Michigan concealed pistol licenses do not last forever. Each CPL, including a renewal license, is valid until the applicant's date of birth that falls not less than 4 years or more than 5 years after the license is issued or renewed (MCL 28.425l(1)). This section explains when and how to renew, what the renewal costs, the training you must certify, and what happens to your right to carry while a renewal is being processed.
Read the full Michigan renewal rules
Renewal Timeline
A renewal application may be submitted not more than 6 months before the expiration of the current license (MCL 28.425l(2)).
The county clerk must notify the licensee that the license is about to expire. The notification is sent by first-class mail to the licensee's last known address not less than 3 months and not more than 6 months before the expiration date of the current license (MCL 28.425l(1)).
A CPL, including a renewal, is valid until the applicant's date of birth that falls not less than 4 years or more than 5 years after the license is issued or renewed (MCL 28.425l(1)).
Concealed Carry Renewal FAQs for Michigan
No. Michigan does not require a renewal class. MCL 28.425l(9) waives the initial training requirement for renewals. Instead you sign a statement on the renewal application certifying that you completed at least 3 hours of review of the required training topics and at least 1 hour of firing range time in the 6 months immediately before you apply. Many people still take a short renewal class because it covers the review and the range hour in one sitting.
An applicant is eligible to renew only if the current license is not expired, or expired within 1 year before the date of the renewal application (MCL 28.425l(1)). A license that has been expired for more than 1 year is not eligible for renewal (MCL 28.425l(1)). The holder's route back is a new application, covered in the Application Process section.
Note on training certificates: a CPL training certificate generally must be reasonably current to support a new (non-renewal) application. The Michigan State Police treats older certificates as stale for new applications. The renewal statute itself does not set a certificate expiration period. Instead, a renewal applicant certifies recent review and range time (see Training Requirement below). Confirm current certificate-age rules with your county clerk or the Michigan State Police before relying on an older certificate for a new application.
Renewal Methods
Michigan CPL holders can renew through three methods (MCL 28.425l(1) and MCL 28.425l(2)). Beginning no later than December 1, 2018, the Michigan State Police was required to provide a system to accept renewal applications online or by first-class mail on behalf of the county clerk at no additional charge.
Requires a valid PIN, which the county clerk mails in the renewal notice. CPL holders who receive a renewal notice that does not contain a PIN are not eligible to renew online and must renew by mail or in person.
Typical information requested: CPL number, PIN, driver license state, driver license number, and an email address.
Applicants can update personal information (name, address, phone number, and similar details) during the online process.
The $115.00 renewal fee is due at the time of application and is accepted by any method of payment the Michigan State Police accepts (MCL 28.425l(2)).
If you did not receive a renewal notice because of an address change, notify the county clerk of your new address and request a new renewal notice to receive your PIN.
2. By Mail
Submit a completed CPL renewal application with the $115.00 fee, by any payment method the Michigan State Police accepts, to the Michigan State Police CPL Unit (MCL 28.425l(2)).
The current MSP CPL Unit mailing address is published on the Michigan State Police renewal page. Confirm the address before mailing, because P.O. Box details can change.
3. In Person
Renew at the county clerk's office in the county where you reside, paying the $115.00 application and licensing fee by any method that county accepts for other fees (MCL 28.425l(1)).
Renewal Fee
$115.00 when you renew through the county clerk (MCL 28.425l(1)).
$115.00 when you renew online or by first-class mail to the Michigan State Police (MCL 28.425l(2)).
No other charge, fee, cost, or assessment, including any local charge, may be required of the applicant except as specifically authorized by the act (MCL 28.425l(1)).
Training Requirement for Renewal
The full education requirements that apply to an original application are waived on renewal, with one exception. The applicant must certify on the renewal application that, in the 6 months immediately preceding the renewal application, he or she has completed both of the following (MCL 28.425l(9)):
At least 3 hours of review of the training described in section 5b(7)(c) (MCL 28.425l(9)), and
At least 1 hour of firing range time (MCL 28.425l(9)).
The applicant is not required to verify these statements, obtain a certificate, or undergo training other than as required by this subsection (MCL 28.425l(9)). Education requirements are fully waived for an applicant who is a retired police officer or retired law enforcement officer (MCL 28.425l(8)).
Fingerprinting for Renewal
A renewal applicant is not required to have fingerprints taken again if the Michigan State Police has a system to save and maintain submitted fingerprints in its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) database, and the applicant's fingerprints have been submitted to and are maintained by the department for ongoing comparison (MCL 28.425l(10)).
Definition of a Renewal
An application is treated as a renewal if the applicant's current license is not expired, or expired within the 1-year period before the date of the application (MCL 28.425l(1)). A renewal of a license under section 5b is issued in the same manner as an original license, except as otherwise provided in MCL 28.425l.
Processing Deadline
The Michigan State Police must complete the verification required under section 5b(6), and the county clerk must issue a renewal license or a notice of statutory disqualification, within 30 days after the date the renewal application is received (MCL 28.425l(3)).
Extension of Expiration During Renewal Processing
If an individual applies for a renewal license before the expiration of the current license, the expiration date of the current license is extended until the renewal license or a notice of statutory disqualification is issued (MCL 28.425l(6)). The county clerk notifies the Michigan State Police after receiving the renewal application, and the department enters the pending renewal and the application date into the law enforcement information network.
Carrying During Renewal Processing
What happens to your authority to carry while a renewal is pending depends on whether your current license was still valid when you applied.
Applied Before Expiration
A person carrying a concealed pistol after the expiration date of the license, under the extension in MCL 28.425l(6), must keep both of the following in his or her possession at all times while carrying (MCL 28.425l(7)):
The renewal receipt issued by the county clerk under MCL 28.425l(3), and
The expired license.
For purposes of the act, this receipt is considered part of the CPL until a renewal license is issued or denied, or a notice of statutory disqualification is issued (MCL 28.425l(7)). The receipt issued to an applicant whose current license is not expired states that it serves as a CPL when carried with the expired license, and is valid until a license or notice of statutory disqualification is issued by the county clerk (MCL 28.425l(3)(e)).
Applied After Expiration
If you apply for renewal after your license has already expired, the receipt you receive works differently. The receipt issued to an applicant whose license is expired serves as a concealed pistol license, when carried with an official state-issued driver license or personal identification card, only if a license or notice of statutory disqualification is not issued within 30 days after the date the receipt was issued (MCL 28.425l(4)(e)). The receipt remains valid as a license until a license or notice of statutory disqualification is issued by the county clerk (MCL 28.425l(4)(e)).
In short, for an applicant who renews after expiration, the receipt does not serve as a license until 30 days pass without a license or notice of statutory disqualification being issued (MCL 28.425l(4)(e)). If the county clerk has not issued the license or a notice of statutory disqualification by the end of that 30-day window, the receipt then serves as a CPL when carried with a state-issued driver license or personal identification card.
Limitations of the Renewal Receipt
A renewal receipt does not exempt the holder from firearm purchase laws. An individual who is relying on a receipt serving as a CPL under section 5l(3) is not treated as a licensee for purposes of the purchase-license exemption, so that person is not exempt from the license-to-purchase-a-pistol requirement (MCL 28.422a(1)(a)). The receipt language itself states that it does not exempt the named individual from complying with all applicable laws for the purchase of firearms (MCL 28.425l(3)(e) and MCL 28.425l(4)(e)). A firearms dealer's required background-check obligations before the sale of a pistol still apply.
Background Check, Approval, and Appeal
When the verification and background review are complete, the county clerk will either issue the renewal license or a notice of statutory disqualification (MCL 28.425l(3)).
If approved, the renewal CPL is sent by first-class mail in a sealed envelope to the address on the application (MCL 28.425l(2)).
If a notice of statutory disqualification is issued, the county clerk must, not later than 5 business days after that notice, inform the individual in writing of the reasons for the denial or disqualification, including each statutory disqualification identified, the source of the record, and contact information for that source (MCL 28.425b(13)(a)).
The county clerk must also inform the individual in writing of the right to appeal the denial or notice of statutory disqualification to the circuit court as provided in section 5d (MCL 28.425b(13)(b); appeal procedure under MCL 28.425d).
Checking Renewal Status
For the status of a CPL renewal, contact your county clerk's office. Renewals submitted online or by mail are accepted by the Michigan State Police on behalf of the county clerk, and the county clerk issues the renewal license or notice of statutory disqualification (MCL 28.425l(2) and MCL 28.425l(3)).
Key Statutory References
Statute
Subject
MCL 28.425l(1)
CPL validity window, county-clerk renewal notice, renewal eligibility for unexpired and recently expired licenses, renewal fee
MCL 28.425l(2)
Early-filing window for renewal applications, online and mail renewal through the Michigan State Police, renewal fee, license sent by first-class mail
MCL 28.425l(3)
30-day deadline to issue a renewal license or notice of statutory disqualification, receipt for an applicant whose license is not expired
MCL 28.425l(4)(e)
Receipt for an applicant whose license is already expired, serves as a CPL after 30 days if no license or disqualification is issued
MCL 28.425l(6)
Extension of the expiration date when an applicant applies before expiration
MCL 28.425l(7)
Carrying after expiration under the extension, possession of the receipt and expired license
MCL 28.425l(8)
Education requirements waived for retired police and law enforcement officers
MCL 28.425l(9)
Renewal training certification, 3 hours of review and 1 hour of range time in the preceding 6 months
MCL 28.425l(10)
Fingerprints not required again if maintained by the Michigan State Police AFIS database
MCL 28.422a(1)(a)
Receipt holder under section 5l(3) is not exempt from the license-to-purchase requirement
MCL 28.425b(13)(a)-(b)
Written notice of the reasons for denial and the right to appeal to the circuit court
MCL 28.425d
Circuit court appeal procedure for a denial or notice of statutory disqualification
