New York Knife Laws: NYC Blade Length and Banned Types.

New York knife laws work on two levels, and confusing them is how otherwise law-abiding people end up arrested. New York State bans specific types of knife outright. New York City adds its own rule about blade length and visibility that does not exist anywhere else in the state. So the answer to "what are the knife laws in New York" depends on which side of the city line you are standing on. NY knife laws and NYC knife laws are two different rulebooks stacked on top of each other, and the knife laws in NYC are the ones that catch people out.

New York State: banned knife types

NY Penal Law § 265.01 makes possession of certain knives a crime regardless of length, intent, or where you are. Under NY laws on knives, these are per se weapons:

• Switchblade knives - opened by a spring or button in the handle. So, are switchblades illegal in NY? Yes. Switchblades are not legal knives in New York, and that has not changed.
• Pilum ballistic knives - blades propelled by a spring or explosive.
• Metal knuckle knives - a blade combined with a knuckle guard.
• Cane swords - a blade concealed in a walking stick.

Beyond the banned list, New York State sets no general blade length limit. A folding pocket knife of ordinary size is lawful to own and carry across most of the state. There is also a separate offense for possessing any knife with intent to use it unlawfully against another - intent, not the object, is the element there.

Gravity knives: the 2019 repeal

For decades the gravity knife was New York's most aggressively enforced knife ban, and it generated tens of thousands of arrests - overwhelmingly of working people carrying folding knives for their jobs, because the "wrist flick" test could be satisfied by an ordinary hardware-store knife in a trained officer's hands. New York repealed the gravity knife ban in 2019.

So if you are asking why gravity knives are illegal, the honest answer is that in New York they no longer are - the prohibition was removed from § 265.01. This matters practically: older articles, older signage, and older advice all still describe the ban. Anyone charged under the repealed provision, or carrying a conviction from it, should have that looked at.

Knife laws NYC: the four-inch rule

The knife laws NYC enforces are stricter than the state's, and this is where most trouble actually happens. Knife laws NY sets statewide are about type; the city's are about size and visibility. Under NYC Administrative Code § 10-133:

• Blade length. Carrying a knife with a blade of four inches or more in public is unlawful in the five boroughs. That is the legal knife length in NYC, and it is the number to remember - the NYC knife laws length rule has no state-law equivalent.
• Visibility. Carrying any knife openly visible in public is separately prohibited. A clip riding outside the pocket has been treated as visible. This provision surprises people more than the length rule does.

So can you carry a knife in NYC? A pocket knife under four inches, carried fully concealed, is generally lawful under NYC pocket knife laws - provided it is not one of the state-banned types above. That is the practical shape of what knives are legal in NYC, and it is the working definition of NYC legal knives.

Common questions about specific knives

• Are butterfly knives illegal in NY? Balisongs were historically charged as gravity knives. With the 2019 repeal that theory is gone, but a butterfly knife can still be charged if it functions as a switchblade or if unlawful intent is alleged. Treat them as high-risk to carry.
• Are OTF knives legal in NY? Out-the-front knives that deploy by spring or button fall within the switchblade definition, so no.
• Are automatic and spring-assisted knives legal in NY? True automatics are switchblades and prohibited. Spring-assisted knives that require manual blade pressure to start opening are generally treated differently, but the line is fact-specific and has been litigated.
• Are karambits legal in New York State? A karambit is not on the banned-type list, so ownership is generally lawful. Carrying one in NYC still runs into the length and visibility rules.
• Are folding knives legal in New York State? Yes, as a category. Ordinary folding pocket knives are lawful statewide, subject to NYC's rules inside the city.

If you have been charged

Knife cases are search cases. The knife is almost never the reason for the encounter - it is found during a stop, a frisk, a turnstile interaction, or a bag search, and each of those has constitutional requirements the government has to satisfy. Suppression of the knife ends the case. The second line of defense is the object itself: whether it actually meets the statutory definition, and whether the measured blade actually reaches four inches.

New York State knife laws changed materially in 2019 and enforcement practice has not caught up everywhere. If you are holding a summons or a desk appearance ticket for a knife, the consultation is free - bring the paperwork and, if you have it, a photograph of the knife.