Renewal Process

A Tennessee handgun carry permit (Enhanced under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351 or Concealed-only under Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1366) is good for eight (8) years. You renew it for $50 by submitting a sworn renewal application to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security or, by statute, to the county clerk in your county of residence. You may begin renewing six (6) months before the expiration date printed on the permit, and you can still renew up to one full renewal cycle (eight years) after the permit has expired without going through a fresh application. No additional handgun safety course is required to renew within that window.

The Department mails a courtesy renewal notice, but the cardholder is responsible for renewing on time whether or not that notice arrives. The Lifetime Enhanced permit option (Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351 et seq.) never expires and has no renewal at all, although the Department still re-runs a name-based criminal history check every five years.

Quick facts

• Permit term. 8 years for both Enhanced and Concealed-only permits (Tenn. Code Sections 39-17-1351 and 39-17-1366).
• Renewal fee. $50.00. An additional $4.00 administrative fee may be added if you renew at a partnering county clerk office.
• Renewal window. Begins six (6) months before expiration. Open through eight (8) years after expiration.
• Training. Not required to renew. No additional handgun safety course is required to maintain or renew a permit (Tenn. Code Section 39-17-1351(m)).
• Fingerprints. Not required for renewals (also not required for duplicates, 8-year-to-Lifetime upgrades, or Concealed-to-Enhanced upgrades).
• Lifetime Enhanced. No renewal needed. The permit never expires. Background check re-run every five years.
• Address change duty. If you move, you must notify the Department of your new address within sixty (60) days. This is a continuing obligation that applies to Lifetime permit holders too.

When you can renew

Section 39-17-1351(q)(2) and Section 39-17-1366(j)(2) both authorize renewal beginning six (6) months prior to the expiration date on the face of the permit. The Department's online services portal (https://dl.safety.tn.gov) and the Department's FAQ confirm both ends of the window:

• Earliest: six (6) months before expiration.
• Latest without losing renewal status: eight (8) years after expiration.

If your permit expired more than eight years ago, the online renewal option will not appear when you log in, and you must apply as a new applicant, including new training and the initial fee.

What happens if your permit expires while a renewal is pending

If you submit a complete renewal application before the expiration date and the Department (or county clerk) has not yet approved or denied it by the time your card expires, you may continue to use the expired permit. You must be able to display a receipt for the renewal application fee proving the renewal was filed before the original expiration date (Tenn. Code Sections 39-17-1351(q)(1) and 39-17-1366(j)(1), as amended by HB 543).

Eligibility recheck at renewal

The renewal application is sworn under oath. You must certify that you still satisfy every eligibility requirement in Section 39-17-1351(c) (Enhanced) or Section 39-17-1366(b) (Concealed-only). The Department runs a fresh state and federal background check. A felony conviction, qualifying misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, disqualifying DUI history (two or more DUI convictions in any state in the prior 10 years, or one in the prior 5), adjudication as a mental defective, dishonorable discharge, or any other disqualifier listed in subsection (c) or (b) will defeat the renewal.

The Department also performs a name-based criminal history record check every four years between renewals on Enhanced permit holders and every five years on Concealed-only and Lifetime Enhanced holders, and may revoke the permit between renewal cycles if a disqualifying conviction is discovered.

The renewal application does not require you to affirmatively report mental-health treatment received during the prior permit term (the Tennessee Attorney General clarified this in Opinion No. 09-106), but you must still certify under oath that you currently satisfy the subsection (c)(10) mental-health eligibility requirement at the moment of renewal.

How to renew

The Department offers three ways to renew. All three pay the same $50 statutory fee, plus a $4.00 administrative add-on if you use a county clerk office.

1. Online (preferred)

1. Go to https://dl.safety.tn.gov and select the Handgun Permits tab.
2. Choose "Renew my Handgun Permit." If the renew option does not appear when you log in, you are either outside the renewal window or you need to apply in person (typically because a new photo is required).
3. Complete the sworn renewal application electronically.
4. Pay the $50 renewal fee online by credit or debit card.
5. The new permit is mailed when the background check clears. The new expiration date is eight (8) years from the date the renewal permit is issued (not from the original expiration date).

2. At a Tennessee Driver Services Center

1. Bring a current valid Tennessee driver license or state ID, plus your existing permit.
2. Complete the renewal application at the center.
3. Pay the $50 fee.
4. A new photo will be taken if required.

3. At a partnering county clerk office

Tennessee statute (Section 39-17-1351(q)(1)) directs the Department to contract with county clerks to process renewals. As of the most recent fiscal note, 36 county clerks and 11 municipalities (47 local offices total) are authorized to accept renewal applications.

1. Call ahead. Not every county clerk's office processes handgun permit renewals. Confirm before you go.
2. Complete the renewal application at the office (or bring it completed).
3. Pay the $50 renewal fee plus the $4.00 county administrative fee. The $4.00 is retained by the county.

After renewal

• The new card carries a fresh 8-year expiration date measured from the date the renewal permit was issued.
• The permit number and any required carve-outs print on the new card.
• The card form (wallet-sized laminated, same approximate size as a Tennessee driver license) and content fields (name, address, date of birth, sex, height, weight, eye color, photograph, permit number, issuance date, expiration date) do not change at renewal.

Lifetime Enhanced permit

The Lifetime Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit is available only as an Enhanced (Section 39-17-1351) permit and not as a Concealed-only (Section 39-17-1366) permit. Its core renewal feature is that there is no renewal:

• Initial Lifetime Enhanced fee: $300 (or $265 with a qualifying military credential, or free for qualifying retired law enforcement under Public Chapter 396).
• Upgrade from existing 8-year Enhanced to Lifetime: $200.
• Upgrade from Concealed-only to Lifetime (must also meet all Enhanced eligibility requirements): $300.

A Lifetime permit never expires. The Department re-runs a name-based criminal history record check every five (5) years, and the permit is revoked if a disqualifying conviction is discovered. Lifetime holders still must notify the Department of an address change within 60 days, and the underlying eligibility requirements (no disqualifying conviction, continued residency, etc.) keep running for life.

Address changes during the permit term

If you move at any point during your permit term, including a Lifetime permit, you are legally required to notify the Department of your new address within sixty (60) days (per the Department's online services notice). You can update your address through https://dl.safety.tn.gov. If you also hold a commercial driver license, address proof must be presented in person at a Driver Services Center. Your residential address must be a Tennessee address.

Failing to keep your address current can cause two practical problems: (1) the Department's renewal courtesy notice will be mailed to the wrong place, and (2) the address printed on your permit will not match the Tennessee residence you must continue to maintain to keep the permit valid.

If your permit is already expired

You can still renew without retraining as long as you are within eight (8) years past the expiration date. Use the same online, Driver Services Center, or county clerk renewal path described above. Tennessee imposes no statutory penalty fee in Section 39-17-1351(q) or Section 39-17-1366(j) for renewing late within that eight-year window.

If your permit expired more than eight years ago, you no longer qualify for renewal. You must apply as a new applicant, which means:

• New application fee ($100 EHCP, $65 EHCP military, $65 CHCP, $300 Lifetime, etc.).
• New department-approved training course (8 hours in-person for EHCP, or the qualifying short course for CHCP), unless you fall within a statutory training exemption.
• New fingerprinting at an IdentoGO site.
• New state and federal background checks.

While your permit is expired and not yet renewed, you cannot rely on it to carry in a location or manner that would otherwise require a permit. Tennessee constitutional carry under Section 39-17-1307(g) is still available to qualifying adults, but without a current permit you lose the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption, interstate reciprocity, and certain in-state place authorities that flow only from holding a permit.

What the renewal does not change

• No new training. No permit holder is required to complete any additional handgun safety course after obtaining the permit, and no additional course is required to renew within eight years of expiration (Section 39-17-1351(m); same rule applies on the Concealed-only side because Section 39-17-1366(b)(3) ties CHCP eligibility to the EHCP framework).
• No new fingerprints. Fingerprints from the original application stay on file at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
• Permit number. The Department will print the new card; your permit number ordinarily remains.
• Carry authority. Renewal carries forward the same Enhanced (open + concealed) or Concealed-only authority as the prior card.

Quick reference

The bottom line: a Tennessee handgun carry permit renews every eight years for $50, with no retraining, no new fingerprints, and a six-month early window plus an eight-year late grace period. The Lifetime Enhanced option eliminates renewal entirely for an upfront $300 ($200 if upgrading from an 8-year Enhanced) at the cost of a five-year background recheck cycle. Renewal eligibility is rechecked under oath each cycle: a felony, domestic-violence conviction, disqualifying DUI history, or other Section 39-17-1351(c) or Section 39-17-1366(b) disqualifier that arises mid-term will defeat the renewal.