What Are the Magazine Capacity Limits in Idaho?
Woody's answers are based on published federal and state law. Not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for your specific situation.
Idaho has no state-imposed magazine capacity limits. You can legally possess and use magazines of any capacity under Idaho state law.
What This Means for You
Idaho is one of the most permissive states regarding magazine capacity, with no restrictions on standard or high-capacity magazines. This means builders have complete freedom in magazine selection without worrying about state compliance. Federal restrictions still apply to certain transfers and manufacturing.
The Detail
Idaho state law does not impose any restrictions on magazine capacity for rifles, pistols, or shotguns. You can legally own, purchase, transfer, and use magazines holding any number of rounds, whether they're standard capacity magazines or what other states classify as high-capacity magazines. This applies to both factory magazines and aftermarket options.
While Idaho doesn't restrict magazine capacity, federal laws still govern certain aspects of magazine ownership and transfer. The federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, but some restrictions remain on manufacturing new magazines over 10 rounds for civilian sale by licensed manufacturers without proper licensing. However, existing magazines manufactured before or after certain dates remain legal for civilian ownership in Idaho.
Idaho's permissive stance extends to both residents and visitors. If you're traveling through Idaho with magazines that might be restricted in your home state, Idaho law won't create additional legal issues. This makes Idaho particularly friendly for competitive shooters, hunters, and recreational shooters who use higher capacity magazines.
The lack of magazine restrictions also means you don't need to worry about compliance modifications like magazine blocks or permanent capacity reduction. Standard capacity magazines for popular platforms remain fully legal, whether you're talking about 30-round rifle magazines or 17-round pistol magazines.
Build Impact
You can select magazines based purely on performance, reliability, and intended use without legal constraints. This gives you access to the full range of factory and aftermarket magazine options for any build project in Idaho.