A Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) is required to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia. Open carry of a handgun is generally legal without a permit, but...
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A Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) is required to carry a concealed handgun in Virginia. Open carry of a handgun is generally legal without a permit, but concealed carry is not. The resident CHP application fee is capped by statute at $50 total, allocated among three recipients by Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A) and paid in one sum to the circuit court clerk who receives the application. The same $50 cap applies to renewals, because the renewal statute, Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1), sends renewal applicants back to that same fee provision. Nonresident applicants pay a separate fee capped at $100, paid directly to the Virginia State Police under Va. Code 18.2-308.06(C). Replacement permit fees are capped at $5 or $10 under Va. Code 18.2-308.011. Training and fingerprinting performed by private providers are private-market costs and are not set by statute.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A), the resident CHP application fee is allocated among three entities:
| Component | Statutory Cap | Payable To |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk processing and consultation | $10 | Circuit court clerk |
| Local law-enforcement background investigation | up to $35 | Local law-enforcement agency |
| State Police application processing | up to $5 | Virginia State Police |
| Total | not to exceed $50 | Paid in one sum to the clerk |
The statute sets the allocation directly:
The clerk shall charge a fee of $10 for the processing of an application or issuing of a permit, including his costs associated with the consultation with law-enforcement agencies. The local law-enforcement agency conducting the background investigation may charge a fee not to exceed $35 to cover the cost of conducting an investigation pursuant to this article. ... The State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $5 to cover its costs associated with processing the application. The total amount assessed for processing an application for a permit shall not exceed $50, with such fees to be paid in one sum to the person who receives the application.
Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A).
The $35 local law-enforcement component includes any FBI charge for criminal history record information. Under Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A), the $35 fee "shall include any amount assessed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation for providing criminal history record information," and the local agency forwards that FBI amount to the State Police along with any fingerprints taken from a nonresident applicant. In practice, that means resident applicants do not see a separately itemized FBI fingerprint fee on top of the $50 cap; it is absorbed inside the $35 local component.
When the fee is due. No payment is required until the application is received by the court as a complete application. Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A). An application is deemed complete when all information required from the applicant, including the fee set forth in Va. Code 18.2-308.03, is delivered to and received by the clerk of court before or concomitant with the conduct of a state or national criminal history records check. Va. Code 18.2-308.02(E).
Payment methods. Payment may be made by any method that the issuing circuit court accepts for payment of other fees or penalties. Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A). Methods vary by locality, so check with the issuing clerk's office.
Most Virginia circuit courts charge at or near the full $50 maximum. Localities may charge less than $50, but they cannot charge more. The statute caps each line item and caps the total. Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A). Because the clerk component is a fixed $10 and the local and State Police components are "not to exceed" caps, the precise amount can vary from one circuit court to the next.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.03(B), no fee shall be charged for issuance of a CHP to a person who has retired from service as any of the following, subject to the service-length and age conditions in the statute:
This is the only fee waiver in the CHP article (Va. Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014). The Virginia CHP statutes do not provide a general indigent fee waiver or sliding scale for the $50 application fee. Applicants unable to pay the full $50 should contact the issuing clerk's office to ask whether the court can accept partial payment or other accommodations under its general fee policies. Nothing in Va. Code 18.2-308.03 directs a court to reduce the CHP fee on hardship grounds.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1), a person who previously held a CHP shall be issued, upon application as provided in Va. Code 18.2-308.02, a new five-year permit unless the applicant is found to be subject to a disqualification under Va. Code 18.2-308.09. The renewal application is processed through the same fee structure:
The circuit court that receives the application shall promptly notify an applicant if the application is incomplete or if the fee submitted for the permit pursuant to [Va. Code] 18.2-308.03 is incorrect.
Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1).
Because the renewal statute cross-references Va. Code 18.2-308.03 as the fee provision, the renewal fee is capped at the same $50 total: $10 clerk plus up to $35 local law enforcement plus up to $5 State Police. Renewal applicants are not required to appear in person and may submit the application, including a photocopy of a valid photo ID, by United States mail. Va. Code 18.2-308.010(A)(1).
The retiree fee waiver in Va. Code 18.2-308.03(B) applies by its terms to issuance of "such permit," which covers issuance on renewal under Va. Code 18.2-308.010 as well as initial issuance.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.06(C):
The Department of State Police may charge a fee not to exceed $100 to cover the cost of the background check and issuance of the permit. Any fees collected shall be deposited in a special account to be used to offset the costs of administering the nonresident concealed handgun permit program.
The nonresident permit is issued by the Virginia Department of State Police, not by a circuit court. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A). The application is submitted directly to the State Police on a State Police form and must include a photocopy of one valid photo ID, two photographs of the type specified by the State Police, and fingerprints on a card provided by the State Police for the state or national criminal history record check. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A).
Nonresidents who are eligible to apply through the resident circuit court process instead pay the resident $50 fee under Va. Code 18.2-308.03. For example, a member of the United States Armed Forces stationed outside Virginia but domiciled in a Virginia locality may apply to that locality's circuit court clerk under Va. Code 18.2-308.02(A). The $100 nonresident fee is specific to the State Police nonresident program under Va. Code 18.2-308.06.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.011, the clerk of the circuit court that issued a valid CHP shall issue a replacement permit in the following circumstances, with statutory fee caps.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.011(A), on presentation by the permit holder of the valid permit and a written notice of a change of address on a form provided by the Department of State Police, the clerk shall issue a replacement permit specifying the new address. The clerk forwards the new address to the State Police.
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.011(B), on submission of a notarized statement by the permit holder that the permit was lost or destroyed, or that the permit holder has undergone a legal name change, the clerk shall issue a replacement permit. The replacement permit has the same expiration date as the original. The clerk must issue the replacement within 10 business days of receiving the notarized statement and may charge a fee not to exceed $5.
Virginia requires the applicant to demonstrate competence with a handgun in person under Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B). Training costs are set by the private market, not by statute. There is no statutory cap, statutory minimum, or statutory standard fee for an NRA, USCCA, or DCJS-instructor-led basic handgun course.
Typical CHP-qualifying course pricing in Virginia runs roughly $50 to $150 for a single-session basic handgun class, but actual cost depends on the instructor, course length, range fees, and whether ammunition is included. Hunter education courses approved by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, which also satisfy Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B)(1), are typically offered free or at nominal cost.
Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B) authorizes nine independent ways to demonstrate competence, including paths that involve no cash cost if the applicant already has a qualifying record:
Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B)(5), (6), (8). Applicants with qualifying prior training or service may avoid the private training cost entirely. Completion of an approved hunter education or hunter safety course also qualifies under Va. Code 18.2-308.02(B)(1).
The current text of the CHP article (Va. Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014) does not require resident CHP applicants to submit fingerprints. Va. Code 18.2-308.02 governs the application content, the photo ID requirement, and the in-person competency requirement, and it does not include a fingerprinting provision. Va. Code 18.2-308.04 directs the court to consult the local sheriff or police department and to receive a report from the Central Criminal Records Exchange, but it does not impose a fingerprint requirement on resident applicants. There is no separate statutory fingerprint fee for resident applications. Any FBI charge for criminal history record information is included within the $35 local law-enforcement component of Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A) (see "Resident Application Fee" above), so resident applicants do not see a separately itemized FBI fingerprint fee on top of the $50 cap.
Some clerk offices may, as an administrative matter, take or accept fingerprints when collecting an application. Any such practice must fit within the existing $50 statutory cap under Va. Code 18.2-308.03(A); the statute does not authorize a separate fingerprinting line item for residents.
For nonresident applications, the applicant submits fingerprints on a card provided by the Virginia State Police, and the prints are forwarded through the Central Criminal Records Exchange to the FBI for the criminal history record check. Va. Code 18.2-308.06(A). Those costs are absorbed within the State Police's $100 fee cap under Va. Code 18.2-308.06(C).
Under Va. Code 18.2-308.01(B), failure to display the permit and a government-issued photo identification on demand by a law-enforcement officer is punishable by a $25 civil penalty, paid into the state treasury. The attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city where the alleged violation occurred may bring an action to recover the penalty, and a law-enforcement officer may issue a summons for the violation. A court may waive the penalty on presentation of a valid permit and a government-issued photo ID.
This is the only statutory monetary penalty in the CHP article (Va. Code 18.2-308.01 through 18.2-308.014) tied to the permit itself. Criminal penalties for carrying a concealed handgun without a permit, carrying while under the influence, or carrying in a prohibited location are addressed in Va. Code 18.2-308, Va. Code 18.2-308.012, and related statutes, and are not CHP fees.
| Fee | Statutory Cap | Statute | Payable To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident application (new) | Up to $50 total | 18.2-308.03(A) | Circuit court clerk (one sum) |
| Component: Clerk processing | $10 | 18.2-308.03(A) | Circuit court clerk |
| Component: Local law enforcement (includes FBI charge) | Up to $35 | 18.2-308.03(A) | Local police or sheriff |
| Component: State Police processing | Up to $5 | 18.2-308.03(A) | Virginia State Police |
| Resident renewal | Up to $50 total | 18.2-308.010(A)(1) and 18.2-308.03 | Circuit court clerk (one sum) |
| Nonresident permit | Up to $100 | 18.2-308.06(C) | Virginia State Police |
| Replacement: change of address | Up to $10 total | 18.2-308.011(A) | Clerk and State Police (one sum) |
| Replacement: lost, destroyed, or name change | Up to $5 | 18.2-308.011(B) | Circuit court clerk |
| Civil penalty: failure to display | $25 | 18.2-308.01(B) | State treasury |
| Retiree fee waiver | $0 | 18.2-308.03(B) | N/A |
| Training course (private) | Not statutory | 18.2-308.02(B) | Training provider |
This page covers one part of our Virginia concealed carry guide.
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