Frequently Asked Questions

California generally requires a Firearm Safety Certificate before you purchase or receive a firearm, unless an exemption applies. You obtain it by passing a written test administered by a DOJ-certified instructor with a grade of at least 75 percent. The instructor may charge $25, and the certificate expires five years after it is issued. Section 31700 lists exemptions, including qualifying peace officers, military members and California concealed carry license holders. The hunting-license exemption applies to properly identified adults with an unexpired license and does not cover handguns.

Choose a firearm that complies with California law and, for a dealer handgun sale, is on the DOJ roster unless an exemption applies. You generally need a Firearm Safety Certificate, issued after you pass a written test with a grade of at least 75 percent, unless you qualify for an exemption. The instructor may charge $25, and the certificate expires five years after it is issued. The dealer collects state fees that include the $31.19 fee under Section 28233 and the fees the DOJ may require under Sections 28225 and 28300, set at up to $1 and up to $5 and adjustable for consumer price index increases. Under Section 27540, the dealer may not deliver the firearm within 10 days of the application, and a DOJ delay under Section 28220 can extend that. Before a handgun is delivered, the buyer must complete the safe handling demonstration unless exempt, and the firearm safety-device requirement or a qualifying safe or other exemption applies.

Apply to the county sheriff or the appropriate city police department for a California concealed carry license. Applicants must be at least 21, must not be a disqualified person under Penal Code Section 26202, and must meet the applicable resident or nonresident requirements in Sections 26150 and 26155. New applicants generally need at least 16 hours of training, including a written examination and live-fire qualification, and must submit fingerprints for the background check. Fees depend on the issuing authority and are separate from fingerprint and training costs. For a new license, written approval or denial is due within 120 days after receipt of a completed application or 30 days after receipt of the required DOJ information, whichever is later.

California classifies assault weapons through named firearms in Penal Code Section 30510 and the definitions in Section 30515. The rifle features test covers a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that does not have a fixed magazine and has a listed feature, including a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon. Separate tests cover a fixed magazine with capacity over 10 rounds or an overall length under 30 inches, and Section 30515 also defines covered pistols, shotguns and other firearms. A fixed magazine must be contained in, or permanently attached to, the firearm so that it cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action. Prohibited manufacture and distribution are addressed by Section 30600, while unlawful possession is addressed by Section 30605 and is not invariably a felony.

California generally prohibits manufacturing, importing, selling, giving, lending, buying or receiving a large-capacity magazine, meaning an ammunition feeding device capable of accepting more than 10 rounds, subject to statutory exceptions. In Duncan v. Bonta, the Ninth Circuit en banc held on March 20, 2025 that the possession ban comports with the Second Amendment, reversed the district court and remanded with the instruction to enter judgment for the Attorney General. The ban on possessing magazines acquired when acquiring them was lawful has never taken effect, and the Ninth Circuit partially stayed its mandate to keep that status pending the Supreme Court's disposition of the petition in No. 25-198. Possession under Penal Code Section 32310(c) can be charged as an infraction with a fine of up to $100 per magazine or as a misdemeanor with up to one year in county jail, a fine of up to $100 per magazine, or both. Manufacturing and the other transactions prohibited by Section 32310(a) carry separate penalties that can include felony punishment.

The California DOJ maintains a roster of handguns certified for sale, and dealer handgun sales generally require a listed model unless an exemption applies. SB 452 removed the former roster microstamping requirement effective January 1, 2024. Off-roster transfers can qualify under specific exemptions, including dealer-processed private party transfers and curio or relic handguns. Law enforcement exemptions depend on the statutory category and do not exempt every retired officer.

California generally requires a 10-day waiting period before a dealer may deliver a firearm, including a private party transfer through a dealer. Under Penal Code Section 27540, the period runs from the purchase application, a required correction or a required fee submission, whichever is later. Separate statutory exemptions exist, for example for authorized law enforcement representatives under Section 27600. A DOJ background-check delay can extend delivery, but Section 28220 allows a dealer to transfer after the specified 30-day unresolved-check process and notice, so affirmative DOJ approval is not required in every case.

California generally requires DOJ eligibility approval before a licensed vendor delivers ammunition, subject to statutory exceptions. The standard check uses a matching Automated Firearms System record, while a basic check applies to a person without an AFS match and without a current Certificate of Eligibility. Online orders generally must be received and processed by a licensed ammunition vendor for a face-to-face transfer unless an exemption applies. Penal Code Section 30314 generally requires California residents bringing ammunition acquired out of state into California to first have it delivered through a licensed vendor, with specified exceptions.

Private firearm sales generally must be completed through a licensed dealer under Penal Code Section 27545, unless a statutory exemption applies. The dealer processes the transfer under Chapter 5 (Section 28050 and following), including the background check and the applicable waiting period. Section 28055 caps the dealer handling fee at $10 per firearm, in addition to applicable state fees, which include the $31.19 fee under Section 28233. Qualifying dealer-processed private party handgun transfers are exempt from the handgun roster. Violating the dealer-transfer requirement can be a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the firearm and circumstances.

Effective April 1, 2026, Penal Code Section 27535 generally prohibits purchase applications that would result in buying more than three firearms cumulatively within any 30-day period. The law also restricts applications combining firearms, completed frames or receivers, or firearm precursor parts within the same period. The exceptions include qualifying law enforcement transactions and federally licensed collectors with a current California Certificate of Eligibility. Holding a concealed carry license is not among the listed exceptions, and private party transfers are exempt only in specified circumstances, such as required relinquishment or qualifying estate and trust transfers.

California regulates personally manufactured firearms, and Penal Code Section 29180 requires a DOJ serial-number application before manufacturing or assembling a firearm that lacks a valid state or federal identifying mark. The assigned mark must be engraved or permanently affixed within 10 days after manufacture in the manner the statute requires. Except for the specified operation-of-law and law-enforcement exceptions, a person who is not a federally licensed firearms manufacturer may not sell or transfer ownership of a firearm they manufactured or assembled, knowingly caused to be manufactured or assembled by an unlicensed person, or know was manufactured or assembled by an unlicensed person. A Section 29180 violation involving a handgun carries up to one year in county jail or a fine of up to $1,000, or both, while other firearms carry up to six months or the same fine, or both.

Beginning January 1, 2026, Penal Code Section 25145 requires a firearm possessed in a residence to be securely stored whenever it is not being carried or readily controlled by the person or another lawful authorized user. Secure storage means it is maintained within, locked by, or disabled using a certified firearm safety device or a secure gun safe. The statute excludes unloaded antique firearms and permanently inoperable firearms. Separate criminal-storage rules under Section 25100 can apply when a child or prohibited person gains access and the statutory conditions are met. For dealer transfers, Section 23635 generally requires an appropriate approved safety device, with exemptions including documented ownership of a safe meeting the statutory standards.

California does not recognize another state’s concealed carry permit as a California license. California’s concealed-carry license exception to Penal Code Section 25400 applies to a person authorized under the California licensing chapter beginning with Section 26150. Qualifying nonresidents can apply for a California license under the nonresident provisions of Sections 26150 and 26155.

A featureless semiautomatic, centerfire rifle avoids the features test in Penal Code Section 30515(a)(1) by having none of the six listed features, while a fixed-magazine rifle avoids that test by meeting the statutory fixed-magazine definition. A fixed magazine is contained in, or permanently attached to, the firearm so that it cannot be removed without disassembly of the firearm action. Neither approach overrides the separate assault-weapon tests for a fixed magazine holding more than 10 rounds or a semiautomatic, centerfire rifle under 30 inches overall. Named-model restrictions and other applicable firearm laws also remain relevant.