legal. Division 6 of the same title bans knuckles, division 7 bans nunchakus and so on. 17235 does not make Assisted Openers(AO) illegal. However, depending on the particular AO mechanism and other details some AOs may fall under switchblade category. Kershaw Speed Safe is not one of them, it is perfectly legal, details further down. As far as the state law goes, fixed blades must be carried openly, in the sheath, on the waist. I can't find where does the law ban either double edged blades or dirks and daggers. As the wording is, those are ok for open carry. No knives longer than 2.5"in the school, but folders are ok in the Universities and Colleges, unless, they were banned by local authorities. CCR(California Code Of Regulations) has a separate provision prohibitins any non employee and non student from carying any knife with a locking blade, dirks, daggers etc, and anything that can be used to inflict serious bodily injury. Needless to say it's way too vague, although if you had aforementioned dangerous object on you to do your lawful work, then you're ok. No knives longer than 4" in public buildings or buildings open to public meetings, e.g. courts, city halls, police stations, city council meetings, etc.

 

[Los Angeles]

3” limit on fixed blades in LA? Yeesh that sucks.

I guess I got spoiled living in far-far-norcal. I can walk into town with a 16" FB on my hip and nobody bats an eye. The further out of the big cities you get in CA the more rational the people and local ordinances tend to be.

"That's not a noife, this is a noife.”

Mix in to all of this the exception for leisure (camping, fishing) and work (you name it) as well as travel to and from leisure and work, and the blade limit rarely comes into play. Don't wear your bowie knife into a restaurant or walking around the promenade. Unless you work there, of course.

 

[billym]

Are you going to break any laws? Then don't worry. Your Scallion is sold all over the state as is all of Kershaw's AOs.
I love how everyone speculates and expects to get pat down here.
Maybe it is hard to get certain guns and impossible to get a CCW but knives are no issue.
I see fixed blades, all kinds of large folders (Strider, ZT etc) every day. I carry a BM full sized Ritter EDC with the clip showing. I am very often in Oakland, no cop has ever given it a second look.

California is pretty cool as far as knives go so relax, bring your Scallion and enjoy the drought! It is 70 again today.

 

[K.O.D.]

Are you going to break any laws? Then don't worry. Your Scallion is sold all over the state as is all of Kershaw's AOs.
I love how everyone speculates and expects to get pat down here.
Maybe it is hard to get certain guns and impossible to get a CCW but knives are no issue.
I see fixed blades, all kinds of large folders (Strider, ZT etc) every day. I carry a BM full sized Ritter EDC with the clip showing. I am very often in Oakland, no cop has ever given it a second look.

California is pretty cool as far as knives go so relax, bring your Scallion and enjoy the drought! It is 70 again today.

I usually ask to be patted down. Sounds like a trip to CA is called for.

As long as what you are carrying is not obnoxiously visible, you should be fine. Just don't whip your CS Espada XL out at the grocery store and no one will bother you.