If you’re in Texas and wondering whether you can legally carry a butterfly knife (also called a balisong), the answer is yes, they are legal. Texas changed its knife laws several years ago, removing most blade-type restrictions for adults. Butterfly knives are treated like any other knife with a blade longer than 5.5 inches: legal to own and carry, except in certain restricted locations. Texans should understand the rules, the exceptions, and where you cannot bring one.
Background: How Texas Knife Laws Evolved
Before 2017, Texas law placed heavy restrictions on several knife styles, including bowie knives, daggers, and butterfly knives. House Bill 1935 changed the entire landscape. The state removed the old “illegal knife” list and created a new category called:
“Location-Restricted Knife” — any knife with a blade over 5.5 inches.
Under this system, the type of knife became irrelevant. It no longer matters if the knife is a balisong, switchblade, dagger, or folding knife. All of them are lawful as long as you follow the location rules and age requirements.
Because of these reforms, butterfly knives are fully legal for adults in Texas in 2025.
What You Can Legally Do With a Butterfly Knife in Texas
✔ You can legally own a butterfly knife.
Texas does not restrict possession. You may buy, trade, or keep one at home without any permit.
✔ You can legally carry it openly or concealed.
Texas has no concealment restrictions for knives. You may carry a butterfly knife in your pocket, backpack, on your belt, or in your vehicle.
✔ Blade length is allowed — but affects where you can carry it.
If the blade is 5.5 inches or less, you may carry it anywhere that is not otherwise restricted by private rules.
If the blade is over 5.5 inches, it becomes a “location-restricted knife,” which is still legal — just not allowed everywhere (details below).
✔ Switchblades and automatic knives are legal too.
This matters because many people confuse switchblades with butterfly knives. Texas legalized switchblades in 2013 and butterfly knives in 2017.
Where Butterfly Knives Are NOT Allowed in Texas
If your butterfly knife has a blade longer than 5.5 inches, you may not carry it into certain places under Texas Penal Code §46.03. These include:
- Schools and school transportation
- Colleges, university buildings, and sporting events
- Bars that earn more than 51% of revenue from alcohol
- Correctional facilities
- Hospitals or psychiatric facilities
- Amusement parks
- Professional sporting events
- Courthouses and government-controlled court offices
- Polling places while voting is occurring
These restrictions apply even if your knife is purely for utility, collection, or everyday carry. Violating these rules can lead to criminal charges.
A butterfly knife with a blade under 5.5 inches is not subject to these restrictions — but individual businesses can still ban knives through their own policies.
Age Restrictions Still Apply
Texans under 18 may own a butterfly knife, but they cannot carry a location-restricted knife (blade longer than 5.5 inches) unless they are:
- Under direct supervision of a parent, or
- Participating in a supervised activity such as hunting, fishing, or a training program.
If the blade is under 5.5 inches, the age restrictions are minimal, but schools still enforce strict no-knife policies.
Why Butterfly Knives Are Treated Differently Now
Texas lawmakers simplified the knife laws for two major reasons:
1. Knife style doesn’t determine danger.
A balisong is mechanically similar to a folding pocketknife.
2. Uniformity and clarity.
The old law banned many knife styles inconsistently. The newer law focuses on where knives are carried, not which knives people choose.
This approach made butterfly knives fully legal to own and carry for most adults.
Important Safety and Practical Considerations
Even though butterfly knives are legal, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Law enforcement may still check your ID if you carry a large knife in a public area.
- Disorderly conduct laws still apply if someone brandishes a knife aggressively or recklessly.
- Businesses can enforce their own no-knife policies, and violating them can lead to trespass warnings.
- Some Texas cities train officers to treat butterfly knives as normal folding knives, while others may ask additional questions simply because they look “tactical.”
Responsible carry matters.
Final Take
In Texas, butterfly knives are completely legal to buy, own, and carry. Texas law does not restrict balisongs by type — only by blade length and location. As long as you’re an adult, follow the age rules, and avoid restricted areas, you can legally carry a butterfly knife in the state. Texas remains one of the most knife-friendly states in the country, and butterfly knives are fully permitted under current law.
