How to Get a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) in Michigan

New Applicants

Step 1: Complete Required Training

• Complete a pistol safety training course. The training must have been provided within the 5 years preceding the date of your application. A certificate does not have a fixed shelf life from its issue date. What matters is that the training itself occurred within 5 years before you apply. A course taken 4 years before you apply still qualifies; the same course taken more than 5 years before you apply does not.
• The course must consist of not less than 8 hours of instruction, including at least 3 hours of instruction on a firing range with firing of at least 30 rounds of ammunition (MCL 28.425j(1)).
• The training certificate must contain the statement: "This course complies with section 5j of 1927 PA 372," and must state that you successfully completed the course. It must include the printed name and original handwritten signature of the course instructor.
• For certificates issued on or after December 1, 2015, the certificate (or an attached document) must also include the name and telephone number of the state agency or the state or national firearms training organization that certified the instructor, the instructor's certification number (if any), and the expiration date of that certification.

Step 2: Apply In Person at Your County Clerk's Office

You must apply in person at the county clerk's office in the county where you reside. Bring the following:

• Completed Concealed Pistol License Application (available from the Michigan State Police website or your county clerk's office).
• Valid driver's license or valid government-issued state ID showing your current county residence. The ID cannot be expired (MCL 28.425b(7)(n)).
• Original Pistol Safety Training Certificate.
• $100.00 application and licensing fee (MCL 28.425b(5)). Accepted payment methods vary by county; the statute requires the county to accept any method it accepts for other fees and penalties.

Note: Most applicants must show their current address on their driver's license or state ID. An exception applies to active-duty military personnel whose state of residency is outside Michigan, who may instead provide their PCS orders.

Step 3: Get Fingerprinted

• After you submit your application and pay the fee, you must have classifiable fingerprints taken (MCL 28.425b(9)).
• Fingerprints may be taken by a county clerk, the Michigan State Police, a county sheriff, a local police agency, or any other entity that provides fingerprinting capability for purposes of this act (MCL 28.425b(9)). The statute does not set a separate vendor qualification standard. It simply requires that the entity provide fingerprinting for this purpose.
• Fingerprint fee: $15.00 (MCL 28.425b(9)). Confirm accepted payment methods with the entity taking your prints.
• The entity must take your fingerprints within 5 business days after your request (MCL 28.425b(9)).
• Your application is considered withdrawn if you do not have fingerprints taken within 45 days after the date the application is filed (MCL 28.425b(1)). Your application cannot be processed by the Michigan State Police until you have been fingerprinted.

Step 4: Await Processing

• After your classifiable fingerprints are taken, the Michigan State Police complete the background verification and the county clerk issues your CPL or a notice of statutory disqualification not later than 45 days after the date your fingerprints are taken (MCL 28.425b(13)).
• If a license or notice of statutory disqualification is not issued within that 45-day window, the receipt you received when fingerprinted serves as a concealed pistol license when carried with your state-issued driver's license or personal identification card, and is valid until the county clerk issues a license or a notice of statutory disqualification (MCL 28.425b(14)).

If Your Application Is Denied

If the county clerk issues a notice of statutory disqualification, the clerk must, not later than 5 business days after that notice, inform you in writing of the reasons for the denial. That written notice must include a statement of each statutory disqualification identified, the source of the record for each disqualification, and the contact information for that source. The clerk must also tell you that you should contact the source of the record to correct any errors (MCL 28.425b(13)(a)-(b)).

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Renewal Applicants

Renewal can be completed online, in person, or by mail.

Renewal Eligibility

• You may submit a renewal application up to 6 months before the expiration of your current license (MCL 28.425l(2)).
• You are eligible to renew if your license is not expired, or expired within the 1-year period before the date of your renewal application (MCL 28.425l(1)).
• If your license has been expired for more than one year, it cannot be renewed. You must apply for a new CPL, which generally requires meeting the training requirement again.
• Fingerprints are not required again for a renewal only if both of the following conditions are met: (a) the Michigan State Police have established a system to save and maintain in their Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) database all fingerprints submitted under the CPL statute, and (b) your fingerprints have been submitted to and are maintained by the Michigan State Police for ongoing AFIS comparison (MCL 28.425l(10)). If those conditions are not met, you may be required to be fingerprinted again.

Option 1: Renew Online

• Use the Michigan State Police CPL Online Renewal System.
• Approximately 3 to 6 months before your CPL expires, your county clerk mails a renewal notice. To renew online, the notice must contain your PIN. Holders who receive a notice without a PIN are not eligible to renew online and must renew in person or by mail.
• Required information typically includes your CPL number, PIN, driver's license state, driver's license number, and an email address.
• Renewal application and licensing fee: $123.00 (MCL 28.425l(2)), payable by a method the Michigan State Police accepts.
• If you did not receive your renewal notice, contact your county clerk's office to update your address and request a new notice with a PIN.

Option 2: Renew In Person

Bring the following to your county clerk's office:

• Completed Concealed Pistol License Application.
• Valid driver's license or valid government-issued state ID showing current county residence.
• No training certificate is required for renewal. Instead, you must certify on the application that you have completed at least 3 hours of review of the required training and at least 1 hour of firing range time in the 6 months immediately preceding your renewal application (MCL 28.425l(9)). You are not required to verify these statements or obtain a certificate.
• $123.00 renewal application and licensing fee (MCL 28.425l(1)).
• Acceptable proof of exemption status, if applicable.

Option 3: Renew By Mail

• Submit a completed CPL renewal application with the required fee to the Michigan State Police. Confirm the current mailing address and accepted payment method with the Michigan State Police CPL Unit before mailing.

Renewal Processing Time

• The Michigan State Police complete the verification and the county clerk issues a renewal license or a notice of statutory disqualification within 30 days after the date the renewal application is received (MCL 28.425l(3)).
• If you apply to renew before your current license expires, the expiration date of your current license is extended until the renewal license or notice of statutory disqualification is issued (MCL 28.425l(6)). You must keep your renewal receipt and your expired license with you whenever you carry during this extension (MCL 28.425l(7)).
• If approved, the renewal license is sent by first-class mail to the address on the application. If denied, you will receive a notice stating the reasons for statutory disqualification.

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CPL Duration

• A concealed pistol license, including a renewal license, is valid until the applicant's date of birth that falls not less than 4 years and not more than 5 years after the license is issued or renewed (MCL 28.425l(1)).
• Because the expiration is tied to your date of birth, the exact term varies between 4 and 5 years depending on your issue date relative to your birthday.

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Fee Summary

Note: County-published or third-party fee figures sometimes lag the statute. The amounts above are taken from the current Michigan Compiled Laws. Confirm the exact amount and accepted payment methods with your county clerk before you apply.

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Key Contact Information

• Michigan State Police - Concealed Pistol Licensing (CPL): Contact the Michigan State Police for CPL questions.
• Michigan State Police CPL Website: https://www.michigan.gov/msp/services/ccw
• CPL Online Renewal System: https://www.michigan.gov/cplrenewal
• Contact your local county clerk's office for application processing, renewal notices, and status inquiries.

Note: The Michigan State Police do not provide legal advice or interpret firearm laws. For questions about eligibility or the legal interpretation of Michigan firearm laws, contact your local law enforcement agency or a licensed Michigan attorney.

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Relevant Statutes

• MCL 28.425b - Application to the county clerk, the $100.00 application and licensing fee, fingerprinting and the $15.00 fingerprint fee, the 45-day processing window, denial notice and the reasons-and-source disclosure, and the receipt-as-license rule.
• MCL 28.425j - Pistol training or safety program requirements, including the 5-years-preceding-application currency rule, the 8-hour minimum, and the required certificate language referencing section 5j of 1927 PA 372.
• MCL 28.425l - License validity and 4-to-5-year duration, the $123.00 renewal fee, the 6-month-before and 1-year-after renewal windows, the 30-day renewal processing clock, the renewal training-review certification, and the conditional AFIS fingerprint waiver.
• 1927 PA 372, Section 5j - The act provision compiled at MCL 28.425j governing pistol safety training course compliance.