California knife laws: Delica ok everywhere?

[TomAiello]

I'm taking my kids to visit my parents in California next week.

I'm trying to figure out which of my Spydies is coming along on this trip. The laws in California are really confusing, and seem to have a lot of local stuff too.

It looks like there are a lot of "no blade longer than 3 inches" jurisdictions in California. So, I'm planning on leaving anything with a blade longer than 3" in the land of the free, which means my normal EDC rotation (Manix 2, PM2, Superleaf) will all be staying home.

I can't tell if there are any lock restrictions (anyone know?), or if there are any places that a blade under 3" will get me into trouble.

I'm planning on driving in on I-80 through Tahoe and Sacramento to the Bay Area, then down the coast to San Luis Obispo. I won't get any further south than that (so I've ignored all the patchwork of laws in the LA metro area), but I will probably be in the city of San Francisco, as well as several other suburbs of the Bay Area.

Can anyone tell me off hand if I'm ok carrying my ZDP Delica everywhere on this trip? Do I need to step down to my Dragonfly? Or find a non-locking knife?

Any help is appreciated.


And geeze, when did visiting the place I grew up turn into planning a trip to occupied territory?

[donutsrule]

Off the top of my head, I don't recall any laws about locking blades other than silly people carrying folders opened and locked. I think you're okay on that front. You could always carry a Dodo or Dfly if the length laws are too stringent.

I'm in San Diego so I don't know a bunch about knife laws in northern CA communities other than in 4 decades, I've never been hassled about a knife anywhere in CA including visits north.

[The Deacon]

If USKnife's California Knife Laws information is correct, Sacramento county appears to ban all knives. Doesn't seem possible, but these days you never know, so it may be worth looking into if there's a chance you pass through that county.

Ain't just Cali either. I'm a couple miles outside Greenville they have a 3" limit which I try my best to respect. Can be hard at times, the city is anything but a neat circle or rectangle so I'm sure I've "crossed the line" more than once without even knowing it.
And one county here in SC seems to share Sacramento's distaste for knives.

[GoodEyeSniper]

someone linked a site recently which gathered together any and all local ordinances about knife carry. I'll see if I can find it.

on the state level, there is no size limit for any blade besides autos. other than fixed blades needing to be openly carried at all times.

I've carried my spyderco military all over California with no problems. then again, I've never been hassled by police.

there are no laws limiting below three inches that I've seen, so you'll be fine.

[GoodEyeSniper]

oh, and local ordinances don't apply to people passing through on major roads. so if you are okay in sacramento, and okay in SF, cutting through a few cities which have a ban doesn't affect you. but like I said, I've never seen a local ordinance that was under three inches.

edit: didn't see The Deacon's post, the sacramento bit is unsettling.

[endgame]

i agree dfly or pingo urban upk.u cant go wrong with those guys.i personally would bring the dragonfly and if not that the pingo.small durable knives that wont ruin youre vacation if you meet the police.just make sure you pack it and dont carry it on.the orange urban warncliff would also be a great knife to bring but i just saw it was discontinued so unless you have one it might be hard to find one.the mini balance,cricket,torsoula,ambitous,or some of the small byrds would be good cause they byrds are cheap if you lose it or get it taken away its not such a loss.

[rodloos]

I assume you aren't planning on visiting Disney Land while there, right? They not only don't allow blades, but not even *flashlights*!!!!!

[TomAiello]

I won't be going to Disney.

I will be driving through Sacramento, but I don't anticipate stopping the car there. To be safe I'll probably stick my knife in my bags along the way there.

[Tank]

As long as your not going to any amusement parks you'll be fine with a delica. I live in Nor Cal and carry from a Dragonfly to Military every day and have never had a problem. I'm just a normal guy and don't draw attention from the police though and never even worry about it.

[GoodEyeSniper]

exactly, I know a bunch of guys carrying knives pushing four inches or more.

[lambertiana]

Don't forget that school property (K-12) limits blades to 2.5", no locks allowed. Otherwise, for state law, there is no limit on blade length. A lot of the local ordinances are vague. The ban in SF only applies if you are loitering, which leaves it open to a lot of interpretation by the officer. Just don't draw attention to yourself.

[zhyla]

Stay off K-12 school grounds and don't take them into courthouses and you'll be fine. There are a lot of local restrictions in various cities that can't possibly be enumerated and I've never heard of them being enforced. For instance, in my city it is illegal to discharge a BB gun.

DO NOT carry switchblade, balisong, belt buckle knife, anything that looks like something else but is actually a knife. There's probably more I'm forgetting, but stick with a regular folder and you'll be fine. Also, oddly, fixed blade knives are completely illegal to conceal here.

[KiwiBird]

Even better, whatever you decide, put it IN your pocket rather than clipping it to your pocket. I watched the po po checking for pocket clips at a mall, stopping a couple of people and making them take their knives back to their vehicles. Any public event is likely to have a ban on ALL knives, even SAK keychain models.

[GoodEyeSniper]

interesting. in my twenty seven years here, I've never seen cops on the hunt for pocket knives, unless you look like a gang banger. I've been out on the town drinking, with my military in my pocket, which isn't exactly discreet, and had plenty of officers notice it but never say a thing.

but California is an interesting place, hard to nail down. I guess having a larger population than the least populated twenty one states combined will do that to you.

[TomAiello]

I'm a clean shaven 41 year old white guy with short (but not military short) hair, no piercings and no tattoos. I'll be driving a mini van with my wife and 2 kids who are both under 10. I definitely don't look like a gang banger, and I doubt I'll be the guy the cops are looking to give extra attention to.

I'll probably just go with the delica, and leave it in the car (or at my parent's house) if I go onto school grounds (definitely possible, since my brother and his wife are both teachers).