Statute-cited, last verified 2026-07-10
Magazine capacity is limited in 13 states and Washington, D.C.; the other 37 states have no cap. Most of the restricted jurisdictions set a 10-round limit, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and D.C. Colorado's limit is 15 rounds, and Delaware's is 17 rounds, not 10 or 15. Illinois and Vermont split by firearm type, allowing 15-round handgun magazines but capping long guns at 10.
There is no federal magazine capacity limit; the 1994 federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004. The state limits also differ in what conduct they reach. Maryland and Washington ban only manufacture, sale, and transfer, so simple possession of an over-limit magazine is not itself an offense there. California, New Jersey, New York, and most others reach possession. Oregon is not on the restricted list: Measure 114 would cap magazines at 10 rounds but has never taken effect and remains enjoined as of July 2026.
Grandfathering and litigation status vary cell by cell. California's ban was upheld en banc in Duncan v. Bonta in March 2025 with a cert petition pending; Illinois' cap became enforceable when the Seventh Circuit upheld it in Barnett v. Raoul on July 9, 2026; Washington's was upheld in State v. Gator's Custom Guns in May 2025. In Washington, D.C., a panel struck the ban in March 2026, but the full court vacated that decision on rehearing in April 2026, restoring the limit.
These 13 states and Washington, D.C. cap magazine capacity. Each row lists the round limit, whether the ban reaches possession or only sale and transfer, any handgun and long-gun split, and the controlling statute and court decision.
| State | Status | Rule | Statute / Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Restricted | Bans manufacture, sale, import, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds for all firearms. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2000-01-01. | Cal. Penal Code § 32310 |
| Colorado | Restricted | Bans sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 15 rounds for rifles and handguns; shotgun tube limit of 28 inches. Limit: 15 rounds. Effective 2013-07-01. | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-302 |
| Connecticut | Restricted | Bans sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds for handguns and long guns. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2013-04-04. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-202w |
| Delaware | Restricted | Bans manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 17 rounds for handguns and long guns. Limit: 17 rounds. Effective 2022-06-30. | 11 Del. C. § 1469 |
| Hawaii | Restricted | The 10-round limit reaches any detachable magazine designed for or capable of use with a pistol; magazines with no pistol application are unrestricted. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 1992-07-01. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8(c) |
| Illinois | Restricted | Bans sale, manufacture, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds for long guns and over 15 rounds for handguns. Limit: 10 rounds (long guns), 15 rounds (handguns). Effective 2023-01-10. | 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10 |
| Maryland | Restricted | Bans manufacture, sale, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds; possession is not prohibited. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2013-10-01. | Md. Code, Crim. Law § 4-305 |
| Massachusetts | Restricted | Bans sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 10 rounds not lawfully owned before September 13, 1994. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 1998-10-21. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 140, § 131M |
| New Jersey | Restricted | Bans possession, sale, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds for handguns and long guns. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2018-12-10. | N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-3(j) |
| New York | Restricted | Bans sale and possession of magazines over 10 rounds for handguns and long guns; loading over 10 rounds is separately prohibited. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2013-04-15. | N.Y. Penal Law §§ 265.36-265.37; § 265.00(23) |
| Rhode Island | Restricted | Bans possession, sale, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds for handguns and long guns. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2022-12-18. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47.1-3 |
| Vermont | Restricted | Bans sale, purchase, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds for long guns and over 15 rounds for handguns; possession of grandfathered magazines is lawful. Limit: 10 rounds (long guns), 15 rounds (handguns). Effective 2018-10-01. | 13 V.S.A. § 4021 |
| Washington | Restricted | Bans manufacture, import, distribution, and sale of magazines over 10 rounds; simple possession is not prohibited. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2022-07-01. | RCW 9.41.375 |
| District of Columbia | Restricted | Bans possession, sale, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds for handguns and long guns. Limit: 10 rounds. Effective 2009-03-31. | D.C. Code § 7-2506.01(b) |
Ban in effect. The Ninth Circuit en banc upheld it 7-4 in Duncan v. Bonta (March 2025); a cert petition is pending at the Supreme Court. Possession over 10 rounds became unlawful via Prop 63 (2016); a narrow stay preserves magazines lawfully acquired during 'Freedom Week' (March 29 to April 5, 2019).
Magazines lawfully possessed before July 1, 2013 are grandfathered (HB13-1224).
Enacted post-Sandy Hook (PA 13-3). Pre-2013 magazines are grandfathered if declared to DESPP by the deadline; declared magazines face loading limits outside enumerated exceptions.
Large-Capacity Magazine Prohibition Act of 2022 (SS1 for SB6). No possession grandfather (relinquishment or buyback required); concealed-carry permit holders are exempt.
Not strictly handgun-only: because the test is 'designed for or capable of use with a pistol,' AR-pattern rifle magazines usable in AR pistols fall within it. Possession while inserted in a pistol is a class C felony. Hawaii has no separate rifle-magazine cap.
PICA is enforceable as of July 2026: on July 9, 2026 the Seventh Circuit (Barnett v. Raoul, 2-1) reversed the district court's permanent injunction and upheld the ban. Pre-2023 magazines are grandfathered via endorsement affidavit; related Supreme Court cases are set for fall 2026.
Sale and transfer only. Owning, importing for personal use, or possessing a magazine over 10 rounds is not itself an offense under Maryland law.
Large-capacity feeding devices lawfully possessed before September 13, 1994 are grandfathered.
The limit dropped from 15 to 10 rounds in 2018 (A2761) with no grandfathering; over-10 magazines had to be surrendered, rendered inoperable, or transferred. Definition at N.J. Stat. § 2C:39-1(y).
SAFE Act. Pre-1994 large-capacity magazines have limited grandfather status but may not be loaded past 10 rounds; sale of over-10 magazines is barred.
No grandfather clause; owners had a 180-day window to modify, sell out of state, or surrender. The First Circuit upheld the ban (Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island, 2024) and the Supreme Court declined review in 2025.
Act 94 (2018). Magazines lawfully possessed before October 1, 2018 are grandfathered; the ban targets sale, transfer, and import, not continued possession. Upheld by the Vermont Supreme Court in State v. Misch (2021).
Ban in effect. The Washington Supreme Court upheld it 7-2 in State v. Gator's Custom Guns (May 2025), holding magazines over 10 rounds are not arms; a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court followed. No possession ban, so already-owned magazines are unaffected.
Enforceable as of July 2026. A D.C. Court of Appeals panel struck the ban in Benson v. United States (March 5, 2026), but the full court granted en banc rehearing and vacated the panel decision on April 22, 2026, restoring the ban pending re-argument. The separate federal challenge (Hanson v. District of Columbia, D.C. Circuit) failed and the Supreme Court denied cert in 2025.
Measure 114 (2022) would cap magazines at 10 rounds but has never taken effect and remains enjoined. The Oregon Court of Appeals held it facially constitutional (March 2025); the Oregon Supreme Court heard argument in November 2025 and had not ruled as of July 2026.
The other 37 states have no magazine capacity limit, so standard 30-round rifle magazines and full-capacity pistol magazines are legal to buy, sell, and possess. This includes Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, where Measure 114 remains enjoined and unenforced.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
There is no federal magazine capacity limit; the 1994 federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004.
Colorado limits magazines to 15 rounds for both rifles and handguns under Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-302, and shotgun tubes to 28 inches. The ban reaches sale, transfer, and possession, but magazines lawfully possessed before July 1, 2013 are grandfathered.
Neither. Delaware caps magazines at 17 rounds under 11 Del. C. § 1469, the Large-Capacity Magazine Prohibition Act of 2022. It bans manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of magazines over 17 rounds, with no possession grandfather clause, though concealed-carry permit holders are exempt.
No enforceable limit as of July 2026. Oregon's Measure 114 would cap magazines at 10 rounds, but it has never taken effect and remains enjoined. The Oregon Supreme Court heard argument in November 2025 and had not ruled, so over-10-round magazines are currently legal to buy, sell, and possess in Oregon.
Yes. Maryland bans only the manufacture, sale, and transfer of magazines over 10 rounds under Md. Code, Crim. Law § 4-305; owning, importing for personal use, or possessing an over-10-round magazine is not itself an offense under Maryland law. Washington has the same possession-legal structure.
Hawaii's 10-round limit reaches any detachable magazine designed for or capable of use with a pistol under Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-8(c). Because the test is capability of pistol use, AR-pattern magazines usable in AR pistols fall within it. Magazines with no pistol application are unrestricted, and Hawaii has no separate rifle-only magazine cap.
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, and Washington, D.C. all set a 10-round cap, while Illinois and Vermont cap long guns at 10 with a 15-round handgun allowance. Colorado's limit is 15 and Delaware's is 17. The remaining 37 states have no cap.