Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL) - Fees & Costs

Bottom Line

Ohio's CHL fees are set directly in statute by R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(a) and § 2923.125(F)(4): $67 for an original license and $50 for a renewal, paid to the county sheriff. Applicants who have been Ohio residents for less than five years, or non-residents applying based on Ohio employment, must additionally pay the actual cost of an FBI fingerprint-based background check under § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) and § 2923.125(F)(4)(b) - typically around $24 at current FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) channeler rates. Active or reserve military, honorably discharged or retired military, retired peace officers, retired federal law enforcement officers authorized to carry on duty, and certain retired persons under § 109.77(B)(1)(b) pay no license fee under § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) and § 2923.125(I)(2), subject to a $1.5 million statewide annual cap monitored by the Ohio Attorney General. Replacement licenses cost $15 under § 2923.125(H), and address-change/name-change duplicates also cost $15 under the same subsection. Because none of the training, range, or fingerprint-vendor costs are set by statute, the realistic out-of-pocket total for a first-time CHL - fees plus an 8-hour competency course under § 2923.125(G) - is generally $171-$241.

Statutory License Fees

Original License - § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)

The original CHL fee is fixed by statute and is nonrefundable:

• $67.00 - for an applicant who has been a resident of Ohio for five or more years (R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i))
• $67.00 + the actual cost of an FBI background check - for an applicant who has been a resident for less than five years, or who is not an Ohio resident but is employed in Ohio (R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii))

The sheriff must accept the application and the fee at the times and in the manners described in R.C. § 2923.125(I), and the sheriff deposits all fees collected under § 2923.125(B)(1)(a) into the sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance fund under R.C. § 311.42, with distribution governed by that section. See R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(d).

Renewal License - § 2923.125(F)(4)

The renewal fee is set by R.C. § 2923.125(F)(4) and parallels the original-fee structure:

• $50.00 - for a renewal applicant who has been an Ohio resident for five or more years (R.C. § 2923.125(F)(4)(a))
• $50.00 + the actual cost of an FBI background check - for a renewal applicant who has been an Ohio resident for less than five years, or who is not an Ohio resident but is employed in Ohio (R.C. § 2923.125(F)(4)(b))

The sheriff conducts the renewal records check under R.C. § 311.41 upon receipt of the renewal application and renewal fee (unless waived). See R.C. § 2923.125(F)(2).

FBI Background Check Pass-Through - § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) / § 2923.125(F)(4)(b)

The "actual cost of having a background check performed by the federal bureau of investigation" is a statutory pass-through, not a fixed dollar amount in the Revised Code. As of the current FBI CJIS fee schedule, the typical channeler-routed FBI fingerprint check is approximately $24, although applicants should confirm the current rate with their issuing sheriff. This surcharge applies only to the two narrow classes identified in § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) and § 2923.125(F)(4)(b): residents under five years, and non-residents employed in Ohio.

Statutory Fee Waivers - § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) and § 2923.125(I)(2)

Under R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(c), the sheriff shall waive payment of the license fee on an initial or renewal application submitted by:

• An active or reserve member of the armed forces of the United States
• A person who has retired from or was honorably discharged from military service in the active or reserve armed forces
• A retired peace officer
• A retired person described in R.C. § 109.77(B)(1)(b)
• A retired federal law enforcement officer who, prior to retirement, was authorized under federal law to carry a firearm in the course of duty

The waiver does not apply if the retired peace officer, person, or federal law enforcement officer retired as the result of a mental disability.

The $1.5 Million Statewide Annual Cap - § 2923.125(I)(2)

Active/reserve military and honorably discharged/retired military waivers are subject to a statewide cap. Under R.C. § 2923.125(I)(2), the Attorney General monitors and informs sheriffs when the cumulative amount of fee payments waived under § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) for active/reserve and honorably discharged/retired military applicants reaches $1,500,000 per year. Once a sheriff is informed that the cap has been reached, the sheriff must stop waiving the fee for those military applicants for the remainder of that calendar year. The cap mechanic targets only the military categories enumerated in § 2923.125(I)(2); the retired peace officer, retired federal law enforcement officer, and § 109.77(B)(1)(b) waivers are not subject to the same statutory cap.

Replacement, Lost, and Duplicate License - § 2923.125(H)

Under R.C. § 2923.125(H), a licensee whose CHL has been lost or destroyed, or whose name or address has changed, may obtain a duplicate license from the issuing sheriff:

• $15.00 fee payable to the sheriff
• Affidavit attesting to the loss or destruction (for a lost/destroyed license)
• The sheriff places a new combination of identifying numbers on the replacement license, different from the prior license, in accordance with R.C. § 109.731

The same $15.00 duplicate fee applies whether the licensee is replacing a lost/destroyed license or updating an address or name change.

Costs Not Set by Statute (Estimate Only)

The Revised Code fixes only the sheriff-side fees. The remaining first-time-applicant costs are set by the private market:

• Competency course (R.C. § 2923.125(G)) - Ohio requires a course of at least 8 hours taught by an instructor certified under R.C. § 109.75 or § 109.78 (or by a National Rifle Association certified instructor satisfying the statutory criteria), including at least 2 hours of in-person training and live-fire range time. Course tuition typically runs $50-$150.
• Range fee - Many courses include range time; standalone range fees typically run $30-$50.
• Photograph - § 2923.125(B)(2) requires a color photograph taken within 30 days before submission; passport-style photos are typically $10-$15.
• Fingerprinting vendor fee - The actual fingerprint-capture vendor fee (LiveScan or ink card) is separate from the FBI background-check pass-through; vendor fees typically run $10-$25 where applicable.

Realistic Total - First-Time CHL

For a first-time applicant who is an Ohio resident of five or more years (no FBI surcharge), the realistic total is:

• $67 statutory license fee
• $50-$150 training course
• $30-$50 range fee (if not bundled)
• $10-$15 photograph

That puts a typical first-time CHL between roughly $157 and $282, with the most common total around $171-$241.

For a first-time applicant subject to the § 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) FBI surcharge (resident under five years, or non-resident with Ohio employment), add roughly $24 to the above range.

Fee Summary Table

Where the Money Goes - § 311.42

Fees collected under § 2923.125(B)(1)(a) flow into the sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance fund under R.C. § 311.42. The county distributes the fund in accordance with that section, which dedicates the fees to the costs of administering the licensing program - including records checks under § 311.41, photograph and license production under § 109.731, and notice and reporting obligations.

Key Takeaways

1. Statutory fees are fixed, not negotiable - Original $67, renewal $50. The county sheriff cannot charge more than what § 2923.125(B)(1)(a) and § 2923.125(F)(4) authorize.
2. The FBI surcharge is narrow - It applies only to applicants who have been Ohio residents for less than five years or who are non-residents employed in Ohio (§ 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii); § 2923.125(F)(4)(b)). Long-time Ohio residents pay only the flat $67/$50.
3. Military and qualifying retired LEO waivers are mandatory - § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) uses "shall waive." Sheriffs cannot deny the waiver to a qualifying applicant unless the $1.5M cap has been reached for the year (military categories only) or the retired officer retired due to mental disability.
4. Replacement / address change is $15 - Statutorily fixed under § 2923.125(H).
5. Most of your money goes to training, not the state - The 8-hour course required by § 2923.125(G) and the range fee typically cost more than the statutory CHL fee itself.

Statutory References

• R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(a) - Original license fees: $67 for residents of 5+ years; $67 plus actual FBI background check cost for residents of less than 5 years and non-residents employed in Ohio.
• R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) - Mandatory fee waiver for active/reserve military, honorably discharged/retired military, retired peace officers, retired federal LEOs authorized to carry on duty, and retired persons described in § 109.77(B)(1)(b).
• R.C. § 2923.125(B)(1)(d) - Sheriff deposits fees into the concealed handgun license issuance fund under § 311.42.
• R.C. § 2923.125(C) - Sheriff conducts criminal records and incompetency records checks under § 311.41 upon receipt of application and fee.
• R.C. § 2923.125(F)(4) - Renewal license fees: $50 for residents of 5+ years; $50 plus actual FBI background check cost for residents of less than 5 years and non-residents employed in Ohio.
• R.C. § 2923.125(G) - 8-hour competency course requirement (not a statutory fee, but the source of training-cost requirements).
• R.C. § 2923.125(H) - $15 fee for replacement of a lost/destroyed license or duplicate for name/address change.
• R.C. § 2923.125(I)(2) - $1.5 million statewide annual cap on military fee waivers; Attorney General monitoring and notification obligation.
• R.C. § 109.731 - License production, photograph, and identifying-number requirements.
• R.C. § 109.77 - Definition of retired peace officer/retired persons eligible for the § 2923.125(B)(1)(c) waiver.
• R.C. § 311.41 - Criminal records check and incompetency records check.
• R.C. § 311.42 - Sheriff's concealed handgun license issuance fund and distribution of fees.
• 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3) - Federal NICS purchase exemption that makes paying for a CHL economically rational even alongside Ohio's permitless-carry regime.