Guide Rankings Law Updated June 21, 2026

Stand Your Ground Laws by State

Empty courtroom with wooden benches and an American flag, representing state self-defense law

Stand Your Ground Laws by State

Ranking - Law

30 states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws removing any duty to retreat. 9 more states have the same rule established by court decisions. 11 states require retreat before using deadly force in public.

Quick Answer

Stand Your Ground Laws by State

  1. 1

    30 states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws in 2026, meaning a person in any place they have a legal right to be may use deadly force without first retreating. Florida enacted the first Stand Your Ground statute in 2005.

  2. 2

    9 states have judicial Stand Your Ground rules established by court decisions rather than statutes. California, Vermont, and Virginia are among the states where courts have ruled there is no duty to retreat.

  3. 3

    11 states impose a duty to retreat before using deadly force in public: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. In all 11, the duty does not apply inside the home.

Map

Stand Your Ground Laws by State Map 2026

Law Type
Stand Your Ground
Judicial Stand Your Ground
Duty to Retreat
30 blue states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws. 9 teal states have the same no-retreat rule established by courts, not statutes. 11 red states require a retreat attempt before using deadly force in public.
Stand Your Ground Laws by State Map 2026
Rank State Law Type
1 Alabama Stand Your Ground
2 Alaska Stand Your Ground
3 Arizona Stand Your Ground
4 Arkansas Stand Your Ground
5 Florida Stand Your Ground
6 Georgia Stand Your Ground
7 Idaho Stand Your Ground
8 Indiana Stand Your Ground
9 Iowa Stand Your Ground
10 Kansas Stand Your Ground
11 Kentucky Stand Your Ground
12 Louisiana Stand Your Ground
13 Michigan Stand Your Ground
14 Mississippi Stand Your Ground
15 Missouri Stand Your Ground
16 Montana Stand Your Ground
17 Nevada Stand Your Ground
18 New Hampshire Stand Your Ground
19 North Carolina Stand Your Ground
20 North Dakota Stand Your Ground
21 Ohio Stand Your Ground
22 Oklahoma Stand Your Ground
23 Pennsylvania Stand Your Ground
24 South Carolina Stand Your Ground
25 South Dakota Stand Your Ground
26 Tennessee Stand Your Ground
27 Texas Stand Your Ground
28 Utah Stand Your Ground
29 West Virginia Stand Your Ground
30 Wyoming Stand Your Ground
31 California Judicial Stand Your Ground
32 Colorado Judicial Stand Your Ground
33 Illinois Judicial Stand Your Ground
34 New Mexico Judicial Stand Your Ground
35 Oregon Judicial Stand Your Ground
36 Vermont Judicial Stand Your Ground
37 Virginia Judicial Stand Your Ground
38 Washington Judicial Stand Your Ground
39 Wisconsin Judicial Stand Your Ground
40 Connecticut Duty to Retreat
41 Delaware Duty to Retreat
42 Hawaii Duty to Retreat
43 Maine Duty to Retreat
44 Maryland Duty to Retreat
45 Massachusetts Duty to Retreat
46 Minnesota Duty to Retreat
47 Nebraska Duty to Retreat
48 New Jersey Duty to Retreat
49 New York Duty to Retreat
50 Rhode Island Duty to Retreat

30 blue states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws. 9 teal states have the same no-retreat rule established by courts, not statutes. 11 red states require a retreat attempt before using deadly force in public.

Stand Your Ground Laws by State Table

Law Type

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Clean, print-ready version of Stand Your Ground Laws by State.

States with Stand Your Ground Laws

Exterior view of a courthouse with tall columns
Most states now follow some version of no-duty-to-retreat self-defense in public, whether by statute or case law. Florida's 2005 statute was the model that helped popularize formal Stand Your Ground legislation nationwide.

30 states have statutory Stand Your Ground laws as of 2026. Florida enacted the first such statute in 2005. Ohio and Iowa both enacted Stand Your Ground in 2021, the most recent statutory adoptions in the table.

9 additional states have the same no-retreat rule established by court decisions rather than statutes. California established its judicial rule in People v. Collins, and Virginia in Foote v. Commonwealth. In all 39 entries in this group, a person lawfully present has no duty to retreat before using deadly force.

States with Duty to Retreat Laws

Judge's gavel resting beside stacked law books
In duty-to-retreat states, the key legal question is whether a safe avenue of escape existed before deadly force was used. That rule usually disappears inside the home, where castle doctrine protections still apply.

11 states impose a duty to retreat before using deadly force in a public confrontation: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. In all 11, the duty does not apply inside the home.

New York and Massachusetts are the two most populous states in this group. Connecticut's rule comes from a statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-19. Maryland and Rhode Island impose the duty through court precedent rather than a written statute.

Quick Answers

Which states have Stand Your Ground laws?
39 states have no duty to retreat. 30 have statutory Stand Your Ground laws, including Florida (2005), Texas (2007), Ohio (2021), and Iowa (2021). 9 others, including California, Virginia, and Vermont, have the same rule established by court decisions.
Which states require retreat before using deadly force?
11 states impose a duty to retreat in public: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. The duty does not apply inside the home in any of the 11 states.
What is the difference between a statutory and judicial Stand Your Ground rule?
A statutory Stand Your Ground rule is enacted by a state legislature, as in Florida (Fla. Stat. § 776.012) or Ohio (Ohio Rev. Code § 2901.09). A judicial rule carries the same legal effect but comes from a court decision, as in California (People v. Collins) or Virginia (Foote v. Commonwealth).
Does California have a Stand Your Ground law?
California has a judicial Stand Your Ground rule established in People v. Collins. Courts have held that a person is not required to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense. California has no statutory Stand Your Ground law.
Does Florida have a Stand Your Ground law?
Florida has a statutory Stand Your Ground law under Fla. Stat. § 776.012, enacted in 2005. Florida was the first state in the country to enact a Stand Your Ground statute.
Does New York have a Stand Your Ground law?
New York does not have a Stand Your Ground law. Under N.Y. Penal Law § 35.15, a person must retreat if it is possible with complete personal safety before using deadly force in public. The duty does not apply inside the home.

Methodology

Law type classifications reflect state statutes and appellate court interpretations as of June 2026, compiled from Giffords Law Center, USCCA, and NCSL. Statutory rules derive from enacted legislation; judicial rules derive from court decisions. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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