California CCW License Renewal Process

A California license to carry a concealed weapon (CCW) is issued by the county sheriff (California Penal Code 26150) or a city police chief (Penal Code 26155). The license is what allows a person to carry a handgun concealed (Penal Code 25400) or loaded in public (Penal Code 25850). When a license nears the end of its term, the holder must renew through the same type of issuing authority. The core renewal rules are set statewide by the Penal Code, but each county and city builds its own application forms, online portals, fee amounts, and scheduling around that framework, so the exact steps vary by jurisdiction.

This section reflects the licensing scheme as revised by Senate Bill 2 (2023), which took effect January 1, 2024 after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Assn. v. Bruen (2022), and as further restructured by Assembly Bill 1078 (Stats. 2025, Ch. 570), effective January 1, 2026. SB 2 removed the old "good cause" requirement, replaced the "good moral character" test with an objective disqualified-person standard, and rewrote the training, fee, and processing rules described below. AB 1078 reorganized Penal Code 26150 and 26155 so that subdivision (a) covers California-resident applications, subdivision (b) sets out a pathway for non-California-resident applicants, and subdivision (c) lists the license format options. Several parts of the SB 2 package, especially the sensitive-places list, remain in active litigation, so verify current status with your issuing authority before relying on any single point.

License Term: When You Must Renew

California does not set one flat term for every license. Under Penal Code 26220, the term depends on the type of license:

• Standard license (issued under Penal Code 26150 or 26155): valid for any period not to exceed two years from the date of the license (Penal Code 26220(a)).
• Employment or business-based license issued under Penal Code 26150 where the place of employment or business was the basis for issuance: valid for not more than 90 days, and valid only in the county that issued it (Penal Code 26220(b)).
• Certain officials described in Penal Code 26220(c), such as judges and other specified individuals: valid for not more than three years.
• Custodial officers employed by the sheriff under Penal Code 831.5: valid for not more than four years (Penal Code 26220(d)).
• Reserve and auxiliary peace officers licensed under Penal Code 26170 and appointed under Penal Code 830.6: valid for not more than four years (Penal Code 26220(e)).

Because a standard license can be written for any period up to two years, check the actual expiration date printed on your license rather than assuming a full two-year term. Start the renewal early. Carrying after expiration means carrying without a valid license, which is the same as carrying with no license at all.

Who Renews and Where

Both California residents and non-residents renew through a county sheriff (Penal Code 26150) or a city or city-and-county police chief (Penal Code 26155), using the same authority that could issue a new license. A California resident renews under subdivision (a) of those sections on proof that the applicant is not a disqualified person, is at least 21, resides in (or has a principal place of employment or business in) the jurisdiction, has completed the required training, and is the recorded owner of the firearm. A non-California resident renews under subdivision (b), which requires that the applicant not be a disqualified person under California law and the comparable laws of the home state, be at least 21 with valid out-of-state identification, attest that the chosen jurisdiction is the primary California location where they intend to spend time, and complete the required training and live-fire exercises. The issuing authority then renews in one of the formats set by subdivision (c): a license to carry concealed (Penal Code 26150(c)(1) or 26155(c)(1)), or, only where the county population is under 200,000 by the most recent federal decennial census, a license to carry loaded and exposed in that county (Penal Code 26150(c)(2) or 26155(c)(2)).

Renewal Eligibility: The Disqualified-Person Standard

The controlling test for both new and renewal applicants is the disqualified-person standard at Penal Code 26202. Under Penal Code 26202(a), an applicant is deemed a disqualified person and cannot receive or renew a license if any one or more of the enumerated conditions apply, including:

• Being reasonably likely to be a danger to self, others, or the community at large, as shown by the application, the investigation, or any psychological assessment (Penal Code 26202(a)(1)).
• A conviction, within the 10 years before the licensing authority received the completed application, for an offense listed in Penal Code 422.6, 422.7, 422.75, or 29805 (Penal Code 26202(a)(4)). Penal Code 29805 is California's 10-year firearm prohibition for a long list of specified misdemeanors.
• Being a person prohibited by state or federal law from owning or possessing a firearm. Under California law that lifetime prohibition includes any person convicted of a felony or addicted to the use of any narcotic drug (Penal Code 29800).
• Recent commitment, incarceration, probation, parole, or supervision for offenses involving controlled substances (Health and Safety Code 11053 to 11058) or alcohol within the lookback period.
• Loss or theft of multiple firearms within the prior 10 years due to the applicant's noncompliance with storage, transport, or securing laws (Penal Code 26202(a)(10)).

Penal Code 26202(e) makes clear that these prohibitions apply whether or not the relevant conduct, order, conviction, charge, or commitment occurred before the law took effect. The pre-SB 2 "good moral character" prong is no longer the operative test. County application forms may still carry older language, but the controlling standard for renewal is Penal Code 26202.

A court may make a contrary determination under Penal Code 26206 (the disqualified-person finding applies "unless a court makes a contrary determination pursuant to Section 26206").

Renewal Training Requirement

Renewal applicants must complete a renewal training course. Under Penal Code 26165(d), the renewal course:

• Must be no less than eight hours in length (the initial-applicant course must be no less than 16 hours under Penal Code 26165(a)(1)).
• Must satisfy paragraphs (2) through (6) of Penal Code 26165(a), which cover firearm safety and handling, safe storage, lawful transport, the laws governing where licensees may carry, lawful use of force in self-defense, a written examination, and live-fire shooting exercises with each firearm the applicant seeks to be licensed to carry.
• Must be taught and supervised by firearms instructors certified by the Department of Justice under Penal Code 31635 (except the mental-health component), per Penal Code 26165(a)(4).

A person whom the licensing authority has certified as a trainer for purposes of Penal Code 26165 is not required to take a renewal training course to renew their own license (Penal Code 26165(d)).

The licensing authority sets its own live-fire standards, including minimum rounds and passing scores (Penal Code 26165(b)). Some counties require that proof of course completion be dated within a set window (for example, within 90 days of the renewal application). That window is a county policy, not a statewide statutory rule, so confirm the requirement with your issuing authority.

Under Penal Code 26165(e), an applicant cannot be required to pay for training before the licensing authority makes its initial determination of whether the applicant is a disqualified person under Penal Code 26202(d)(1).

Processing Timeline

Penal Code 26202(d) requires the licensing authority, within 90 days of receiving the completed application for a new license or a license renewal, to give the applicant written notice of its initial determination:

• If the initial determination is that the applicant is not a disqualified person, the notice tells the applicant to proceed with the Penal Code 26165 training requirements, and the authority then submits the applicant's fingerprints or the renewal notification to the Department of Justice under Penal Code 26185 (Penal Code 26202(d)(1)).
• If the authority determines the applicant is a disqualified person, the notice states the denial and the reason, and informs the applicant of the right to request a hearing from a court under Penal Code 26206 (Penal Code 26202(d)(2)). That notice also satisfies the denial-notice requirement of Penal Code 26205.

For each renewal applicant whose renewal notification is submitted to the Department of Justice on or after September 1, 2026, the department determines firearm-prohibited status based on the applicant's fingerprints (Penal Code 26185(a)(3)).

Renewal Fees

California sets the fee structure by statute but lets the dollar amounts be set locally and by the Department of Justice, so totals vary by jurisdiction. Under Penal Code 26190:

• The applicant pays a Department of Justice fee at the time of filing, set by the department and not to exceed its processing costs for the information and report required by Penal Code 26185. The department may adjust it for legislatively approved annual cost-of-living increases (Penal Code 26190(a)).
• The licensing authority charges an additional local fee equal to its reasonable costs for processing, issuing, and enforcing the license, excluding fingerprint and training costs. The first 50 percent of this local fee may be collected at filing, with the balance collected only upon issuance (Penal Code 26190(b)).
• These local fees may rise only to reflect the authority's reasonable costs and may never exceed those costs (Penal Code 26190(c)).
• An amended-license fee may be charged under Penal Code 26190(d), capped at the reasonable cost of processing the amendment (see Penal Code 26215).
• If a psychological assessment is required, the applicant is referred to a licensed psychologist and may be charged the actual cost, capped at reasonable cost. For renewal applicants, an additional assessment is required only if there is compelling evidence of a public-safety concern (Penal Code 26190(e)).

Live Scan, training, range time, ammunition, and any psychological assessment are paid to the providers separately and are generally not refundable if the application is denied. As an illustration of how counties set amounts, some jurisdictions post renewal fees in the range of roughly 75 to 100 dollars plus the separate DOJ and Live Scan costs, but you should confirm the current figure with your own sheriff or police department.

Amending a License Between Renewals

A license holder does not have to wait for renewal to change what is on the license. Under Penal Code 26215(a), a licensee may apply to the issuing authority to amend the license to:

• Add or delete authority to carry a particular handgun (Penal Code 26215(a)(1)).
• Authorize the licensee to carry concealed a handgun (Penal Code 26215(a)(2)).
• In a county with fewer than 200,000 residents per the most recent federal decennial census, authorize loaded and exposed carry in that county only (Penal Code 26215(a)(3)).
• Change restrictions or conditions on the license, including time, place, manner, and circumstances (Penal Code 26215(a)(4)).

If the authority amends the license, a new license is issued reflecting the change (Penal Code 26215(b)). An amendment does not extend the original expiration date, and the license is still due for renewal at the same time as if it had not been amended (Penal Code 26215(c)). Applying to amend a license is not the same as applying to renew it (Penal Code 26215(d)).

Change of Address and County Moves

A change of address is handled by amendment, not by waiting for renewal. Under Penal Code 26210:

• When a licensee changes address, the license is amended to reflect the new address and a new license is issued under Penal Code 26215(b) (Penal Code 26210(a)).
• The licensee must notify the licensing authority in writing within 10 days of any change of residence, and the authority must notify the Department of Justice within 10 days of receiving that notice (Penal Code 26210(b)).
• A license to carry a concealed handgun may not be revoked solely because the licensee's residence has changed to another county, as long as both of two conditions are met: the licensee has not breached any condition or restriction of the license or imposed under Penal Code 26200, and the licensee has not become prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm (Penal Code 26210(c)).
• Despite that protection, if the license was issued because the licensee's place of residence was the basis for issuance, a license issued under Penal Code 26150 or 26155 expires 90 days after the licensee moves out of the county of issuance (Penal Code 26210(d)).
• A license to carry loaded and exposed is revoked immediately upon the licensee's change of residence to another county (Penal Code 26210(e)).

So moving to a new California county does not, by itself, end a standard concealed-carry license. The licensee updates the address by amendment (Penal Code 26215(b)), and as long as they have not broken a license condition or become prohibited, the concealed license stays valid (Penal Code 26210(c)). The two exceptions are a license whose issuance was based on the licensee's residence, which expires 90 days after the move (Penal Code 26210(d)), and a loaded-and-exposed license, which is revoked immediately on a move to another county (Penal Code 26210(e)). Someone moving into California from another state should apply through the sheriff or police chief where they will reside, because a prior out-of-state permit does not renew into a California license. Both residents and non-residents can hold and renew California licenses under Penal Code 26150 and 26155 (residents under subdivision (a), non-residents under subdivision (b)).

Where the License Lets You Carry Still Applies at Renewal

Renewing keeps a license valid, but it does not change the long list of locations where a licensee may not carry. SB 2 added an extensive "sensitive places" list at Penal Code 26230, effective January 1, 2024. A federal district court preliminarily enjoined much of that list in December 2023, but the Ninth Circuit reversed that injunction in large part in May v. Bonta and Carralero v. Bonta, with the mandate taking effect January 23, 2025. Most of the sensitive-place categories are now enforceable. Six categories remain enjoined and are not being enforced pending further appeal: hospitals and medical facilities (Penal Code 26230(a)(7)), public transit (Penal Code 26230(a)(8)), permitted public gatherings and special events (Penal Code 26230(a)(10)), places of worship (Penal Code 26230(a)(22)), financial institutions (Penal Code 26230(a)(23)), and the default rule barring carry in privately owned commercial establishments open to the public unless the operator posts a sign allowing it (Penal Code 26230(a)(26)). Because the case remains on appeal, the enforceable scope can change. Confirm the current boundaries with your issuing authority or counsel before carrying, and review the Prohibited Places section of this guide.

Public Records Note

Certain information submitted on a CCW application can be subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act. Review the public-disclosure admonition on the Department of Justice Standard Initial and Renewal Application (BOF 4012) and ask your licensing authority what information in your file is treated as public.

Practical Renewal Checklist

• Confirm the exact expiration date printed on your current license; do not assume a full two-year term (Penal Code 26220).
• Begin the renewal process well before expiration so the 90-day initial-determination window (Penal Code 26202(d)) does not run past your expiration date.
• Complete the renewal training course of at least eight hours from a Department of Justice certified instructor (Penal Code 26165(d) and 26165(a)(4)).
• Submit qualification for each firearm you want listed, and use the amendment process (Penal Code 26215) to add or drop firearms.
• Keep your address current and report any move in writing within 10 days (Penal Code 26210).
• If you move to another California county, amend your license to update the address; a concealed license is not revoked just for the move, but a loaded-and-exposed license is, and a residence-basis license can expire 90 days after the move (Penal Code 26210).
• Budget for the DOJ fee, the local fee, Live Scan, training, and range costs separately (Penal Code 26190).

This section is a general summary of California law and is not legal advice. CCW licensing and the SB 2 framework are actively litigated and administered differently in each county. Verify current requirements, fees, and forms with your issuing sheriff or police department before you act.