Firearms on County Property

Firearms Prohibited in Loudoun County Facilities

Firearms and ammunition are not allowed in Loudoun County facilities. This includes community and recreation centers and county-operated parks. The possession or transportation of any firearm or ammunition is prohibited in:

  • Any building, or part thereof, owned or used by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County, for governmental purposes;
  • Any public park owned or operated by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County;
  • Any recreation or community center operated by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County; and
  • Those parts of any building, not owned by the County or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the locality, being used for a governmental purpose; this section shall apply only to that part of such building actually being used for a governmental purpose.

Exceptions to the Firearms Prohibition

  • Sworn law enforcement personnel;
  • Private security personnel employed or contracted by the County, or an authority or other governmental entity created or controlled by the County, when such personnel are working in or at any location listed in subparagraph (a) above, and who are authorized to carry firearms as part of their duties;
  • Security personnel at permitted special events engaged by private entities conducting the special event and approved by the County through the special event permit application process;
  • Active duty military personnel acting within the scope of their official duties;
  • Activities of (i) a Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program operated at a public or private institution of higher education in accordance with the provisions of 10 U.S.C. § 2101 et seq. or (ii) any intercollegiate athletics program operated by a public or private institution of higher education and governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association or any club sports team recognized by a public or private institution of higher education where the sport engaged in by such program or team involves the use of a firearm. Such activities shall follow strict guidelines developed by such institutions for these activities and shall be conducted under the supervision of staff officials of such institutions;
  • Educational programs and events, including historical reenactments, which are conducted or permitted by the County or any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County, when such educational programs or events involve the use or display of firearms that are incapable of discharging a projectile;
  • Individuals participating in managed deer hunts and other wildlife management events conducted by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County, the Commonwealth of Virginia or the United States government;
  • Individuals who are authorized to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 926B and 926C, as amended; or
  • An otherwise lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition that is stored out of sight in a locked private vehicle lawfully parked on County property.
  • In public parks owned or operated by the County, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the County, individuals who possess a valid concealed handgun permit may conceal carry firearms pursuant to such permit, but in no case may they carry a semiautomatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or is designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock, or a shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered.
Image of Firearms Ordinance Sign
Public Reference Guide_Firearms Signage-Enforcement in County Buildings

Implementation and Enforcement

Loudoun County has installed signs, such as the one pictured above, on its buildings and at county-operated parks to enforce the ordinance prohibiting firearms in county facilities, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in March 2021. In addition to signage, the county is installing security screening stations at the Loudoun County Government Center and the Shenandoah Building in Leesburg and at the county government's service center on Ridgetop Circle in Sterling in October and November 2021. View details about the security screening

Failure to comply with the ordinance could result in a fine of up to $2,500 or up to 12 months in jail.

Applicable Loudoun County Ordinances

Questions?

Questions about the rules surrounding firearms and ammunition in county facilities may be sent by email to Public Affairs and Communications.