← Virginia knife laws›Local Knife-Law Preemption

Virginia Local Knife-Law Preemption (2026)

Conditional: No knife preemption: Va. Code 15.2-915 bars localities from regulating firearms and ammunition only, so localities may regulate knives.

ConditionalVerified Jul 7, 2026

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Official source: law.lis.virginia.gov →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Local Knife-Law Preemption in states bordering Virginia

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

District of ColumbiaPermitted
Uniform district-wide: DC is a single jurisdiction with no county/city subdivisions, so its knife laws (Title 22, Ch. 45) apply throughout the District.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.dccouncil.gov · Full District of Columbia rule →
KentuckyPermitted
KRS 237.104 bars any unit of government from impairing the right to carry or use 'any deadly weapon,' which includes non-ordinary knives.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: apps.legislature.ky.gov · Full Kentucky rule →
MarylandConditional
No statewide knife preemption: Md. Crim. Law 4-209 preempts local regulation only for handguns/rifles/shotguns and ammunition, so counties and cities may set their own knife rules.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: mgaleg.maryland.gov · Full Maryland rule →
North CarolinaConditional
North Carolina preempts only firearms regulation (G.S. 14-409.40); knives are not preempted, so cities and counties may regulate knife carry.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: ncleg.gov · Full North Carolina rule →
TennesseePermitted
Tennessee preempts local knife regulation: state law occupies the field on the transfer, ownership, possession and transportation of knives, and no city, county or metropolitan government may regulate it (T.C.A. 39-17-1314, added by Public Chapter 418 of 2013, effective July 1, 2013).
Verified Jul 30, 2026 · Source: publications.tnsosfiles.com · Full Tennessee rule →
West VirginiaPermitted
Municipalities may not restrict the purchase, possession, ownership or carrying of any 'deadly weapon' — defined by 61-7-2 to include knives — except in limited municipal buildings/rec facilities (8-12-5a).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: code.wvlegislature.gov · Full West Virginia rule →

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