Owning & Caring
Magazine Capacity Limits, State by State
Fourteen states restrict magazine capacity, three of those restrictions changed in the last nine months, and one is currently unenforceable. This is the page we keep current.
Why this is one page and not fifty
Magazine law is the fastest-moving corner of state firearms regulation, and most of it is in litigation at any given moment. Restating it on every state page would guarantee that most of those pages are wrong most of the time, so it lives here, gets one review date, and gets corrected once when it changes.
There is no federal limit
The federal restriction expired in 2004 and was never renewed. Every limit that exists today is a state one, which is why a magazine that is unremarkable in Texas is contraband four states away and why the answer depends entirely on where the box is being delivered.
Ten rounds
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington cap at ten. This is the largest and most stable group — these limits have been in place for years and are the ones least likely to move.
Fifteen rounds, and the split limits
Colorado caps at fifteen. Illinois and Vermont split by firearm type: fifteen for handguns, ten for long guns. Virginia joined the fifteen-round group on 1 July 2026 under SB 749, which bans sale and manufacture above that count. Delaware sits alone at seventeen.
What changed recently, and what is not in force
Oregon's limit was permanently enjoined in December 2025 and is not currently enforceable. The D.C. Court of Appeals struck down the District's ten-round ban in March 2026, holding that magazines in common use cannot be categorically banned. Both are live litigation and either could move again — do not treat either as settled.
What this means for an order
Thirty-six states have no limit at all, and for those nothing here applies. For the rest, your receiving dealer will not release a magazine their state does not permit, and standard-capacity magazines shipped with a firearm are the most common thing to get held back at a transfer. If you are in a restricted state, check what ships with the gun before you order rather than after.
Common questions
Is there a federal magazine limit?
No. The federal restriction expired in 2004. Every current limit is set by a state.
Will a standard-capacity magazine ship with my rifle?
Not into a state that restricts it. Your receiving dealer applies their state's limit at transfer, and will hold back anything over it.
How current is this page?
It is reviewed on a set date shown at the foot of the page and corrected when a limit changes. Because several of these are in active litigation, confirm with your dealer before ordering.