Workplace weapons: Can employers in Idaho and Utah ban firearms?

Private employers sometimes have questions about firearms at work. Can a private employer prohibit employees from carrying firearms and other weapons on its premises, including those with a valid concealed-carry permit? And are there any legal or privacy concerns with requiring employees who are carrying to disclose this information to management?

Questions about whether an employer may prohibit firearms in the workplace often arise after an employee obtains a concealed-carry permit or as employers revisit workplace safety policies. Although many assume federal law governs these issues, the authority of private employers to regulate firearms in the workplace is determined primarily by state law, which varies significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. While federal laws, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), may inform an employer’s broader workplace safety and policy obligations, they generally do not dictate whether employees may possess firearms on private property. Instead, employers must look first to the laws of the states in which they operate.

Idaho