Polymer80 Legality by State, 2026: Where 80% Frames Ship and Where They Do Not
The rules for Polymer80 frames changed twice since 2022, and most articles online are out of date. This page is what applies in September 2026. Two layers matter: the federal ATF rule, which applies everywhere, and the state bans, which apply in sixteen states and the District of Columbia.
Federal rule. ATF Final Rule 2021R-05F took effect on 24 August 2022. A partially complete frame or receiver that is sold with, or marketed alongside, the jig and tools to finish it is a firearm. That means a Polymer80 frame kit ships to a licensed FFL dealer, you fill in Form 4473 and pass a background check, exactly like a finished handgun. The Supreme Court upheld the rule 7 to 2 in Bondi v. VanDerStok on 26 March 2025. A bare frame sold with no jig is in a grey zone that most dealers, including us, treat as a firearm anyway.
State bans. The states below prohibit or heavily restrict unserialized frames and receivers, including 80% kits, regardless of the FFL transfer. Delaware is on the list: House Bill 125 of 2021 makes it a crime to sell or transfer an unfinished frame unless it carries a manufacturer name and serial number and moves through a licensed dealer. A federal judge permanently blocked Delaware’s possession and self-manufacture ban in September 2026, but the commercial sale rule still stands, which is why we ship serialized frames to Delaware buyers and route 80% kits to out-of-state FFLs.
Serialized frames change the answer. Polymer80’s PFS9 and PFC9 are serialized at the factory and are ordinary handguns under every state’s frame law. They still have to clear each state’s own handgun rules, such as California’s roster or Maryland’s regulated firearm list, but the unfinished-frame bans do not touch them.
The table. Status as of September 2026. Laws change between sessions and your receiving FFL always has the final word. If a state is marked restricted and you are not sure, ask your dealer before you order.
| State | Polymer80 80% frames | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Alaska | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Arizona | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Arkansas | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| California | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Colorado | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Connecticut | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Delaware | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Florida | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Georgia | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Hawaii | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Idaho | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Illinois | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Indiana | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Iowa | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Kansas | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Kentucky | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Louisiana | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Maine | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Maryland | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Massachusetts | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Michigan | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Minnesota | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Mississippi | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Missouri | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Montana | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Nebraska | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Nevada | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| New Hampshire | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| New Jersey | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| New Mexico | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| New York | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| North Carolina | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| North Dakota | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Ohio | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Oklahoma | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Oregon | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Pennsylvania | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Rhode Island | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| South Carolina | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| South Dakota | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Tennessee | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Texas | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Utah | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Vermont | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| Virginia | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Washington | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
| West Virginia | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Wisconsin | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| Wyoming | Federal rules only | No state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. Federal rule applies: frame with jig ships to an FFL with background check. |
| District of Columbia | Restricted | Restricts or prohibits unserialized 80% frames and receivers. Serialized PFS9/PFC9 frames follow normal handgun rules. Confirm with your FFL. |
What we ship where. Frames, lowers and complete pistols transfer through your licensed FFL dealer with a background check. Jigs, tools, slides and parts ship directly to you. We will not ship an 80% kit to an FFL in a restricted state. We will ship serialized PFS9 and PFC9 frames and complete pistols anywhere the receiving FFL confirms they may accept them. Delaware has no sales tax on any order.
Frequently asked questions
Is Polymer80 legal in Delaware?
Serialized PFS9 and PFC9 frames, yes. Unserialized 80% kits cannot be sold in Delaware under HB 125’s commercial rule, even after the 2026 court decision that struck the possession ban.
Is Polymer80 legal in Texas, Florida, Virginia or North Carolina?
Those states have no state ban on unserialized frames as of September 2026. The federal rule still applies, so the kit ships to your FFL with a background check.
Is Polymer80 legal in California?
No for 80% kits. California requires serialization through the DOJ and bans the sale of unserialized frames. The serialized PFS9 and PFC9 are not on the California handgun roster either.
Can I finish a frame I already own in a restricted state?
That depends on the state’s serialization pathway and is outside what a dealer can advise on. Several restricted states allow you to apply for a state-issued serial number. Ask a local attorney or the state police firearms unit.