The Complete US Body Armor Regulation Map

Body armor purchase in the United States is governed by a federal baseline — 18 USC § 931 — plus state-specific overlays ranging from none at all to outright prohibition of civilian sale. This guide classifies every state into one of five regulatory tiers and walks through what each tier means for purchasers and sellers.

Federal baseline: 18 USC § 931

Federal law prohibits any person convicted of a violent felony from purchasing, owning, or possessing body armor. Exceptions exist for law enforcement, armed forces, and certain armed security roles with written employer certification. This is the floor — every state operates on top of it, some adding restrictions, none reducing the federal prohibition.

Online sale to non-prohibited civilians is permitted under federal law. State law decides whether online sale reaches that state.

The five regulatory tiers

🟦 Standard (42 states)

Federal 18 USC § 931 only; no state-specific body armor statute. Civilian purchase permitted, online sale permitted to non-prohibited persons, no face-to-face requirement, no permit, no profession gate.

States: AL, AK, AR, AZ, CO, DE, FL*, GA*, HI, ID, IA, IL*, IN, KS, LA*, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ*, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX*, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

(Starred states add a sentencing enhancement when armor is worn during a crime — see next tier.)

🟨 Enhanced penalty

State statute adds criminal penalty enhancement when body armor is worn during the commission of a crime. Does not affect civilian purchase eligibility.

California — PC § 12022.2 (+1 to +5 years)
Florida — Fla. Stat. § 775.0846 (offense reclassification upward)
Texas — Penal Code § 46.041
Illinois — 720 ILCS 5/24-1.10
Georgia — O.C.G.A. § 16-11-160
Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, New Jersey — each add similar enhancement statutes.

ArmorOS compliance action: display enhancement disclosure at checkout; do not block purchase.

🟧 State felon broader than federal

State statute extends the prohibited-person category beyond federal violent-only definition. Any felony conviction — violent or not — triggers the prohibition.

Connecticut — broader than federal and face-to-face required
Kentucky — KRS 527.210
Louisiana — La. R.S. 14:95.9
New Jersey — N.J.S.A. 2C:39-13

Compliance action: enhanced felon attestation for these state residents; optional background check integration.

🟥 Face-to-face required (Connecticut)

Connecticut — CGS § 53-341b. Sale or delivery to a Connecticut resident must be face-to-face. Mail-order and online direct-ship to Connecticut residential addresses is prohibited.

Compliance action: block residential Connecticut ship-to; route through a Connecticut partner retailer for pickup, or ship to an agency facility when the buyer is LE/military/corrections.

🟥 Professional only (New York and DC)

Body armor purchase restricted to members of eligible professions. These are the two most restrictive US jurisdictions for civilian purchase.

New York — NY Exec. Law § 144-a (enacted post-Buffalo supermarket shooting, May 2022). "Body vest" restricted to: active LE, peace officer, armed forces, corrections, licensed EMT/paramedic, firefighter, licensed armed security, and specified healthcare professions. Residential ship-to by online seller is prohibited for non-eligible civilians.
DC — DC Code § 7-2502. Professional category restrictions; strict post-Heller firearms environment carries through to body armor.

Compliance action: block residential ship-to unless profession verified; documentation upload + employer verification required.

What this means by purchaser class

Civilian buyer

Standard tier states: online purchase permitted with federal attestation
Connecticut: arrange face-to-face pickup or ship to eligible employer
New York, DC: verify eligible profession or purchase is not available
Broader-felon states (KY, LA, NJ): enhanced attestation covering any felony

Law enforcement buyer

Agency-to-agency ordering bypasses state civilian restrictions in all jurisdictions. Ship to agency facility; the agency's procurement POs document compliance.

Defense contractor / cleared facility

FSO procurement via GSA Schedule 84 / Cooperative Purchasing unaffected by state civilian rules. Ship to cleared facility address.

Armed security guard

State licensing (varies: NY DCJS Armed Security License, CT Armed Security Registration) verifies eligibility for restrictive states.

Shipping gating rules (for online sellers)

Ship-to state	Action
42 standard tier states	Standard federal attestation; ship normally
CA/FL/TX/IL/etc. (enhanced penalty)	Standard + display state enhancement disclosure at checkout
KY/LA/NJ/CT (broader felon)	Enhanced felon attestation referencing state statute
CT (residential)	Block direct ship; route to Connecticut partner retailer for face-to-face pickup
NY (residential)	Block unless profession verified via upload + employer confirmation
DC (residential)	Block unless DC professional category verified

Federal preemption and local ordinances

Federal 18 USC § 931 does not preempt state law — states may impose additional restrictions (and several have), but may not relax the federal floor. A handful of cities have considered local body armor ordinances post-mass-shooting events; as of publication, none have enacted restrictions stricter than their governing state.

Monitoring for change

Regulatory landscapes shift. The Buffalo-driven NY § 144-a (2022), Louisiana's 2023 expansion, and ongoing state bill introductions mean static guides go stale fast. Armor Systems monitors all 50 state legislatures, Congress, and the Federal Register on a four-to-six-hour cycle. Subscribe to regulatory alerts to get notified when a change affects your state.

References

Phase F regulatory playbooks — state-statute-index, tier-definitions, per-state restrictive playbooks (NY, CT, DC)
Federal 18 USC § 931 — violent-felon prohibition framework
NIJ 0101.06 / 0101.07 standards — certified products list, BVP reimbursement eligibility
BVP (Bulletproof Vest Partnership) — DOJ reimbursement program for LE agencies