Florida Concealed Weapon License: Eligibility, Cost, and Renewal

A Florida concealed weapon license is a seven-year permit issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) that authorizes you to carry a concealed firearm or other covered weapon for lawful self-defense. Florida has issued these on a shall-issue basis since well before permitless carry took effect: if you meet every criterion in Section 790.06, FDACS must grant the license.¹ Permitless carry has been legal since July 2023, so the license is no longer the only way to carry concealed inside Florida, but it still carries real practical advantages for travelers, buyers, and anyone who spends time near a school.

Is the License Still Worth Getting

Since July 2023, Florida has allowed concealed carry without a license for anyone who meets the same eligibility criteria the license requires.² Three practical reasons keep the license worth applying for.

It opens up 37 other states. A valid Florida license is recognized by 37 states through reciprocity.³ Permitless carry under Florida law stops at the state line. Driving to Georgia, Alabama, or Texas with a concealed firearm and no license exposes you to charges under that state’s law.

It skips the three-day waiting period. Section 790.0655 exempts license holders from Florida’s mandatory three-day waiting period between firearm purchase and delivery.⁴ Without the license, every purchase includes the wait.

It gives you federal cover near schools. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a crime to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of any school, with an exemption for people who hold a state license that required a background verification.⁵ A 2025 federal decision in United States v. Metcalf held that permitless carry does not satisfy that exemption, because no government authority verified the carrier’s eligibility. The 1,000-foot zone covers a lot of ordinary neighborhoods, and the license is what keeps you clear of federal exposure while driving through them.

Who Qualifies

FDACS must issue the license if you meet every criterion in Section 790.06. You must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, and intend to carry for lawful self-defense.¹ The same thresholds apply to permitless carry, which cross-references the license rules.

Several conditions disqualify an applicant:

Any felony conviction bars you entirely.
A misdemeanor domestic violence conviction with adjudication withheld disqualifies you for three years after probation or court-imposed conditions are complete. An active domestic violence or repeat violence injunction blocks the application and triggers suspension of an existing license.⁶
A controlled substance conviction within the past three years disqualifies you.¹
Chronic alcohol use that impairs normal faculties is disqualifying. The law presumes impairment with two or more DUI convictions in the past three years or a habitual offender designation.⁶
An adjudication as an incapacitated person or an involuntary commitment to a mental institution disqualifies you, unless you have obtained relief from firearms disabilities.⁶

Active-duty military stationed in Florida qualify even with a different home of record, and those deployed overseas submit deployment documentation with the application. Non-residents can apply as well, using the same process and fees and receiving the same seven-year license.

One quick note on scope: the license covers more than firearms. Florida’s definition of concealed weapon reaches dirks, metallic knuckles, billies, tear gas guns, and chemical weapons, and a single license covers both weapons and firearms.

Proof of Firearms Training

You have to show competency before you apply, and you only need one acceptable form of proof:¹

A firearms safety course taught by an NRA-certified or state-certified instructor, including courses offered by law enforcement agencies, colleges, and private schools.
A hunter education course approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or an equivalent agency in another state.
Proof of organized shooting competition or U.S. military service, including a DD-214.
A firearms course completed through a law enforcement agency or security training program.
A current or prior Florida concealed weapon license, unless it was revoked for cause.

FDACS maintains a full list of acceptable documentation.⁷ For the NRA, state-certified, and general training school pathways, the instructor must certify that you safely handled and discharged a firearm in their physical presence using live ammunition.¹ Some courses satisfy that with a single round of low-powered ammunition. It meets the statute; it does not make you proficient. If you are new to firearms, choose a course with meaningful range time. Basic classes typically run from about $50 to $150.

How to Apply, What It Costs, How Long It Takes

You can file your application three ways: in person at a regional FDACS office or participating county tax collector’s office, by mail with a complete application packet, or through the FDACS online portal. In-person appointments are the fastest. Staff walk you through the electronic application, capture digital fingerprints, take your photo, and process payment in roughly 20 minutes.

Mail applicants submit the application form, a recent passport-style color photo, and an inked fingerprint card.

Fees come in parts. The state license fee is $55 and fingerprint processing is $42. A county tax collector’s office typically adds a service fee of $20 to $25, bringing a resident’s total to about $119.⁸ Going directly through FDACS by mail or online skips the service fee but means paying separately for fingerprints.

FDACS has 90 days from receipt of a complete application to issue or deny the license.¹ A pending criminal charge without a final disposition pauses the clock until the case resolves. Approved licenses arrive by mail at the address you provided.

Where You Still Cannot Carry

The license does not override location-based bans. Section 790.06(12) prohibits concealed carry in these places regardless of license status:¹

Elementary, secondary, and college campuses.
Courthouses and courtrooms, though judges may authorize exceptions in their own courtrooms.
Polling places during elections.
Any session of the Legislature, county commission, school board, municipal council, or special district board.
Any portion of an establishment primarily devoted to serving alcohol for on-premises consumption. The bar area of a restaurant counts; the dining room may not, depending on layout.
Jails, prisons, and detention facilities.
Professional athletic events not related to firearms.
Airport passenger terminals and the sterile area past security, though you can bring a properly encased firearm into the terminal to check as luggage.

Knowingly carrying in any of these locations is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.¹ The same list applies to permitless carriers.

Carrying while licensed also comes with a few baseline obligations. Keep your license and photo ID with you and show them when a law enforcement officer asks; failing to do so is a noncriminal violation with a $25 fine.¹ Florida has no duty-to-inform law, so you are not required to volunteer that you are armed. Notify FDACS in writing within 30 days of any address change, which matters because renewal notices go to the address on file.⁹

Keeping the License Current

The license is valid for seven years.¹ At least 90 days before expiration, FDACS mails a renewal notice and form to your address on file.¹⁰ Renewal is lighter than the first application: no new training course, just the renewal form, a sworn statement that you still qualify, a new color photo, and the renewal fee. Non-residents also submit a fresh fingerprint card with the processing fee.

Miss the expiration date and you have 180 days to renew with a $15 late fee.¹¹ After 180 days, renewal is off the table. You start over as a new applicant with full fees, new fingerprints, and a new background check.¹⁰ Write the expiration date down when the license arrives rather than relying on the mailed notice.

Carrying in Other States

Florida has reciprocity with 37 states, and recognizes concealed carry licenses from each of them in turn.³ The list covers most of the Southeast, Midwest, and Mountain West, along with Pennsylvania, Maine, and Colorado. California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, and Hawaii are not on it.

Reciprocity lists change. Check the current FDACS page before any trip, and read the destination state’s carry rules. Some reciprocity states impose their own prohibited-location rules or magazine capacity limits on visiting license holders that go beyond Florida’s. The Florida license gets you recognized; the host state’s law governs how you carry while you are there.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
2
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms
3
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Concealed Weapon License Reciprocity
4
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.0655 – Purchase and Delivery of Firearms; Mandatory Waiting Period; Exceptions; Penalties
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
6
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
7
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Acceptable Firearms Training Documentation
8
Hillsborough County Tax Collector. Concealed Weapon License Application – Payments and Fees
9
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Change of Address, Division of Licensing
10
Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
11
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Renew Your Concealed Weapon License