Pepper Spray Laws
This website focuses on the current pepper spray laws and regulations in the United States.
We have organized this website first by providing an introduction regarding the types of restrictions that are imposed by some states and providing some color regarding these general restrictions. We then will list out each state that have some form of pepper spray restrictions.
Figure 1 – Pepper Spray in Action
United States Pepper Spray Laws and Regulations
In the United States, pepper spray is legal is all 50 states. However, certain states impose pepper spray restrictions. In general, the types of restrictions that are imposed can be classified as follows:
- Purchasing – residents of some states must purchase pepper spray from a licensed pharmacy or licensed firearm dealer. Additionally, some states require that the purchase of pepper spray must be done in person.
- Age Restrictions – some states impose restrictions on the age of the buyer to 18 years of age.
- Weight – some states restrict the size of the pepper spray canister to a certain size.
- Permit – some states require a Firearms Identification Card in order for a civilian to lawfully carry pepper spray on their person or in their car
- Formulation – some states require that the OC% concentration (one commonly used measure to determine the potency of the pepper spray) be less than a certain level. Additionally, some states permit only OC pepper spray to be used in the formulation rather than Mace, UV dyes (aids in the identification of an attacker) and Tear Gas.
- Appearance – some states require that the pepper spray canister itself cannot be camouflaged
- Safety – some states require that the pepper spray canister have safety features that would prevent an accidental discharge like a flip-top
Feel free to browse through the top menu to see which states have pepper spray law restrictions and the specific types of restrictions. We also include a listing of states that do not have pepper spray restrictions.
Please Note: Pepper sprays when used for self defense purposes are legal although some states do impose restrictions. If you have any questions regarding this website, you should check with your local city or state attorneys office. Defense sprays should only be purchased by those 18 years of age or older. Due to constant law changes, the above list may not be completely accurate and Pepperspraylaws.com accepts no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
