New York is a licensed-carry state, not a permitless or constitutional-carry state. You must hold a license issued under New York Penal Law 400.00 to...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
New York is a licensed-carry state, not a permitless or constitutional-carry state. You must hold a license issued under New York Penal Law 400.00 to lawfully possess or carry a pistol or revolver in the state. Carrying a handgun without that license is a crime, not a ticket. There is no version of New York law under which an ordinary resident may carry a concealed handgun without first obtaining a license.
The license that authorizes carrying a handgun on your person is the "have and carry concealed" license issued under Penal Law 400.00(2)(f). It is administered at the local level by a licensing officer. Penal Law 265.00(10) defines who that officer is: in most counties it is a judge or justice of a court of record sitting in the county of issuance; in New York City it is the police commissioner; in Nassau County it is the county commissioner of police; and in Suffolk County it is the county sheriff, except in the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, and Smithtown, where the licensing officer is the county commissioner of police. Applications are processed through county clerks, sheriffs' offices, or police departments depending on the county.
Possessing or carrying a handgun in New York without the required Penal Law 400.00 license is a felony in most circumstances.
Exemptions from these offenses are listed in Penal Law 265.20 (for example, certain on-duty law enforcement and other narrow categories). For an ordinary applicant, the practical path to lawful carry is a 400.00 license.
Penal Law 400.00 governs the issuance of all pistol and revolver licenses statewide. After the U.S. Supreme Court decided New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), New York enacted the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA), most provisions of which took effect September 1, 2022.
The CCIA removed the old "proper cause" standard, so an applicant no longer has to prove a special need for self-defense. In its place the CCIA added enhanced eligibility and application requirements: a statutory "good moral character" standard, 18 hours of safety training, an in-person interview, character references, and disclosure of household members. The CCIA also directed applicants to list their social media accounts, but a federal court struck that requirement down and it is no longer enforced (see below).
Several CCIA provisions were challenged in Antonyuk v. James (formerly Antonyuk v. Hochul and Antonyuk v. Chiumento). In its October 24, 2024 decision (120 F.4th 941), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the core of the licensing framework, including the good moral character standard, the 18-hour training requirement, the in-person interview, and the character-reference requirement. The Second Circuit struck down the requirement that applicants disclose their social media accounts. It also left in place a district court injunction blocking enforcement of the sensitive-location ban as applied to places of worship, while the rest of the sensitive-location restrictions stayed in force. The Supreme Court denied review in 2025. The licensing and eligibility requirements described below are currently in effect. Because the litigation has been active, confirm the current status of any specific requirement with your licensing officer before relying on it.
Penal Law 400.00 uses "license" rather than "permit," though the two terms are often used interchangeably in everyday speech.
An applicant must be:
Citizenship is not required. A noncitizen who is lawfully present may apply, subject to the federal conditions in Penal Law 400.00(1)(f). New York does not impose a state residency requirement to apply; applications are filed where the applicant resides, is principally employed, or has a principal place of business (Penal Law 400.00(3)).
For a carry license under paragraph (f), the applicant must meet in person with the licensing officer for an interview and, in addition to the standard application, must provide:
The standard application (Penal Law 400.00(3)) also requires a signed and verified statement of the applicant's identifying information and eligibility, plus a photograph taken within 30 days before filing. New York's statewide pistol/revolver license application is the PPB-3, available from the New York State Police.
Before a carry license is issued or renewed, the applicant must complete an in-person live firearms safety course taught by a duly authorized instructor using a curriculum approved by the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the Superintendent of State Police. The course must include:
That is 18 hours total. The applicant must score at least 80 percent on a written test and demonstrate the required live-fire proficiency. The instructor then issues a certificate of completion in the applicant's name, affirmed under penalty of perjury. An honorably discharged service member who can show official firearms qualification during service may be exempt from the portions of the course covering safe use, carrying, possession, maintenance, and storage (Penal Law 400.00(1)(l)).
The local police authority investigates every statement in the application and takes the applicant's fingerprints in quadruplicate. One card goes to DCJS in Albany, one to the FBI, and the results are reported to the licensing officer. Mental health records and out-of-state records may be reviewed as part of the investigation.
By statute, the licensing officer must act on the application within six months of the date it is presented. A longer delay is allowed only for good cause specific to the applicant and only upon written notice to the applicant stating the reasons. In practice, actual processing times vary by county and can run shorter or longer in either direction, but the six-month statutory deadline is the operative legal standard.
A license to carry is effective throughout New York State, with one major exception: it is not valid within New York City unless the New York City Police Commissioner issues a special permit recognizing it. New York City operates its own separate, stricter handgun licensing system. The statute provides narrow allowances for transporting a handgun through the city in a locked container during a continuous trip, but a county-issued carry license does not by itself authorize carrying in New York City.
New York City licenses handguns through the NYPD License Division, not the state pistol-license process used elsewhere. Applications are submitted online. The NYPD issues several license types, including Premises Residence, Premises Business, Carry Business, Limited Carry Business, Special Carry, and Carry Guard licenses. NYPD handgun license terms are three years.
NYPD fees (separate from any state fee):
Certain retired law enforcement officers employed in New York State are not required to pay the NYPD handgun license application fee, though all applicants pay the fingerprint fee. Fees are non-refundable.
The statutory fee structure differs by region:
Many counties charge additional, separately collected processing or fingerprinting fees, so the total out-of-pocket cost varies widely by county. Confirm the current amount with your local licensing officer. The processing fee for a license or renewal is waived statewide for qualified retired police officers and certain other qualified retired law enforcement and court officers (Penal Law 400.00(14)).
New York requires periodic recertification of pistol licenses with the Division of State Police.
Failure to recertify acts as a revocation of the license. The safety training course is not required again merely to recertify a concealed carry license. Statewide recertification can be completed through the New York State Police at gunsafety.ny.gov.
If an application is denied, not renewed, not recertified, or revoked, the licensing officer must issue a written notice stating the reasons. Within 90 days of receiving that notice, the applicant may request a hearing to appeal to the appeals board created by DCJS and the Superintendent of State Police. The applicant may be represented by counsel and may present additional evidence. A licensing officer's denial may also be challenged in court through an Article 78 proceeding under the Civil Practice Law and Rules.
A license is revoked or becomes grounds for revocation if the licensee is convicted of a felony or serious offense, otherwise becomes ineligible, or knowingly made a material false statement on the application. Notice of revocation must be in writing, supported by a preponderance of the evidence, and must explain the right to appeal.
Penal Law 400.00(18) provides that a conviction under the sensitive-location statute (Penal Law 265.01-e) or the restricted-location statute (Penal Law 265.01-d) is grounds for revocation. The sensitive-location restrictions are generally in force and criminally enforceable as a class E felony, with one exception: the ban on carrying in a place of worship remains enjoined under the Antonyuk litigation and is not being enforced. The restricted-location statute's default rule, which makes it a crime to carry on private property held open to the public unless the owner posts a sign or gives express consent, was held unconstitutional by a federal district court (Western District of New York, Case 22-CV-695-JLS), and its enforceability is unsettled on appeal. Regardless of that statute's status, a private property owner may always bar firearms under ordinary property and trespass law, so the safe practice is to carry on private commercial property only where the owner permits it.
This section covers the licensing and application process. Where you may and may not carry once licensed (sensitive locations under Penal Law 265.01-e and restricted private property under Penal Law 265.01-d), the rules on the use of force and the duty to retreat (Penal Law 35.15 and 35.20), and New York's assault-weapon and magazine restrictions (Penal Law 265.00, 265.02, 265.36, and 265.37) are addressed in their own sections. New York federal overlays such as the Gun Control Act prohibited-person rules (18 U.S.C. 922(g)) and the federal ban on carrying in the secured area of an airport or aboard an aircraft (49 U.S.C. 46505) apply in addition to state law.
Procedures, county-specific forms, and locally set fees change over time. Applicants should confirm current requirements with the licensing officer in their county or, for New York City, with the NYPD License Division before applying.
This page covers one part of our New York concealed carry guide.
Read the complete New York guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.