Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) Permit Basics

Bottom Line

Florida's Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) is issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) under Fla. Stat. § 790.06 - an unusual arrangement among the states, most of which run carry licensing through a sheriff, state police agency, or attorney general's office. Under § 790.06(5)(b), the application fee is capped at $55 for an original license and $45 for a renewal, plus the cost of fingerprint processing borne by the applicant. The license is valid statewide for 7 years from the date of issuance under § 790.06(1)(c) - there is no separate shorter "initial" term in the statute. FDACS must issue or deny within 90 days under § 790.06(6)(c). Florida adopted permitless concealed carry effective July 1, 2023 (HB 543, codified at § 790.01(1)(b) and § 790.013), so a CWFL is no longer required to carry concealed in Florida - but the license retains real value: NICS-exempt purchases under 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3), reciprocity with roughly three dozen other states under § 790.06(7) and gubernatorial agreements, and access to several § 790.06(13) and chapter-790 carve-outs not available to a permitless carrier. Eligibility runs through a 14-element test in § 790.06(2) that includes a lifetime felony bar under § 790.23, a 3-year lookback for certain controlled-substance and domestic-violence offenses, and a demonstrated-competence-with-a-firearm requirement under § 790.06(2)(h).

Issuing Authority: Why a Department of Agriculture?

Under Fla. Stat. § 790.06(1)(b), "The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is authorized to issue licenses to carry concealed weapons or concealed firearms to persons qualified as provided in this section." This places Florida among a small group of states where the firearms-license function does not sit inside a sheriff's office, a state police bureau, or the Attorney General. The historical reason is institutional: when Florida moved from a discretionary, county-by-county licensing system to a statewide shall-issue framework in chapter 87-24, Laws of Florida (the "Jack Hagler Self Defense Act," § 790.06(18)), the Legislature placed the program inside FDACS's Division of Licensing, which already administered private-investigator, private-security, and other state professional licenses. § 790.06(14) dedicates all license revenue to a Division of Licensing Trust Fund deferred over the 7-year licensure period.

§ 790.06(16) declares an explicit preemption of the field: "the Legislature finds it necessary to occupy the field of regulation of the bearing of concealed weapons or concealed firearms," and "subjective or arbitrary actions or rules which encumber the issuing process ... or which create restrictions beyond those specified in this section are in conflict with the intent of this section and are prohibited." There is no county-level filter on issuance, and FDACS has no rulemaking authority to add eligibility criteria. § 790.0625 authorizes county tax collectors to accept CWFL applications on FDACS's behalf - a procedural delegation only; the tax-collector mechanics are covered in APPLICATION_PROCESS.

Florida is shall-issue by statutory design. § 790.06(2) opens "The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall issue a license if the applicant" meets the listed criteria. § 790.06(6)(c)2 confirms FDACS may deny "based solely on the ground that the applicant fails to qualify under the criteria listed in subsection (2) or subsection (3)." There is no good-cause showing, no character-witness affidavit requirement, and no county-level discretion.

Eligibility: The 14-Element Test in § 790.06(2)

To receive a CWFL, the applicant must satisfy all fourteen of the following criteria. The list is conjunctive - failing any one is disqualifying.

• § 790.06(2)(a) - U.S. residency and immigration status. The applicant must be a U.S. resident and a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien (as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), or a consular security official of a foreign government with which the U.S. maintains diplomatic relations and treaties of commerce, friendship, and navigation, who is certified as such by the foreign government and the relevant embassy. Consular-security-official licenses run on a separate fee and renewal track described below.
• § 790.06(2)(b) - Age 21 or older. The age floor is 21 with no military or under-21 carve-out in chapter 790. Some other states drop the threshold to 18 for active-duty or honorably-discharged service members; Florida does not, and § 790.06 contains no equivalent provision. Servicemembers and veterans receive expedited processing under § 790.06(5)(f) and § 790.06(6)(f), and a special license-extension protection under § 790.06(11)(b) while on military orders more than 35 miles from residence - but not a reduced age floor.
• § 790.06(2)(c) - No physical infirmity that prevents safe handling. A physical infirmity that prevents the safe handling of a weapon or firearm is a disqualifier at issuance and a basis for revocation under § 790.06(10)(b). The statute does not define "physical infirmity"; in practice, FDACS evaluates self-disclosed and instructor-observed limitations.
• § 790.06(2)(d) - Felony eligibility under § 790.23. The applicant must not be ineligible to possess a firearm under § 790.23 by virtue of a felony conviction. Florida's felony-firearm-disability rule under § 790.23 is a lifetime bar unless rights are restored, generally through the Governor's clemency process. § 790.06 contains no free-standing time-limited path back to eligibility for felony convictions - no 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year clock applies.
• § 790.06(2)(e) - 3-year controlled-substance lookback and substance-abuse commitment. The applicant must not, within the three years preceding the application, have been found guilty of a chapter-893 offense or similar controlled-substance offense under another state's laws, and must not have been committed for substance abuse under chapter 397, former chapter 396, or similar laws of another state. Where the applicant has been granted relief from firearms disabilities under § 790.065(2)(a)4.d. or under the law of the commitment state, the applicant is deemed not to have been committed.
• § 790.06(2)(f) - No chronic alcohol or substance impairment. The statute creates a presumption of chronic and habitual use if (1) the applicant has been convicted under § 790.151 (firearm while under the influence), (2) the applicant has been deemed a habitual offender under § 856.011(3), or (3) the applicant has two or more convictions under § 316.193 (DUI) - or similar laws of another state - within the three-year period preceding the application.
• § 790.06(2)(g) - Self-defense purpose. The applicant must "desire a legal means to carry ... for lawful self-defense" - a sworn statement on the application form (§ 790.06(4)(e)), not an evidentiary showing.
• § 790.06(2)(h) - Demonstrated competence with a firearm. Competence is shown through one of seven enumerated paths (NRA course, hunter-safety course, course taught by an NRA-, CJSTC-, or FDACS-certified instructor, law-enforcement firearms course, organized-shooting-competition or military-service experience, an existing or revoked-not-for-cause Florida CWFL, or any course taught by a state-certified or NRA-certified firearms instructor). The statute requires the discharge of the firearm at the qualifying course to include live fire using a firearm and ammunition as defined in § 790.001 - a 2017 amendment closing the prior loophole for laser- or simulator-only courses. Detail in TRAINING_REQUIREMENTS.
• § 790.06(2)(i) - No incapacity adjudication under § 744.331. Relief from disabilities under § 790.065(2)(a)4.d. or under the law of the adjudicating state is treated as if no adjudication had occurred.
• § 790.06(2)(j) - No mental-institution commitment under chapter 394. Unlike the controlled-substance lookback in § 790.06(2)(e), the mental-commitment paragraph is not time-limited - it is a categorical bar subject only to the § 790.065(2)(a)4.d. relief pathway. Any "3-year mental-health lookback" you may have read in third-party guides does not appear in § 790.06.
• § 790.06(2)(k) - Felony adjudication-of-guilt-withheld 3-year wait. The applicant must not have had adjudication of guilt withheld or imposition of sentence suspended on any felony unless 3 years have elapsed since probation or other court-imposed conditions have been fulfilled, or expunction has occurred.
• § 790.06(2)(l) - Misdemeanor domestic-violence 3-year wait. Same 3-year-after-probation rule for any misdemeanor crime of domestic violence with adjudication of guilt withheld. The independent federal bar under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) applies separately and is folded in by § 790.06(2)(n).
• § 790.06(2)(m) - No active domestic-violence or repeat-violence injunction. An active chapter-741 or chapter-784 injunction is disqualifying and is an independent suspension trigger under § 790.06(3).
• § 790.06(2)(n) - Federal-law catch-all. Sweeps in the entire 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) prohibitor list (felony conviction, fugitive status, controlled-substance use, mental-defective adjudication or commitment, undocumented status, dishonorable discharge, renunciation of citizenship, qualifying DV misdemeanor, active protection order, felony indictment) and applies even where no Florida-specific paragraph alone would disqualify the applicant.

Crime-of-violence misdemeanor bar (§ 790.06(3))

§ 790.06(3) layers in a separate disqualifier outside the (2) list. FDACS shall deny a license if the applicant has been found guilty of, had adjudication of guilt withheld for, or had imposition of sentence suspended for one or more crimes of violence constituting a misdemeanor, unless 3 years have elapsed since probation or any other court-imposed conditions have been fulfilled or the record has been sealed or expunged. The same provision shall revoke a license if the licensee is convicted of, has adjudication of guilt withheld for, or has imposition of sentence suspended for a crime of violence within the preceding 3 years.

§ 790.06(3) also operates as a suspension trigger: on notice from a law-enforcement agency, court, or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (with subsequent written verification), FDACS suspends the license or the processing of an application if the licensee or applicant is arrested or formally charged with a crime that would disqualify the person, until final disposition. An active domestic-violence or repeat-violence injunction triggers the same suspension treatment.

What the Application Asks For

§ 790.06(4) sets the contents of the application, which is completed under oath on the FDACS form:

• § 790.06(4)(a) - name, address, place and date of birth, and race.
• § 790.06(4)(b) - a statement of compliance with subsections (2) and (3).
• § 790.06(4)(c) - a statement that the applicant has been furnished a copy of, or website link to, chapter 790 and is knowledgeable of its provisions.
• § 790.06(4)(d) - a conspicuous warning that the application is executed under oath and that a false answer or submission of a false document subjects the applicant to criminal prosecution under § 837.06 (false official statements).
• § 790.06(4)(e) - the self-defense-purpose statement required by § 790.06(2)(g).
• § 790.06(4)(f) - directions for a servicemember (active-duty military) or a veteran to request expedited processing.

Under § 790.06(5), the applicant submits the application to FDACS or to an approved tax collector under § 790.0625, accompanied by:

1. A completed application as described in § 790.06(4).
2. A nonrefundable license fee of up to $55 for a first-time applicant or up to $45 for a renewal under § 790.06(5)(b). The statute caps the fee at those amounts; the actual fee in effect at any given time is set by FDACS within the cap. The cost of fingerprint processing is paid separately by the applicant. A law-enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer (as defined in § 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6), (7), (8), or (9)) is exempt from the licensing requirement entirely; if such an officer wishes to obtain a CWFL, the officer is exempt from the background investigation and its fees but pays the regular license fee. A retired law-enforcement officer or correctional officer is exempt from the fees and background investigation for 1 year after retirement.
3. A full set of fingerprints administered by a law-enforcement agency, the FDACS Division of Licensing, or an approved tax collector under § 790.0625, plus any personal-identifying information required by federal law to process the fingerprints. The sheriff's office may charge a $5 fingerprinting fee under § 790.06(6)(b). Fingerprint-service charges under § 790.06(5)(c) are exempt from the sales tax on fingerprint services in § 212.05(1)(i).
4. A photocopy of the certificate, affidavit, or document evidencing competence under § 790.06(2)(h).
5. A full-frontal-view color photograph of the applicant taken within the preceding 30 days, sized to FDACS specifications (head measuring 7/8" wide and 1 1/8" high).
6. For expedited processing, the servicemember or veteran identification specified in § 790.06(5)(f) (Common Access Card, Uniformed Services ID, current deployment orders, DD Form 214, or another acceptable form specified by the Department of Veterans' Affairs).

There is no Social Security number requirement on the application; § 790.06 does not list one. Applicants may also be asked to designate veteran status on the license itself for FDACS records under § 790.06(7), which feeds the automated licenseholder listing available to law enforcement through the Florida Crime Information Center.

Issuance Timeline

§ 790.06(6)(c) sets a 90-day decision window: within 90 days after receipt of the items listed in § 790.06(5), FDACS must either (1) issue the license, or (2) deny the application based solely on failure to qualify under § 790.06(2) or (3), with written notice stating the ground for denial and informing the applicant of any right to a chapter-120 administrative hearing.

Two extension levers apply:

• Pending criminal disposition (§ 790.06(6)(c)3). If FDACS receives criminal-history information with no final disposition on a crime that may disqualify the applicant, the 90-day clock may be suspended until receipt of the final disposition or proof of restoration of civil and firearm rights. This is the most common cause of pending CWFL applications running past the 90-day target.
• Unreadable fingerprints (§ 790.06(6)(d)). If a legible set of fingerprints cannot be obtained after two attempts, FDACS determines eligibility based on name checks conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

A consular security official under § 790.06(2)(a) operates on a separate track: the license must be issued within 20 days after receipt of a completed application, certification document, color photograph, and a $300 license fee, and is valid for 1 year (§ 790.06(6)(e)). Servicemember and veteran applications receive expedited processing without a fixed shorter day-count under § 790.06(6)(f).

A CWFL is effective from the date of issuance and is valid statewide.

Term and Validity

§ 790.06(1)(c) is unusually direct: "Licenses are valid throughout the state for 7 years after the date of issuance." Florida does not run a shorter-initial-then-longer-renewal system; the term is a flat 7 years from issuance for both originals and renewals. The licensee must carry valid identification at all times while in actual possession of a concealed weapon or concealed firearm and must display it on demand by a law-enforcement officer. Violation of the carry-ID rule is a noncriminal violation with a $25 penalty payable to the clerk of the court.

Two location- and life-event-driven obligations apply during the 7-year term:

• § 790.06(8) - 30-day address change. Within 30 days after a change of permanent address, or after a license is lost or destroyed, the licensee must notify FDACS. Failure is a noncriminal violation with a $25 penalty.
• § 790.06(9) - Lost or destroyed license. A lost or destroyed license is automatically invalid. The licensee may obtain a duplicate or substitute on payment of $15 to FDACS and submission of a notarized statement that the license has been lost or destroyed.

Renewal

§ 790.06(11)(a) structures the renewal process. At least 90 days before the expiration date, FDACS mails the licensee a written notice of expiration and a renewal form. The licensee must renew on or before the expiration date by filing with FDACS:

1. The renewal form, with an affidavit submitted under oath and under penalty of perjury that the licensee remains qualified under § 790.06(2) and (3).
2. A color photograph to the § 790.06(5)(e) specification.
3. The renewal fee (capped at $45 under § 790.06(5)(b), with the actual amount set by FDACS within the cap).
4. Out-of-state residents also submit a complete set of fingerprints and the fingerprint-processing fee at renewal.

A licensee who fails to file a renewal application on or before the expiration date may still renew up to 180 days after the expiration date by paying a late fee of $15. A license that has been expired for 180 days or more is permanently expired - the licensee must reapply for original licensure under § 790.06(5), pay the original-application fees, and undergo the full background investigation again. False statements on a renewal application carry the same § 837.06 criminal exposure as the original application.

§ 790.06(11)(b) carves out a servicemember protection: a CWFL issued to a servicemember (active-duty military) does not expire while the servicemember is serving on military orders that have taken him or her over 35 miles from residence and is extended for up to 180 days after return. If the renewal requirements are met within the 180-day extension, the servicemember pays no additional costs above the normal license fees. The servicemember must present a copy of the official military orders or a written verification from the commanding officer to FDACS before the end of the 180-day period to qualify for the extension.

Permitless Carry and What the CWFL Still Buys You

Florida moved to permitless concealed carry effective July 1, 2023, when HB 543 rewrote § 790.01. Under § 790.01(1)(a)-(b), a person is now authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm if the person either (a) is licensed under § 790.06, or (b) is not licensed but otherwise satisfies the eligibility criteria for receiving and maintaining a CWFL under § 790.06(2)(a)-(f) and (i)-(n), § 790.06(3), and § 790.06(10). In effect, permitless concealed carry tracks the same basic eligibility floor as the CWFL minus three paragraphs - the self-defense-desire statement in § 790.06(2)(g), the demonstrated-competence requirement in § 790.06(2)(h), and the deferred-adjudication paragraphs in § 790.06(2)(k) and (l) (which still apply to the CWFL itself).

A permitless concealed carrier under § 790.01(1)(b) is subject to § 790.013: the carrier must carry valid identification at all times while in actual possession of a concealed weapon or firearm (subject to a $25 noncriminal penalty), and is subject to § 790.06(12) prohibited places "in the same manner as a person who is licensed." Inside Florida, a permitless carrier and a CWFL holder face the same chapter-790 prohibited-place exposure.

So why still get a CWFL?

• Reciprocity. The Florida CWFL is recognized by approximately three dozen other states under § 790.06(7) and gubernatorial reciprocity agreements. Permitless concealed carry under § 790.01(1)(b) is a Florida-only authorization. A Floridian who travels into Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, or any other reciprocity state needs a CWFL - permitless carry does not travel. Detail in the RECIPROCITY section.
• NICS purchase exemption (18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3)). A state-issued carry permit that requires a NICS-equivalent background check at issuance and is no more than 5 years old exempts the holder from the NICS check at handgun retail purchase. The Florida CWFL qualifies. A permitless carrier does not get this exemption.
• K-12 1,000-foot zone (18 U.S.C. § 922(q)). The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exempts a person licensed by the state in which the school zone is located where the issuing state requires a background check before issuance. A CWFL satisfies that exemption inside Florida; permitless concealed carry does not. Detail in PROHIBITED_PLACES.
• Statutory carve-outs. A CWFL is the predicate for the religious-property carve-out in § 790.06(13) (licensee may carry on church, synagogue, or other religious-institution property, subject to the institution's private-property rights). The carve-out is licensee-specific and does not extend to a § 790.01(1)(b) permitless carrier.
• Faster law-enforcement-encounter resolution. A CWFL surfaces in FDACS records under § 790.06(7) and the Florida Crime Information Center; a permitless carrier asserting § 790.01(1)(b) eligibility relies on an officer's on-scene assessment of the (2)(a)-(f) and (i)-(n) criteria.

The trade-off for the permitless route is the up-to-$55 application fee, the fingerprint cost, the up to 90-day FDACS processing wait, and the demonstrated-competence requirement. The Legislature deliberately preserved both paths.

Suspension and Revocation

§ 790.06(10) lists the bases on which FDACS shall suspend or revoke a CWFL pursuant to chapter 120: ineligibility under the (2) criteria; physical infirmity preventing safe handling; a § 790.23-disabling felony conviction; a chapter-893 controlled-substance conviction; commitment as a substance abuser under chapter 397 or habitual-offender status under § 856.011(3); a second § 316.193 (DUI) violation within 3 years of a first; an incapacity adjudication under § 744.331; or a chapter-394 mental-institution commitment.

Service of a suspension or revocation notice is governed by § 790.06(10) and runs by either certified mail (return receipt requested) to the licensee's last known FDACS address or by personal service. A licensee has 21 days after personal-service notice or 26 days after the notice is deposited in U.S. mail (21 days plus 5 mailing days) to request a hearing with FDACS. Failure of the licensee to actually receive the notice does not stay the effective date or term of the suspension or revocation.

Fee Structure (Summary)

The $55 / $45 figures are statutory caps, not fixed prices; FDACS publishes the actual fee in effect under its current fee schedule. Fingerprint processing through tax-collector or third-party vendors is billed separately by the vendor and is not regulated by § 790.06.

Note that Florida does not waive § 790.06(5) fees for servicemembers or veterans. The military benefits in § 790.06 are expedited processing (§§ 790.06(5)(f), (6)(f)) and the license-extension protection during qualifying military orders (§ 790.06(11)(b)). Some other states grant veterans a flat fee waiver or reduction; Florida does not.

Key Florida Statutes Referenced in This Section