You spent three weekends on that sword. The foam is sealed, the weathering looks right, and the last thing you want to hear at the door is “that can’t come in.” Every large US convention has prop rules, and they make a lot more sense once you know what security is actually looking for.
What follows comes from the official policy pages of six big shows: San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, C2E2, Anime Expo, Dragon Con and Katsucon. One warning first. These pages change, sometimes from one year to the next, and Katsucon says plainly that its policies can change before, during or even after the event. Use this to learn how prop rules tend to work, then read your own con’s current page before you pack.
No real weapons, and no “but I have a permit”
Every show here starts from the same idea: nothing that works and nothing sharp. Comic-Con’s convention policies say no functional or sharp-edged props or weapons are allowed, and that only active on-duty police officers may carry firearms inside the convention center. Dragon Con describes a “no weapons” policy for the whole convention and says real firearms aren’t allowed even if you hold a Georgia weapons carry license or a similar permit. It also warns that its safety staff, hotel security and local police will treat anything that looks like a real weapon as a weapon.
Metal is where many cosplayers get caught. Katsucon allows no metal weapons at its venue, the Gaylord National, without exception. Swords, spears, knives (sheathed or not), shuriken and metal gun props are all out, though metal armor without sharp edges can pass inspection. New York Comic Con and C2E2 are both run by ReedPop and publish almost identical rules. Both ban metal blades, sharp or blunt, and both say no exceptions are made for special licenses, memberships or training.
The banned lists go further than people expect. The NYCC cosplay and prop rules exclude airsoft, BB and paintball guns even when they’re unpowered, along with props built from their parts, martial arts training weapons such as bokken, laser pointers, silly string and any prop with glass in it. Katsucon bans paddles of any sort and nunchaku. Dragon Con rules out functioning projectile weapons right down to water pistols and ping-pong pistols, and wants bladed props cased or sheathed at all times.
Prop guns, blasters and the orange tip
Replica firearms come with the most rules, and this is where conventions differ most.
Katsucon permits resin-cast or solid rubber model guns if they are easily identifiable as toys or props, or if they’re clearly marked with a non-removable orange tip. NYCC and C2E2 don’t name a color. They ask for a “brightly coloured tip” on the muzzle that can be seen from most angles, or a large brightly colored section of the prop, and they let you remove the tip for a photo as long as it goes straight back on. Toy-style and clearly sci-fi guns such as phasers and blasters are allowed there up to 150 cm, about 59 inches. Comic-Con keeps it short: replica projectile props must be made inoperable and covered with brightly colored caps.
Some shows also mark approved guns. At NYCC and C2E2, every blaster and prop gun must carry a marking applied by security at a prop check near the entrance. The mark changes each day, so you go back every day you carry it. Both shows also ask you to keep prop guns fully hidden while you travel to and from the venue, and that’s good advice anywhere. A costume doesn’t tell a stranger on the sidewalk that what you’re holding is plastic.
Bows have their own fine print. Comic-Con wants real arrows with the tips removed, bundled and zip-tied to the quiver. NYCC and C2E2 allow bows that are unstrung or can’t effectively fire, and any loose arrows must be blunt. Katsucon bans compound bows and real arrows, and says no bow may be strung with an authentic bowstring.
How big and how heavy
Size limits are the rule people break by accident, usually with a staff, a scythe or a greatsword. Here are the published numbers:
- Anime Expo: props can’t be more than 7 feet in any direction or weigh more than 15 pounds, according to its help center.
- Katsucon: prop weapons must be under 6’6″ tall and under 50 pounds, and chains under 3 feet long whatever they’re made of.
- NYCC and C2E2: melee props up to 150 cm, or 180 cm for a narrow staff or spear. Anything larger has to come apart without tools before it goes into crowded areas, and scythes must separate into two parts regardless of size. Shields can be up to 1 meter high or wide with no sharp edges, and a whole costume is capped at 2.5 meters between any two points, not counting trains and collapsible parts.
Comic-Con doesn’t list dimensions. Its 2026 cosplay tips say oversized costumes may be asked to leave the Exhibit Hall or program rooms at busy times for crowd and safety reasons.
If you’re building something big, plan the break points from the start. A staff that splits at a hidden joint is easier to get through a doorway, a hotel elevator and a prop desk. When you commission a piece from one of the cosplay makers in our directory, tell them which con it’s for and ask for con-safe construction up front.
What happens at the prop desk
Most big shows run a dedicated desk where staff look over your prop, decide whether it passes and mark it so security on the floor can see it’s been checked.
Anime Expo calls this Weapons Check. Its help center says that to carry a prop weapon as part of your cosplay, you submit it for peace bonding, and that the booths are typically near the event entrances. At Katsucon, props must be inspected and tagged at the Annapolis Registration Desk before you carry them around the Gaylord; staff review the rules with you and may have you put a zip tie on the prop. Dragon Con’s policy simply says weapons must be “non-working and peace bonded.” In practice, peace bonding means an inspected prop wears something visible, such as Katsucon’s zip tie, and some items get secured so they can’t be drawn.
Comic-Con requires every costume prop to be inspected daily at one of its Costume Props Desks. Approved props get a tag that has to stay visible the whole time you’re at the event, Prop Safety Officers check entry lines in the morning, and they decide which props need to be secured. Their call is final. A prop they don’t approve can’t go into Coat Check; it has to go back to your car, your hotel room or somewhere else off site.
A few habits make the desk quick:
- Go early on your first day, before the lines build.
- Bring the prop assembled the way you’ll carry it, plus every part that detaches.
- Know what it’s made of. “EVA foam over a PVC core” gets a faster answer than “I’m not sure.”
- Ask ahead about anything unusual. NYCC and C2E2 both invite you to email details and photos, though they say they can’t promise a yes without seeing the item in person.
- Keep the tag or tie on all weekend, and go back each day if your con re-marks daily.
Every rule above came from a convention’s own page, and several of those pages say staff have the final word on the day, whatever is written down. So the last step is the same wherever you’re headed: open your con’s current prop policy, check that it’s for this year’s show, and email the organizers if your build sits in a gray area. You can compare shows and read attendee reviews in our convention directory, and find materials for lighter, safer builds through prop and supply stores.