South Carolina Concealed Carry Permit Fees and Costs

South Carolina CWP Fees and Costs

The headline is short. Since March 7, 2024, a person who is at least eighteen and not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm does not need a permit to carry in South Carolina, and carrying without one carries no state fee. If you still want the Concealed Weapons Permit, S.C. Code 23-31-215(C) says "SLED may not charge a fee of any kind for a concealable weapon permit." What can still cost money is fingerprinting, whatever a private instructor charges for a class, and the handgun, ammunition and eye and ear protection you bring to the range portion.

The statute also still prints three fees that do not line up with that no-fee sentence: a fifty-dollar renewal fee in S.C. Code 23-31-215(P)(1), and a five-dollar replacement fee and a separate five-dollar address-change fee in S.C. Code 23-31-215(L). All three are covered below. Confirm any of them with SLED at 803-896-7015 or CWPquestions@sled.sc.gov before you send money.

Carrying without a permit has cost nothing since March 7, 2024

SLED's Constitutional Carry Guidance, addressed to chiefs, sheriffs and law enforcement officers, describes the change this way: "H. 3594 as signed by the Governor on March 7, 2024, authorizes individuals who are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm, to legally possess a firearm openly or concealed without training and without a concealed weapons permit issued by SLED." The same guidance adds that the law "allows individuals 18 years old and older to carry firearms openly or concealed without a permit."

The statute agrees. S.C. Code 23-31-215(O)(2) provides that "The availability of a permit to carry a concealable weapon under this section must not be construed to prohibit the permitless transport or carrying of a firearm in a vehicle or on or about one's person, whether openly or concealed, loaded or unloaded, in a manner not prohibited by law." The history line under 23-31-215 records "2024 Act No. 111 (H.3594), SECTIONS 9, 21, and 23 eff March 7, 2024," and SECTION 1 of that act names it the "South Carolina Constitutional Carry/Second Amendment Preservation Act of 2024."

SLED's guidance is also clear about what the permit still buys: "The CWP will continue to give the individual reciprocity with other recognizing states and makes purchasing a firearm from a dealer easier." For what the permitless path does and does not allow, see the Constitutional Carry section of this guide.

Fee table

Subsection (C): no fee of any kind for a concealable weapon permit

S.C. Code 23-31-215(A) lists everything a new applicant must submit: a completed signed application, a photocopy of a driver's license or photographic identification card, proof of residence or of real property ownership for a qualified nonresident, proof of vision, proof of training, and a complete set of fingerprints. Money is not on that list.

It used to be. The statute page's own amendment note records that "2021 Act No. 66, SECTION 12.A, in (A), made a nonsubstantive change in (5); deleted former (6), which related to payment of a fifty-dollar application fee; and redesignated former (7) as (6)." The companion note records that SECTION 12.B "deleted the third and fourth sentences, which related to a fifty dollar fee for a handgun training course, and inserted new third sentence, providing that SLED may not charge a fee of any kind for a concealable weapon permit."

SLED's own paper application form, updated 03.30.2026, is consistent with that. It carries a single mailing address line, a block of general instructions, eight numbered instructions that apply only to new permit applications, and checkboxes for disabled veteran, retired or former military, active military, retired law enforcement and active law enforcement applicants. The application page names no fee and no method of payment.

Renewal: the code still prints a fifty-dollar fee that SLED does not collect

S.C. Code 23-31-215(P) provides that "Subject to subsection (Q), SLED shall renew a currently valid permit upon: (1) payment of a fifty-dollar renewal fee by the applicant," and the same item adds that this fee "must be waived for disabled veterans and retired law enforcement officers."

That fee sits in the same section as 23-31-215(C)'s bar on any fee for the permit. The amendment notes under 23-31-215 record 2021 Act No. 66 acting only in (A) and (C), and no amendment to (P) or (L) by that act or by 2024 Act No. 111. 23-31-215(I) separately lets SLED "charge a fee not to exceed its costs in releasing the information under this subsection," the subsection that governs its list of permit holders.

SLED's twenty-one step guide to the paper new and renewal application says nothing about a payment, and its online walkthrough runs a renewal through nine numbered steps that end at "Submit Application for Review," none of which asks for money.

2021 Act No. 66's title says the act amends 23-31-215 "SO AS TO ELIMINATE THE PAYMENT OF AN APPLICATION FEE, AND THE STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDGUN TRAINING COURSE FEE, AND PROVIDE THE DIVISION MAY NOT CHARGE A FEE FOR A CONCEALED WEAPON PERMIT." The South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, in its fiscal impact statement on H. 3594, published what SLED told it: "SLED reports that the implementation of this bill will have no revenue impact, as the passage of Act No. 66 in 2021 removed the requirement that a person pay SLED a $50 application fee for a CWP." SLED's replacement form, stamped R-02(8/15/2021), the day those 2021 amendments took effect, ends the replacement sentence of (L) at "all information required in the original application," where the code continues "and the payment of a five-dollar replacement fee."

SLED's own materials ask for no money for a new permit, a replacement card or a renewal, and the fifty-dollar renewal fee in (P)(1) and the five-dollar fees in (L) are text SLED does not collect. No SLED page states a fee schedule in so many words, so if you want it in writing, ask SLED at 803-896-7015 or CWPquestions@sled.sc.gov.

SLED's application form carries disabled veteran and retired law enforcement checkboxes, and its application guide says a Disabled Veteran or Retired Law Enforcement applicant "must provide documentation proving such status," without tying that documentation to a fee.

SLED's Sponsored CWP Courses page says "If your CWP is expired, you DO NOT have to retake the class." The same bullet says you can renew online for up to 18 months past the expiration date, and by mailing a paper application if it is over 18 months expired.

The 2024 act deleted the expired-permit fine, though the printed code still shows it

The printed code still carries S.C. Code 23-31-215(U): "A concealable weapon permit holder whose permit has been expired for no more than one year may not be charged with a violation of Section 16-23-20 but must be fined not more than one hundred dollars." The enrolled act deleted it. The title of 2024 Act No. 111 says the act amends 23-31-215 "TO DELETE THE PROVISION RELATING TO PENALTIES FOR CARRYING EXPIRED PERMITS," and SECTION 9 of that act names (K), (M), (O) and (U) as the subsections "amended to read," then prints text for (K), (M) and (O) only. The codified section still prints (U), and the amendment note under it records "2024 Act No. 111, SECTION 9, rewrote (K), (M), and (O)." SECTION 3 of the same act rewrote S.C. Code 16-23-20 effective March 7, 2024, and subsection (A) now bars carrying a handgun into the places it lists "whether or not the person has a concealed weapon permit," so a person carrying on an expired permit where permitless carry is allowed commits no violation of that section, and no charge is left for (U) to replace.

The five-dollar replacement and address-change fees are in the statute but not on SLED's form

S.C. Code 23-31-215(L) reads that "SLED shall issue a replacement for lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed permit identification cards after the permit holder has updated all information required in the original application and the payment of a five-dollar replacement fee. Any change of permanent address must be communicated in writing to SLED within ten days of the change accompanied by the payment of a fee of five dollars to defray the cost of issuance of a new permit."

SLED's Concealed Weapon Permit Replacement Form quotes that same subsection, and the quotation drops both fee clauses. The form recites: "Pursuant to Section 23-31-215(L): SLED shall issue a replacement for lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed permit identification cards after the permit holder has updated all information required in the original application. Any change of permanent address must be communicated in writing to SLED within ten days of the change." Its "REQUIRED FOR PROCESSING" list asks for a copy of your driver's license, a copy of your CWP if you still have it, an email address and a phone number. It does not ask for money.

The ten-day address deadline in (L) is real regardless of the fee question. Failing to notify SLED "constitutes a misdemeanor punishable by a twenty-five dollar fine," and 23-31-215(K) attaches the same twenty-five dollar fine to failing to report a lost or stolen permit card to SLED headquarters within forty-eight hours.

The five-dollar fingerprinting cap is written for law enforcement agencies

S.C. Code 23-31-215(A)(6) closes with a hard cap: "A law enforcement agency may charge a fee not to exceed five dollars for fingerprinting an applicant." That cap is written for law enforcement agencies. Neither the statute nor SLED's pages apply it to a private vendor. 2024 Act No. 111, SECTION 23, amended 23-31-215(A) to read in full and closed it with that same sentence. The amendment note under the section records the change SECTION 23 made in (A) as substituting "eighteen years of age" for "twenty-one years of age."

The vendor matters, because the online route sends new applicants to one. SLED's CWP page states that SLED, "in partnership with IdentoGo by IDEMIA, has developed the SLED EasyPath system," and that new applicants "can submit their CWP application documentation and have their fingerprints taken and sent to SLED electronically" at an IdentoGo site. SLED's online application walkthrough says that "a link to a third party vendor will be provided once you submit the application," and its fingerprint step reads "Click here to schedule a Fingerprint appointment with IdentoGO." Neither that page nor that walkthrough states what IdentoGo charges. Get that number from SLED's CWP page and the IdentoGo scheduling link before you budget for it.

The mail route does not go through the online vendor scheduling step. SLED's mail instructions require "(2) completed and signed fingerprint cards submitted along with your application" for a new permit, and state that a renewal applicant does "NOT have to submit any fingerprint cards."

SLED's training course is free by statute, and private instructors may charge

S.C. Code 23-31-215(V)(1) requires SLED to "provide a statewide concealed weapon permit training course that satisfies the proof of training requirement for the issuance of a concealed weapon permit," and then forbids a charge: "SLED may not charge participants a fee of any kind for the concealed weapon permit training course provided for in this subsection." Subsection (V)(2) requires that course "in every county in South Carolina at least twice per month."

Subsection (C) carries a second training obligation: "If an applicant is unable to comply with the provisions of Section 23-31-210(4), SLED shall offer the applicant a handgun training course that satisfies the requirements of Section 23-31-210(4)." The amendment note records that 2021 Act No. 66, SECTION 12.B, deleted the sentences of (C) that "related to a fifty dollar fee for a handgun training course," and (C) as printed today attaches no fee to that course.

SLED's Constitutional Carry Guidance, the notice to chiefs, sheriffs and law enforcement officers about H. 3594, said the state-funded course depended on money: "This training will not be available to the public until the General Assembly appropriates funding in this year's budget. Likewise, SLED cannot reimburse CWP instructors until funding is appropriated in this year's budget."

SLED's Sponsored CWP Courses page carries the heading "FREE CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT (CWP) CLASSES" and a registration link. The same page names the costs the class does not cover: "There IS a required shooting portion of the CWP course, and you will need to bring a handgun, 25 rounds of ammunition for that handgun, ear protection, and eye protection (sunglasses and glasses are fine)." If you do not own a handgun, the page directs you to "contact the instructor in the confirmation email to arrange to rent a gun for the course." It names no rental price and no ammunition price.

Private training remains a paid market. S.C. Code 23-31-215(V)(3) says the free program "does not prohibit any certified concealed weapon permit training class instructors from providing their own training classes and charging participants a fee." The statute sets no ceiling on that fee.

Who can skip the class, and who can shorten it

Not every applicant has to buy a class. S.C. Code 23-31-210(4) lets several categories satisfy proof of training without one. It counts an instructor "certified by the National Rifle Association or another SLED-approved competent national organization that promotes the safe use of handguns," "a person who can demonstrate to the Director of SLED or his designee that he has a proficiency in both the use of handguns and state laws pertaining to handguns," "an active duty police handgun instructor," "a person who has a SLED-certified or approved competitive handgun shooting classification," and "a member of the active or reserve military, or a member of the National Guard."

The certified-instructor route carries a condition. Item (4) closes with a flush paragraph directing that "SLED shall promulgate regulations containing general guidelines for courses and qualifications for instructors which would satisfy the requirements of this item," and then providing that for purposes of subitems (a) and (c), proof of training is not satisfied "unless the organization and its instructors meet or exceed the guidelines and qualifications contained in the regulations promulgated by SLED pursuant to this item." Subitem (c) is the certified-instructor route quoted above. Subitem (a) is the other route the qualifier names, the completed handgun education course.

Three more categories satisfy the training definition by meeting only one part of the course content. Under 23-31-210(4)(b), a person who shows completion of basic military training with a DD214, a retired law enforcement officer who produces proof of Criminal Justice Academy graduation or of service before that requirement, and a retired state or federal officer with proof of academy firearms training "must comply with the provisions of subitem (a)(i) only," which is the item covering "information on the statutory and case law of this State relating to handguns and to the use of deadly force."

The nonresident property form states no fee, and an acquittal restores a permit at no charge

A qualified nonresident applies on proof of South Carolina real property. SLED Form R-168, the "South Carolina Non-Resident Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP) Real Property Tax Form," is a certification signed by a county assessor that the applicant "(non-resident CWP applicant pursuant to S.C. Code Section 23-31-215(A)(3)) currently owns real property in this county." The form states no fee. SLED's application instructions simply require that "Qualified nonresident applicants must submit a completed Real Property Tax Form (SLED Form R-168)."

One more no-cost provision is worth knowing. Under S.C. Code 23-31-215(J)(4), a permit revoked because the person has "been charged with an offense that, upon conviction, would prohibit the person from possessing a firearm" comes back at no cost if he is found not guilty: "However, if the person subsequently is found not guilty of the offense, then his permit must be reinstated at no charge."

Where CWP money goes

S.C. Code 23-31-216 directs that "The State Law Enforcement Division shall collect, retain, expend, and carry forward all fees associated with the concealable weapon application, renewal, and replacement of the permit, as provided pursuant to this article." Whatever CWP fees exist are collected, retained, expended and carried forward by SLED. SLED links a Fines and Fees Report for each fiscal year from 2014 through 2024 on its Fines, Fees and Reports page.

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