A quick summary of what is and isn't legal in Los Angeles County, California

[Hashishiin]

I carry a 4 inch folder. As far as I know, it is legal to carry larger folder, as long as it’s folded. If I have it open and it’s not being used to cut tape.. it might not be ok. If I have it in my pocket while open, it’s illegal. If my folder is folded, in my pocket, it is legal. I am also basing this off of California knife laws from last year, as well as what I’ve been told by a few LEO’s.

Unsolicited opinion - Los Angeles is getting worse by the week. I’ve been here since 84.. things have changed dramatically.

Okay, fantastic. This lines up exactly to my picture of the laws. At minimum I always have something pushing 4" on my person like the Yojumbo, and at night, forget about it, always with an XL Voyager or Espada.

California is bad for me for a whole host of different reasons. I am not in the city, actually in Torrance, which is pretty nice, but I have fam in San Pedro and that place, I've watched it deteriorate over the last couple of years. I'm young, born in 96, so I didn't get to see things, just the history. I know the murder rate hit absolute highs in 96 or 99 at 1000 monthly, but then the cops started getting the idea to use gang injuntions, so I assume there is just a little bit of teeter-totter in the way things get bad/improve.

This is my uneducated opinion of crime in LA from what I have read: I feel like the deterioration is different than it was in the 90s. there's a lot more junkies out there, but I am less likely to get popped. Then again, I was robbed last time I stepped foot in South Central. It's certainly something... I want to love CA more than I do. I have grown up here. I just don't like the limits, don't like the laws... we have better knife laws than a lot of places, I appreciate that my Espada XL is legal... but I don't appreciate not being able to strap half of the Moras I own in my belt or put my Eldris in pocket.

K killgar , thank you for the additional peace of mind that your comment provided me, I just wanted to be sure that I couldn't be PROSECUTED. I am sure that if a cop finds me with a big ol' Cold Steel chonker, he'd want to snatch that. Well, I learned that people who get pulled over are usually calling out for it in some way, I know I was every time I got pulled over in my life. Glad to know I am at least in the right, though I must be smart about what I carry. Unfortunately (for the state of society, not for me) being white helps, I am sure of that.

 

[luethge]

The folder is on me, or next to me 24/7 - 100% legal.

The fixed blades in rotation depending on activity.

Maybe I’ve been breaking the law ?

Depending on county ?

I’ve been in Hollywood, East Hollywood, Korea Town, Echo Park, Lincoln Heights, Boyle heights and DTLA for the past 20 years or so. All of this falls under Los Angeles County.

I want to clarify what is/isn’t legal to carry ? Definitely do not want to create any problems for myself, or Law Enforcement - They have enough BS to deal with as is.

I’ve been robbed at gun point, I’ve been threatened with knives. I’ve found the best defense is trying to be aware of your surroundings, the ability to run and the company of good dog. Crime is becoming like it was in the 90’s, at least where I’m at any way ( East Hollywood area ).

I got stopped by LASD walking up the avenues one morning. I had just left a Rite Aid in the 5 points area of Lincoln Heights ( North East Los Angeles). Apparently a guy went into rite aid as I was leaving and robbed the place at gunpoint.. I guess he and I were wearing similar clothing, matched each other’s descriptions. The Sheriff had his service weapon pointed, ordered me down to the ground etc. The Rite aid manager was actually brought to the scene - he confirmed that I was not the suspect, and actually acknowledged knowing me from the neighborhood a year or so. I had a habit of carrying a 5 inch fixed blade in the waistband back then (2013). The Sheriff was not too worried, but made it EXTREMELY clear. “ you cannot have that concealed for any reason, it must be visible to us, period”. The LEO was ok with me putting the knife on my belt visibly - or in my bag sheathed , not iwb carried.

I really would like to know what is / isn’t legal to carry in Los Angeles. It’s murky..

 

[Hashishiin]

View attachment 1750174

The folder is on me, or next to me 24/7 - 100% legal.

The fixed blades in rotation depending on activity.

Maybe I’ve been breaking the law ?

Depending on county ?

I’ve been in Hollywood, East Hollywood, Korea Town, Echo Park, Lincoln Heights, Boyle heights and DTLA for the past 20 years or so. All of this falls under Los Angeles County.

I want to clarify what is/isn’t legal to carry ? Definitely do not want to create any problems for myself, or Law Enforcement - They have enough BS to deal with as is.

I’ve been robbed at gun point, I’ve been threatened with knives. I’ve found the best defense is trying to be aware of your surroundings, the ability to run and the company of good dog. Crime is becoming like it was in the 90’s, at least where I’m at any way ( East Hollywood area ).

I got stopped by LASD walking up the avenues one morning. I had just left a Rite Aid in the 5 points area of Lincoln Heights ( North East Los Angeles). Apparently a guy went into rite aid as I was leaving and robbed the place at gunpoint.. I guess he and I were wearing similar clothing, matched each other’s descriptions. The Sheriff had his service weapon pointed, ordered me down to the ground etc. The Rite aid manager was actually brought to the scene - he confirmed that I was not the suspect, and actually acknowledged knowing me from the neighborhood a year or so. I had a habit of carrying a 5 inch fixed blade in the waistband back then (2013). The Sheriff was not too worried, but made it EXTREMELY clear. “ you cannot have that concealed for any reason, it must be visible to us, period”. The LEO was ok with me putting the knife on my belt visibly - or in my bag sheathed , not iwb carried.

I really would like to know what is / isn’t legal to carry in Los Angeles. It’s murky..

Fixed blades SEEM to have much clearer laws than folders. I have done reading of the laws here to where I think I know the story with fixed blades. To directly quote someone who put it in a better way, "It's legal to openly carry a fixed-blade in LA if the blade is under 3". It's also legal to openly carry a fixed-blade in LA of any size if you have a legitimate work-related, recreational, or religious faith reason. Those exceptions are specifically written into both LA county and municipal law."

So... are you able to explain why, exactly why, UK-stlye, you have any of those knives over 3 inches? If so, they are legal to carry. I personally wouldn't risk carrying a fixed blade whatsoever, as the only legal way to do it is on my belt, so a passing cop WILL see it, and if they don't like the look, or don't like my explanation, there goes my knife. They probably wouldn't like my large folders either, but at least they can't see those, I would need to find myself already in trouble for that to be of any concern. In real life, though? It would be like when you got pulled over. The cops will look upon a sensible, micarta-handle fixed blade way better than the black one up top.

I know how terribly confusing this stuff is, and I interrupted writing this like fifty times to try and pin down the exact law, like, online municipal codes. That's where I am getting what I'm saying from, and I'm gonna try to find that and post it here, the first hand source, the actual law. That is a beautiful collection of fixed blades there, though.

 

[killgar]

Ok, here are the Los Angeles County knife laws, quoted word for word, no edits, no abbreviations, they are taken directly from the LA County website. I just re-read them, so these are current. And I provided a link to the source.

First, here is how LA County law defines "knives" and "daggers"-

Code # 13.62.010

"As used in this chapter, the terms "knives and daggers" shall include any knife having a blade of three inches or more in length; any spring-blade, switchblade or snap-blade knife; any blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device; an ice pick or similar sharp stabbing tool; any straight-edge razor or any blade fitted to a handle".

Here is the law in LA County regarding the open-carry of "knives and daggers" as defined above-

Code # 13.62.020

"It is unlawful for any person to carry on his person, in plain view, any knife or dagger".

Here are the exceptions to that law-

Code # 13.62.030

"The foregoing restrictions shall not be deemed to prohibit the carrying of ordinary tools or equipment for use in lawful occupation or for the purpose of lawful recreation, or where the carrying of a knife or dagger is a recognized religious practice".

And here are the penalties for violating the open-carry law-

Code # 13.62.040

"Any person violating this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not exceeding $500.00 or by imprisonment in the County jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment".

And you can read the LA County laws for yourself here- https://www.lacounty.gov

To find the LA County knife laws on that site, click on "Government" in the banner, then click on "Public Information & Records", then click on "County Code" (blue box, lower right-hand corner), then type "knife" into the search box, etc.




And here are the Los Angeles Municipal (city) knife codes. I just re-read them as well, so they are also current-

Section 55.10

"(a) As used in this section, the term "knife" or "dagger" shall include any knife, dirk or dagger having a blade 3 inches or more in length, any ice pick or similar sharp tool, any straight edge razor or any razor blade fitted to a handle".

"(b) No person shall wear or carry in plain view any knife or dagger upon any public street or other public place or in any place open to the public".

"(c) The prohibitions of this section shall not apply where a person is wearing or carrying a knife or dagger for use in a lawful occupation, for lawful recreational purposes, or as a recognized religious practice, or where a person is traveling to or returning from participation in such activity".

I didn't see any mention of penalties for violating the Municipal knife code.


You can read the LA Municipal laws for yourself here- https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/los_angeles/latest/lamc/0-0-0-107363

To find the LA Municipal knife codes on that site simply use the search function near the top of the screen near the middle, and type "knife".

 

[luethge]

K killgar . Thank you. I’m going read everything, twice.

 

[killgar]

Upon re-reading those statutes (it's been awhile) a few things stand out to me.

One is, the way the county law defines "knives" would give me concern regarding assisted-opening knives- "any blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device" with no exceptions mentioned for knives with detents, thumstuds, etc like in the CA state law. The way that statute is worded it sounds to me like it could be applied to assisted-openers. I don't own any assisted-openers, but I'm going to make a mental note of it for the future in case anyone asks about AO knives in LA (I would caution them).

A few other things that just struck me as interesting, with no serious implications are-

The permissive attitude towards carrying "daggers" that both laws describe. The Muni law in particular clearly allows for the carrying of "daggers" under their exceptions. One would think that LA would frown on the carrying of anything called a "dagger", but clearly not, at least not in the wording of the law. That definitely goes against conventional thinking where people tend to believe that carrying any type of "weapon" in LA is illegal.

Lastly, in the County code # 13.62.20, where it describes the illegality of open-carry, I notice it specifically refers to "his"- "It is unlawful for any person to carry on his person..." rather than using all-inclusive gender language. Makes me wonder if that is a loophole in the law that a woman could use. Probably not, but it made me wonder .

 

[Deusdark]

Sorry to ressurect an old thread but.... im noticing online literature saying Los Angeles Municipal Code 55.01 as stating you need a $3 permit to carry ANY deadly weapon concealed, including folding knives in the city of Los Angeles.

I am now even more confused.

 

[brancron]

Sorry to ressurect an old thread but.... im noticing online literature saying Los Angeles Municipal Code 55.01 as stating you need a $3 permit to carry ANY deadly weapon concealed, including folding knives in the city of Los Angeles.

I am now even more confused.

That codes section states: "No person, except a peace officer shall wear or in any manner carry concealed upon his person, any loaded or unloaded gun, pistol or revolver, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon permitted to be carried by law without having, at the same time, actually in his possession, and upon his person an unexpired permit so to do issued by the Board of Police Commissioners."

I have researched this on Westlaw and it appears that no case has ever applied this municipal code section to knives, and I don't think that would be a proper reading of the section. There is a longstanding statutory interpretation principle with the fancy name of "ejusdem generis," which translates to “of the same kind or class.” It provides that, where a general word or phrase follows a list of specific terms, the general word will be interpreted to include only items of a similar nature to the terms specified.

Here, "other dangerous or deadly weapon" is preceded by "gun, pistol or revolver," and this code section has consistently been interpreted to only apply to firearms. This interpretation is bolstered by the fact that knives are never described (directly or indirectly) as "weapons" in the surrounding code sections, and that knives have a specific section allocated to them (Section 55.10) where merely "plain view" carry is prohibited (for 3" or longer knives).

 

[Deusdark]

That codes section states: "No person, except a peace officer shall wear or in any manner carry concealed upon his person, any loaded or unloaded gun, pistol or revolver, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon permitted to be carried by law without having, at the same time, actually in his possession, and upon his person an unexpired permit so to do issued by the Board of Police Commissioners."

I have researched this on Westlaw and it appears that no case has ever applied this municipal code section to knives, and I don't think that would be a proper reading of the section. There is a longstanding statutory interpretation principle with the fancy name of "ejusdem generis," which translates to “of the same kind or class.” It provides that, where a general word or phrase follows a list of specific terms, the general word will be interpreted to include only items of a similar nature to the terms specified.

Here, "other dangerous or deadly weapon" is preceded by "gun, pistol or revolver," and this code section has consistently been interpreted to only apply to firearms. This interpretation is bolstered by the fact that knives are never described (directly or indirectly) as "weapons" in the surrounding code sections, and that knives have a specific section allocated to them (Section 55.10) where merely "plain view" carry is prohibited (for 3" or longer knives).

Well thank you for that eloquent and well written response. Also thanks for the term "ejusdem generis".

The strongest argument provided it seems is the existence of 55.10 governing knives specifically. If they wanted to comment on folding knives, logic has it that it would probably be in this section. As it stands, I thank you for your awesome reply.