West Virginia Concealed Handgun License Fees and Costs

The Headline

West Virginia sets concealed-carry license fees by statute, and the amounts are specific. The standard license to carry a concealed deadly weapon under W. Va. Code 61-7-4 costs $50 for a West Virginia resident and $100 for a nonresident, paid to the county sheriff at the time of application. The provisional license for applicants 18 to 20 years old under W. Va. Code 61-7-4a costs $15 at application plus a $15 issuance fee, $30 total.

Beyond the statutory fee, your real out-of-pocket cost depends on the training course you choose and a few small ancillary items. Because West Virginia is a permitless-carry state, a person 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm can carry concealed with no license and no fee at all under W. Va. Code 61-7-3. People still obtain the license for the reciprocity and federal benefits it carries. This section breaks down every cost component and cites the statute that fixes it.

Statutory Application Fees Are Fixed by Law

Unlike some states, West Virginia does not leave the base license fee to local discretion. The amounts are written into the statute:

A concealed weapons license may be issued only for pistols and revolvers (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(a) and 61-7-4a(a)).

For the provisional license, the two fees stack. The applicant pays $15 to the sheriff at application (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(a)), and then pays an additional $15 before the approved license is issued or becomes effective, which the sheriff forwards to the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(g)). The total provisional cost is therefore $30 in statutory fees.

Where the fee goes

The statute also directs how the sheriff splits the money, which is why the fee is not negotiable:

• Resident license: $25 is credited to the State Police and $25 goes into a county concealed weapons license administration fund (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(d)(1)).
• Nonresident license: $15 goes to the Courthouse Facilities Improvement Fund, $25 to the State Police, and $60 to the concealed weapons license administration fund (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(d)(2)).
• Provisional license: $15 goes into the concealed weapons license administration fund (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(c)).

Replacement and Address-Change Fees

These are also fixed by statute and are low:

• Lost or destroyed license, duplicate or substitute: $5, obtained by filing a notarized statement with the sheriff (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(l) for the standard license, W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(k) for the provisional license).
• Address change after relocating, new license card bearing the new address and the original expiration date: a fee not to exceed $5 (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(m) for the standard license, W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(l) for the provisional license).

The earlier estimate that a replacement runs $10 to $25 is wrong. The statute caps it at $5.

Training Course Costs Are the Real Variable

Both the standard and provisional licenses require a handgun training course that includes the actual live firing of ammunition by the applicant (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(e) and 61-7-4a(d)). The statute lists qualifying courses, including any official National Rifle Association handgun course, a course offered by a certified instructor or institution, and certain military qualification. The statute does not set a price for training, so this is where your total cost varies the most.

Typical market pricing in West Virginia:

• Basic NRA pistol or qualifying handgun safety course: roughly $75 to $100.
• USCCA-style concealed carry and home defense course with more classroom on use-of-force law: roughly $100 to $150.
• Specialty defensive-handgun courses with extended live fire: $150 and up.

If the course does not include them, budget an additional $25 to $75 for ammunition and range fees. A renewal applicant who has previously qualified does not have to retake training, because the qualification requirement is waived for renewals under W. Va. Code 61-7-4(b)(11).

State Income Tax Credit for Training and Application Fees

West Virginia partly offsets the cost. Under W. Va. Code 61-7-4(s), a person who pays training or application fees under this article is entitled to a state tax credit equal to the amount actually paid for training, not to exceed $50. If the training was provided free or for less than $50, the credit may instead be applied to the fees associated with the initial application. Keep your receipts and claim the credit when you file.

Renewal Costs

A standard license is valid for five years, running to the licensee's birthday in the fifth year (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(h)). The statute does not create a separate, reduced renewal fee. A renewal is an application, so the same statutory fee applies: $50 for a resident, $100 for a nonresident (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(a)).

The savings on renewal come from training, not the fee. Because the live-fire qualification requirement is waived for a renewal applicant who previously qualified (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(b)(11)), most renewals avoid the cost of another course. A provisional license is not renewed in the same sense. It is valid only until the holder turns 21 (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(g)), after which the person may carry permitless or apply for a standard license.

Fee Exemptions

Two different statutes grant fee relief, and the earlier draft cited the wrong one. The veteran and retired-officer exemption is in W. Va. Code 61-7-4(q), not 61-7-6.

Veterans and retired law-enforcement officers (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(q))

For a resident license application, the following applicants are exempt from payment of fees and costs otherwise required by the section:

• An honorably discharged veteran of the armed forces of the United States, reserve, or National Guard.
• A former law-enforcement officer honorably retired from an agency governed by the chapters listed in the statute.

All other application and background-check requirements still apply to these applicants.

Judicial officers and prosecutors (W. Va. Code 61-7-6(b))

A separate provision exempts certain judicial officers and prosecutors from application and licensure fees: justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals, circuit judges, retired or senior-status justices and circuit judges, family court judges, magistrates, prosecuting attorneys, assistant prosecuting attorneys, and investigators employed by a prosecuting attorney. These officials must still apply and satisfy all licensure, handgun safety, and training requirements under W. Va. Code 61-7-4. The exemption is from the fee, not from the process.

The fee exemptions cover the statutory license fee. They do not waive third-party costs like a training course tuition, ammunition, or a notary.

Other Small Costs

• Notarization: every concealed weapons license application must be notarized (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(f) and 61-7-4a(e)). A notary public typically charges a few dollars; some sheriffs and banks notarize for free.
• Photograph: license cards feature a photograph of the licensee (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(i) and 61-7-4a(h)). Many sheriffs take the photo as part of processing. If you supply your own, a passport-style photo runs about $10 to $20.
• Fingerprints and background check: the sheriff conducts a nationwide criminal background check including a NICS inquiry (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(c) and 61-7-4a(b)). Any fee for this is set by the agency, not by the statute. Confirm with your county sheriff whether a separate charge applies.

Total Cost Estimate

Statutory fees are exact. The ranges below reflect training and optional items, which the statute does not price.

Remember the W. Va. Code 61-7-4(s) tax credit of up to $50 can offset part of the training cost when you file your state return.

License vs. Permitless Carry: Is the Fee Worth It

Because West Virginia is a permitless-carry state, a person 21 or older who may lawfully possess a firearm can carry concealed at no cost. W. Va. Code 61-7-3 penalizes carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a license only for persons under 21, which is the negative-space confirmation that adults 21 and older need no license to carry concealed. So the standard license is optional for most adults, and the cost is a choice rather than a requirement.

People still pay for the license because it carries benefits that permitless carry does not:

• Out-of-state reciprocity. The license lets you carry in states that recognize a West Virginia license. See the RECIPROCITY section.
• Federal background-check exemption at purchase. A standard West Virginia license satisfies 18 U.S.C. 922(t)(3), so a license holder buying from a dealer may be NICS-exempt. The provisional license does not provide this. The provisional card itself states "NOT NICS EXEMPT" and that a NICS check must be performed before a dealer purchase (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(h)).
• Federal gun-free school zone allowance. The Gun-Free School Zones Act exempts a person licensed by the state where the school zone is located, where law enforcement verified the person's eligibility before issuing the license (18 U.S.C. 922(q)(2)(B)(ii)). A West Virginia license issued after the sheriff's background check fits that exception.

If none of these matter to you, permitless carry is the lowest-cost option. If you travel to neighboring states or want the federal purchase exemption, the modest statutory fee plus training is usually worth it.

Standard License vs. Provisional License

For an applicant 18 to 20 years old, the provisional license under W. Va. Code 61-7-4a is the route to a concealed-carry license, since permitless concealed carry is not available below 21. At $30 in statutory fees plus training, it costs less than the adult license, but it does not provide the federal NICS purchase exemption. When the holder turns 21, the provisional license expires (W. Va. Code 61-7-4a(g)), and the person may carry permitless or apply for a standard license at the $50 resident fee.

Payment, Denials, and Refunds

Pay the sheriff at the time of application (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(a) and 61-7-4a(a)). Accepted payment methods vary by county office, so confirm whether the sheriff takes check, money order, cash, or card before you go.

The sheriff must issue, reissue, or deny the license within 45 days after the application is filed once the required background checks are completed (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(g) and 61-7-4a(f)). The statute does not provide for a refund of the application fee if the application is denied. If you are denied, you may petition the circuit court of the county where you applied within 30 days, and if the court overturns the denial you may be entitled to reasonable costs and attorney fees payable by the sheriff's office (W. Va. Code 61-7-4(k) and 61-7-4a(j)). A license is also subject to revocation without fee refund if the holder becomes ineligible (W. Va. Code 61-7-5).

Key Statutes