Western Australia’s Firearms Act 2024 and Firearms Regulations 2024 commenced on 31 March 2025. The framework includes specific Individual Paintball Licence and Paintball Business Licence pathways, as well as detailed rules for prescribed paintball markers and pellets.
This guide explains the main points for recreational players, marker owners and venue operators. It is a practical overview rather than legal advice. Use the current WA Police information sheets and legislation when making licensing or business decisions.
The 2024 to 2025 transition
The Firearms Act 2024 established the new framework and was followed by regulations containing the technical and operational detail. WA Police states that the new firearms legislation commenced on 31 March 2025. Its current information centre includes separate material for Individual Paintball Licences and Paintball Business Licences.
That commencement date is important when reading older paintball information. Guidance written under the former legislation may use different licence names, processes or technical definitions.
Players using venue equipment
A recreational customer booking a supervised session should confirm the venue’s age, consent, identification and arrival requirements before attending. The venue is responsible for operating under the appropriate business authority and for supervising the use of its business markers.
The regulations include specific consent rules for young participants. For a participant aged 12 to 15, a parent must provide written consent and remain at the licensed premises while the young person participates. For a participant aged 16 or 17, written parental consent is required. Venues may apply additional booking policies, so parents should check directly before paying.
Owning a paintball marker
The Act provides for a Paintball Licence that authorises the licensee to use a prescribed paintball gun covered by the licence in games conducted under a Paintball Business Licence. Ownership, transport, storage and use must remain within the authority granted by the licence and the current legislation.
Players considering personal equipment should contact WA Police before purchasing. A product being sold as a paintball marker does not automatically mean that it meets every requirement of the WA definition.
What counts as a prescribed paintball marker
The Firearms Regulations 2024 set technical requirements. A prescribed paintball gun must have a calibre of at least 0.4 inches and no more than 0.68 inches, a barrel at least 120 mm long, an externally attached hopper, and the specified grip or stock configuration. It must not be capable of firing a pellet faster than 91.44 metres per second and must not have the appearance of a handgun or certain listed firearms.
The prescribed pellet rules also matter. The regulations specify a gelatine capsule between 10 mm and 17.27 mm in diameter, filled with water-soluble marking dye. Red and brown marking dye are excluded by the regulation.
What operators should check
- Confirm the correct Paintball Business Licence and every condition applying to the premises.
- Review authorised-person, supervision and record responsibilities.
- Check marker specifications, velocity testing and pellet requirements.
- Build the age and parental-consent rules into online booking and check-in.
- Keep current WA Police information sheets available to managers responsible for compliance.
What changed by 2026
The key historical point is the commencement of the new framework on 31 March 2025. By September 2026, WA Police had updated its current information-sheet collection, so businesses and owners should use those current documents rather than archived summaries written before commencement.
Official sources
- WA Police: current firearms information sheets
- WA legislation: Firearms Regulations 2024
- WA legislation: Firearms Act 2024 commencement proclamation
Information reviewed 15 September 2026. Confirm current licensing and compliance requirements with WA Police.