To get a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms (LTCF), apply to the sheriff of the county where you reside, or to the chief of police of the City of...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
To get a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms (LTCF), apply to the sheriff of the county where you reside, or to the chief of police of the City of Philadelphia if you live there. The fee is $20 (a $19 base plus a $1 validation fee), the application is filed on the form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and the issuing authority has 45 days to issue or deny under 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(g). Pennsylvania does not require a training course as a precondition for issuance. The full process from filing to license in hand commonly runs a few weeks; the statutory ceiling is 45 days from the date the sheriff receives the completed application.
An LTCF matters in Pennsylvania because it is the document that authorizes carrying a firearm concealed on or about your person or in a vehicle anywhere in the Commonwealth (18 Pa.C.S. 6109(a)). Carrying concealed or in a vehicle without a valid license is an offense under 18 Pa.C.S. 6106: generally a felony of the third degree under 6106(a)(1), reduced to a misdemeanor of the first degree under 6106(a)(2) for a person who is otherwise eligible to possess a license and has committed no other criminal violation. Open carry of a firearm is lawful without a license statewide for a person who may lawfully possess one, except in Philadelphia, where 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 requires a license to carry on public streets or property. (On June 23, 2025 the Superior Court held 6108 unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977 (Pa. Super. 2025); the ruling is as-applied, not facial, and the section has not been repealed, so treat Philadelphia as still requiring a license until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court or the General Assembly resolves it.) That makes the LTCF the practical key to lawful carry across the state.
This section is the procedural walkthrough. The eligibility criteria, the term of the license, the fees, and what the LTCF authorizes are covered in PERMIT_BASICS; the training landscape (none required, but optional Act 235 and NRA courses exist) is covered in TRAINING_REQUIREMENTS. Here the focus is on the mechanics: where to file, what to bring, what the sheriff does with the packet, the 45-day clock, denial in writing, and the appeal to the Court of Common Pleas under 18 Pa.C.S. 6114.
18 Pa.C.S. 6109(b) sets venue. An individual who is 21 years of age or older may apply to a sheriff for the license. A Pennsylvania resident must file with the sheriff of the county where he resides, or, if a resident of a city of the first class, with the chief of police of that city. Philadelphia is the only Pennsylvania city of the first class, so the routing works out this way: 66 of the Commonwealth's 67 counties accept LTCF applications at the county sheriff's office, and Philadelphia residents apply to the Philadelphia Police Department's Gun Permits Unit instead. Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) is a home-rule county, but the Allegheny County Sheriff still issues LTCFs there. Philadelphia is the only carve-out.
A Pennsylvania resident cannot file in a county where he does not reside, and no applicant files with the Pennsylvania State Police. PSP prescribes the form and runs the records-check system, but PSP does not issue licenses. The statute does not fix a single county for non-resident applicants, so in practice a non-Pennsylvania resident may apply at any county that accepts non-resident filings (Berks, Bucks, Cumberland, and Monroe are common destinations for mail-in non-resident applications). A non-resident must already hold a current license or permit to carry from his home state if that state issues one, per 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(e)(1)(ix), which cross-references the federal definitions at 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(19).
6109(c) requires a uniform statewide form prescribed by the Pennsylvania State Police. The form may contain provisions, not exceeding one page, to assure compliance with the section, and issuing authorities must use only the PSP form. Counties may not substitute their own form.
The form collects identifying information and, under 6109(c), requires the applicant to set forth one reason for obtaining the license. The statute lists six acceptable reasons: self-defense, employment, hunting and fishing, target shooting, gun collecting, or another proper reason. The applicant checks or writes in one. This field is documentary. The sheriff has no statutory authority to weigh whether the stated reason is good enough; the issuance standard is the investigation under 6109(d) and the disqualifier list in 6109(e)(1), not the persuasiveness of the reason.
The PSP application form (not the statute itself) also asks for descriptive information that will populate the printed license under 6109(e)(3) (name, address, date of birth, race, sex, citizenship, height, weight, hair color, eye color) and, as a matter of agency practice, two character references. 6109(d) does not require the sheriff to contact the references, and many sheriff's offices do not, though some run a verification call as part of the character-and-reputation review under 6109(d)(3).
6109(c) fixes the certification statement the applicant signs. By statute it reads, in substance: the applicant has never been convicted of a crime that prohibits possessing or acquiring a firearm under federal or state law; is of sound mind and has never been committed to a mental institution; certifies the statements are true; authorizes the sheriff (or the first-class-city chief of police) to inspect only records relevant to the application; and, if issued a license and the applicant knowingly becomes ineligible, will promptly notify the issuing authority. That continuing-notice duty runs for the entire five-year term, so a later disqualifying event triggers a self-report obligation. Knowingly making a false statement on the form subjects the applicant to the penalties prescribed by law.
The PSP form is the document required by 6109. Counties layer on a small set of administrative items keyed to the form's identification and photograph requirements:
The applicant does not need a training certificate. Pennsylvania law requires no pre-issuance firearms training, and 6109(c) does not list training documentation among the application contents. A completed course (Act 235, NRA Basic Pistol, an out-of-state CCW class) may be attached to the file, but it has no effect on the issuance decision. See TRAINING_REQUIREMENTS for the full picture.
6109(d) directs the issuing authority to do five things. The sheriff must: (1) investigate the applicant's record of criminal conviction; (2) investigate whether the applicant is under indictment for or has ever been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year; (3) investigate whether the applicant's character and reputation are such that the applicant will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety; (4) investigate whether the applicant would be precluded from receiving a license under 6109(e)(1) or section 6105(h); and (5) conduct a criminal-history, juvenile-delinquency, and mental-health check following the procedures of section 6111, receive a unique approval number for that inquiry, and record the date and number on the application.
That fifth task is the database backbone. The check is run through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS), operated by the PSP Firearms Unit. PICS is Pennsylvania's own point-of-contact system; the Commonwealth runs PICS rather than sending these inquiries straight to the federal NICS. A PICS inquiry returns an approval with a unique number, a denial tied to a disqualifier, or a delay pending further review. A delayed response stops the practical progress of the file because the sheriff cannot close the investigation until PICS resolves.
The character-and-reputation review under 6109(d)(3) is the only piece that turns on judgment rather than a record check. Pennsylvania courts read this clause to require specific, articulable facts indicating a public-safety risk; speculative or generalized concerns do not suffice. A character-and-reputation concern is documented in the file and becomes part of the record on judicial review under 6114.
6109(g) is the operative deadline: upon receipt of an application, the sheriff shall, within 45 days, issue or refuse to issue a license on the basis of the investigation under subsection (d) and the accuracy of the information in the application. 6109(e)(1) reinforces the same ceiling on the underlying investigation, which may not exceed 45 days.
A few mechanics matter for the applicant.
The 45 days run from receipt of a complete application. If the applicant files an incomplete form (missing a required signature, missing the photograph, missing the fee), the file is not complete and the clock does not meaningfully start until the missing item is supplied. Most counties date-stamp on the day of filing; applicants should keep their receipt as proof of the filing date.
The 45 days are not auto-issuance. 6109 contains no provision under which a fingerprint receipt or any interim document becomes a temporary license if the issuing authority misses the deadline. If the sheriff runs past 45 days without acting, the applicant's remedy is an action in mandamus to compel a decision; the license does not issue automatically.
The 45 days are a ceiling, not a target. Many counties issue well inside the cap; smaller rural counties often issue inside two weeks, while larger metropolitan counties (Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, Delaware) frequently use most of the window, especially where fingerprints are part of the workflow. Plan for the full 45 days when timing matters (an interstate move, an upcoming hunting trip, an out-of-state class with a Pennsylvania-license prerequisite). A delayed PICS response can extend the practical timeline, because the sheriff is not in violation of 6109(g) for waiting on a records check that has not yet resolved.
If the investigation is favorable, the sheriff issues the license under 6109(e). 6109(e)(3) prescribes the form: a uniform statewide license bearing the name, address, date of birth, race, sex, citizenship, height, weight, hair color, eye color, and signature of the licensee; the signature of the issuing sheriff; a license number whose first two digits are a county location code followed by numbers in sequence; the point-of-contact telephone number designated by PSP under 6109(l); the reason for issuance; and the period of validation. 6109(e)(4) requires the licensee's photograph in a form compatible with the Commonwealth Photo Imaging Network.
6109(e)(5) governs distribution. The original license is issued to the applicant. The first copy is forwarded to the Pennsylvania State Police within seven days of the date of issue. The second copy is retained by the issuing authority for seven years; except pursuant to court order, both copies and the application are destroyed at the end of the seven-year period unless the license has been renewed in the interim.
Most counties hand the license to the applicant in person when the investigation closes; a few mail it, and Philadelphia mails through its Gun Permits Unit. Verify the printed information immediately. Errors in the descriptive fields (a transposed birthdate, a misspelled address) are corrected through the issuing authority and do not require a fresh application.
If the sheriff refuses to issue the license, 6109(g) requires the refusal to be in writing, to state the specific reasons, and to be sent by certified mail to the applicant at the address set forth in the application. The specific-reasons requirement has teeth: a denial that cites 6109(e)(1) without identifying which subparagraph applies and what facts support it is procedurally weak on judicial review under 6114.
The most common written grounds for denial map to the 6109(e)(1) disqualifier list (subparagraphs (i) through (xiv)):
6109(h)(6) governs fee refunds on denial. Every fee component is refunded if the application is denied, except the $5 administrative fee under section 14(2) of the Sheriff Fee Act. Fees are not refunded if a license is issued and later revoked.
A denial is subject to judicial review under 18 Pa.C.S. 6114. That section provides that the action of the chief of police, sheriff, county treasurer, or other officer under the subchapter is subject to judicial review in the manner and within the time provided by 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 Subch. B, the statute governing judicial review of local agency action. The applicant files in the Court of Common Pleas of the county.
The standard of review flows from 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 Subch. B. Where the issuing authority made a full and complete record of its decision, the common pleas court reviews that record and affirms unless it finds a constitutional violation, an error of law, or factual findings not supported by substantial evidence. Where the issuing authority did not make a full and complete record, the court may hear the matter de novo. Because sheriffs ordinarily do not build a formal evidentiary record when they deny an LTCF, many county courts in practice take fresh evidence and decide the eligibility question anew. Either way, the applicant should be prepared to put on a real evidentiary case.
6114 also fixes a one-year wait tied to an unsuccessful appeal. A judgment sustaining a refusal to grant a license does not bar a new application after one year, which means an applicant who appeals and loses must wait one year from the date of that judgment before reapplying, unless the underlying disqualification is resolved sooner (for example, a pardon or relief under section 6123, a successful expungement, the lifting of a protection-from-abuse order, or the discharge of an indictment). The statute also provides that a judgment in the applicant's favor does not prevent the issuing authority from later revoking or refusing to renew the license for any proper cause that arises afterward. The court has full power to dispose of all costs.
A practical note on representation. A 6114 appeal does not require a lawyer, but the review process means the applicant must marshal real evidence. Applicants whose denial turns on character-and-reputation findings, on disputed records-check results, or on contested mental-health commitments are well advised to retain counsel. Applicants whose denial rests on a clean factual basis (a documented felony conviction, a current PFA order, an undisputed federal disqualifier) generally cannot prevail regardless of representation.
6109(m.1) provides a fast-track license for an applicant facing imminent danger. The applicant submits four things to the sheriff of the county of residence: evidence of imminent danger to the applicant or the applicant's minor child; a sworn affidavit containing the information required on a standard application and attesting that the applicant is 21 or older, is not prohibited under section 6105 or any other federal or state law, and is not currently subject to a protection-from-abuse order or an out-of-state protection order; a temporary-emergency-license fee set by the PSP Commissioner that does not exceed the actual cost of the background check or $10, whichever is less, in addition to the regular 6109(h) fees; and a standard PSP application form. By statute, evidence of imminent danger means a written document prepared by the Attorney General, a district attorney, a chief law enforcement officer, a judicial officer, or their designees describing facts that give reasonable cause to fear a criminal attack, or a police report.
On receipt, the sheriff immediately conducts a criminal-history, juvenile-delinquency, and mental-health check under section 6105. If the applicant meets the criteria, the sheriff immediately issues the temporary emergency license. It is valid for 45 days, is marked "Temporary," and may not be renewed. A temporary licensee has the same right to carry as a regular LTCF holder, and is subject to the same duties, restrictions, and penalties, including revocation under 6109(i).
During those 45 days, the sheriff conducts the additional investigation needed for a regular license. Under 6109(m.1)(9), if the applicant is not disqualified and the temporary license has not been revoked, the sheriff issues a regular LTCF effective for the balance of the five-year period measured from the date the temporary license issued. If a disqualifier surfaces, the sheriff may revoke under 6109(i). A person who has held a temporary emergency license may not be issued another one until at least five years have passed. A denial of a temporary emergency license is appealable in the same manner as a denial of a regular LTCF.
Renewal is handled as a fresh application under 6109. Under 6109(f)(2), the issuing sheriff sends a renewal application at least 60 days before expiration, but the same paragraph makes clear that failure to receive a renewal application does not relieve a licensee of the responsibility to renew. The licensee files a new PSP form, pays the $20 fee, and goes through the same 6109(d) investigation, and the sheriff again has 45 days under 6109(g) to issue or deny.
Two practical points. First, the LTCF does not auto-extend when a renewal is filed. If the sheriff takes the full 45 days, the license can lapse before the renewal issues. 6106(b)(12) provides a defense to a 6106 prosecution for a person whose license expired within six months before the date of arrest and who is otherwise eligible to renew, but this is an affirmative defense, not authorization to carry, so the prudent course is to file early enough that the renewal issues before the original expires. Second, a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or the Pennsylvania National Guard on federal active duty and deployed overseas, whose license would expire during deployment, has the license extended until 90 days after the end of the deployment under 6109(f)(3); under 6109(f)(4), possession of the license together with a copy of the military orders showing the deployment dates is a defense to a charge under section 6106 or 6108 during the extension period.
6111(i) makes all information furnished by an applicant for a license to carry under section 6109, including the applicant's name or identity, confidential and not subject to public disclosure. The sheriff's check is run following the procedures of section 6111, cross-referenced in 6109(d)(5). A violation of the confidentiality provision carries civil damages of $1,000 per occurrence or three times actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees. 6109(l) separately limits the Firearms License Validation System: inquiries about the validity of a Pennsylvania license may be made only by law enforcement personnel acting within the scope of their official duties. The practical exception to confidentiality is the public court file in a 6114 appeal, which becomes part of the Court of Common Pleas record and is accessible like any other case file.
| Statute | Subject |
|---|---|
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6106 | Carrying concealed or in a vehicle without a license; felony of the third degree, or misdemeanor of the first degree if otherwise eligible and no other violation |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6108 | License required to carry on public streets or property in Philadelphia |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(a), (b) | Purpose of license; place of application; sheriff or first-class-city chief of police; age 21 |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(c) | PSP-prescribed form; six allowed reasons; certification statement |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(d) | Sheriff's investigation (five enumerated tasks, including the section 6111 records check) |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(e)(1) | Fourteen disqualifications and the 45-day investigation cap |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(e)(3)-(5) | License form, photograph, and copy distribution |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(f) | Five-year term; renewal mailing; military deployment extension and defense |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(g) | 45-day decision deadline; written denial with specific reasons by certified mail |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(h) | $19 fee structure; refund rules; summary offense for overcharging |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(i), (i.1) | Revocation; court and mental-health notice obligations |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(l) | Firearms License Validation System (law-enforcement-only inquiries) |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6109(m.1) | Temporary emergency license (45-day, $10 fee cap) |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6105 | Persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell, or transfer firearms |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6111 | Sale or transfer of firearms; records-check procedure; applicant confidentiality (6111(i)) |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6114 | Judicial review of issuing-authority action under 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 Subch. B; one-year bar on reapplication after a judgment sustaining a refusal |
| 18 Pa.C.S. 6123 | Waiver of disability or pardons (does not remove a section 6105 disability) |
| 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(19) | Federal definition cross-referenced in 6109(e)(1)(ix) |
| 18 U.S.C. 922(g) | Federal firearms-possession prohibitors referenced by 6109(e)(1)(xiv) |
The issuing authority is the county sheriff's office in 66 Pennsylvania counties and the Philadelphia Police Department's Gun Permits Unit in Philadelphia. Either office can answer procedural questions about filing windows, photo requirements, and appointment systems. Neither gives individualized eligibility advice.
This page covers one part of our Pennsylvania concealed carry guide.
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