Florida Firearm Purchase and Concealed Weapon License Rules

Florida gun laws set a minimum purchase age of 21, require a background check through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before any sale by a licensed dealer, and impose a three-business-day waiting period on most transfers. Carrying a firearm in public is allowed only if it is concealed, and a concealed weapon and firearm license issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is still required to carry in many settings. A long list of places remains off-limits even with that license.

Who Can Buy a Firearm

You have to be 21 to buy any firearm from a licensed dealer in Florida. The only exception covers rifles and shotguns: active law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and military service members can buy long guns at 18.¹ There is no exception for handgun purchases under 21, no matter your job or military status.

Bring a valid state-issued photo ID, such as a Florida driver’s license or state ID card. The dealer uses it to confirm your identity, age, and residency before initiating the background check.

Private sales between individuals who are not licensed dealers are legal in Florida. At a gun show, though, a licensed dealer must still run the background check for any sale. Outside a gun show, private sales do not require a state background check, but federal law still prohibits selling to someone you know or have reason to believe cannot legally possess a firearm.

Background Checks and the Waiting Period

Florida is a “point of contact” state, so licensed dealers call the FDLE rather than the FBI. The FDLE searches state and national crime databases and returns one of three responses: an approval number, a non-approval that blocks the sale, or a conditional non-approval meaning more research is needed.²

If the check comes back conditional, the FDLE has 24 working hours to clear or deny the buyer. If it cannot resolve the issue in that window, it must issue a conditional approval and the sale can proceed.³ During a system outage, the FDLE has until the end of the dealer’s next business day.

Separately, Florida requires a three-day waiting period between purchase and delivery. Those three days exclude weekends and legal holidays, so the real wait often runs five calendar days or longer. The waiting period does not apply if you hold a valid concealed weapon license, trade in another firearm as part of the purchase, or (for rifle and shotgun purchases) have completed a hunter safety course and hold a valid certification card.⁴ Delivering early is a third-degree felony for the dealer, and obtaining a firearm through fraud is a third-degree felony for the buyer.

Who Cannot Possess a Firearm

Federal law bars several categories of people from having any firearm or ammunition, no matter what Florida permits. These bars apply to purchases, concealed carry licenses, and simple possession. You are prohibited if you:

Have a felony conviction, meaning any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, whether or not you served time.
Are a fugitive from justice.
Are an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution or found mentally incompetent by a court.
Are in the country unlawfully.
Were dishonorably discharged from the military.
Have renounced U.S. citizenship.
Are subject to a domestic violence restraining order protecting an intimate partner or that partner’s child.
Have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

If you are under indictment for a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, you cannot receive or transport firearms while the case is pending.⁵ None of these federal bars can be waived by a Florida concealed weapon license or any state-level process.

Straw Purchases

Buying a firearm for someone else who is the actual intended owner is a federal crime called a straw purchase. The lie on the transfer paperwork about who the gun is for is itself the offense, even if the real buyer could legally own the gun. The base penalty is up to 15 years in federal prison, rising to 25 years if the buyer knows or has reason to believe the firearm will be used in a felony, a terrorism offense, or drug trafficking.⁶

Concealed Weapon License

FDACS issues Florida’s concealed weapon and firearm license. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien and at least 21. Active-duty military members and honorably discharged veterans can apply at 18.⁷

Florida adds its own disqualifiers on top of the federal bars. Two or more DUI convictions within the three years before you apply create a presumption of chronic alcohol abuse that blocks the license. A misdemeanor conviction for a crime of violence disqualifies you for three years after you complete probation or any court-imposed conditions, unless the record has been sealed or expunged. Any felony conviction is a permanent bar under both state and federal law.

Firearm Training

You must show competence with a firearm. Several paths satisfy this: a safety course taught by an instructor certified through the NRA, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, or FDACS; a hunter education course with a valid certificate; or military discharge papers showing firearms proficiency.⁸ Whichever route you choose, the training must include live fire with an instructor personally observing you handle and discharge a real firearm. Classroom-only or simulator courses do not qualify. Qualifying courses in Florida generally run $50 to $150.

How to Apply

The application packet includes the FDACS form (signed under oath, so false answers are a criminal offense),⁹ a color passport-style photo (taken within the last 30 days if you apply by mail, or taken on-site if you apply at a tax collector’s office), a full set of fingerprints submitted to both the FDLE and the FBI, and your training certificate showing the instructor’s name, certification number, and the completion date. Veterans using military service for the training requirement should attach a DD-214.

Most applicants apply in person at a Florida tax collector’s office, which handles the fingerprints, photo, and paperwork in one appointment. Some FDACS regional offices accept walk-ins, and FDACS runs an online portal for applicants who already have digital fingerprints and documents.¹⁰

Fees and Timeline

A new license costs $55 for the license itself and $42 for fingerprint processing. A tax collector’s office adds a convenience fee of up to $22, bringing the typical total to $119.¹¹ Once FDACS receives a complete application, it has 90 days to approve or deny it. An incomplete application pauses the clock until you provide what is missing. Approved licenses are mailed to your home address and are valid for seven years.

Florida Prohibits Open Carry

Florida does not allow open carry of firearms or electronic weapons in public. Carrying a visible firearm outside the exceptions in the statute is a second-degree misdemeanor. The law gives license holders a small cushion: briefly and unintentionally exposing a concealed firearm, such as when your shirt rides up, is not a violation unless you display the weapon in an angry or threatening way.¹²

Where You Cannot Carry With a License

A concealed weapon license is not blanket permission to carry everywhere. The following locations are off-limits even with a valid license:

Law enforcement facilities, including police stations, sheriff’s offices, and highway patrol stations.
Jails, prisons, and any detention center.
Courthouses and courtrooms (a judge may authorize specific individuals to carry in that judge’s own courtroom).
Polling places during elections.
Any meeting of a county commission, city council, school board, or special district governing body, and any session of the Florida Legislature or its committees.
Elementary and secondary school buildings, administration buildings, and career centers.
College and university facilities. Registered students, employees, or faculty may carry a stun gun or similar nonlethal device that does not fire a projectile.
Any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms.
The portion of an establishment with a liquor license that is primarily devoted to serving drinks for on-site consumption. You can carry in the restaurant section of the same establishment.
Airport passenger terminals and sterile areas. You may bring a properly cased firearm into the terminal to check it as luggage.
Any location where federal law bars firearms, such as federal courthouses and certain government buildings.

The statute also prohibits carry in any “place of nuisance” as defined under Florida law.⁷ Because Florida preempts the entire field of firearms regulation, no city or county can add its own carry rules on top of these.¹³

Renewing Your License

FDACS mails a renewal form roughly 95 days before your license expires. The renewal fee is $57, plus up to $12 if you renew at a tax collector’s office. You do not have to retake a firearm safety course; instead, you sign a sworn statement affirming you still meet all the eligibility requirements.¹⁴

Miss the expiration date and you have a 180-day grace period to renew with a $15 late fee. After 180 days the license is dead, and you have to start over with a brand-new application, fresh fingerprints, and a new training certificate. Carrying concealed during any gap in coverage, even with a renewal pending, exposes you to criminal charges.

Carrying in Other States

Florida has mutual recognition agreements with 37 states. Your Florida license allows concealed carry in those states, and their licenses are honored here.¹⁵ Notable states not on the list include California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, and Oregon.

Reciprocity does not mean identical rules. When you carry in another state under your Florida license, that state’s laws govern where you can bring a firearm, how you must store it in a vehicle, and whether you have a duty to inform law enforcement during a traffic stop. Check the destination state’s rules before you travel.

Traveling With Firearms

By Car

Federal law protects “safe passage” for anyone legally transporting a firearm between two places where they can lawfully possess it. The firearm must be unloaded and stored so that neither it nor any ammunition is directly accessible from the passenger compartment. If your vehicle has no separate trunk, the firearm and ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or center console.¹⁶ This federal protection overrides state and local laws along your route, but it only covers transit. Overnight stops or significant deviations from your route can draw a state’s argument that the protection no longer applies.

By Air

TSA allows firearms in checked baggage only. The firearm must be unloaded, locked in a hard-sided case, and declared to the airline at the ticket counter. Only you should have the key or combination. Ammunition also goes in checked baggage, packed in its original box or a container designed for ammunition. Loaded magazines do not qualify as containers unless they completely enclose the rounds.¹⁷

TSA treats a firearm as loaded if a live round is in the chamber, cylinder, or an inserted magazine. For enforcement purposes, a gun is also treated as loaded if the firearm and loose ammunition are both accessible to you in the same bag. Airlines may add their own quantity limits on ammunition and charge fees for firearm transport, so check with your carrier before you leave for the airport.

Risk Protection Orders

Florida’s risk protection order law, sometimes called a red flag law, lets a law enforcement officer or agency ask a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a significant danger to themselves or others. Only law enforcement can file the petition. Family members and other civilians cannot file directly, though they can report concerns to law enforcement.

A court can issue a temporary order without advance notice to the person involved. After a full hearing, if the court finds clear and convincing evidence of danger, it can issue an order lasting up to 12 months, which can be extended in 12-month increments. The order requires the person to surrender all firearms, ammunition, and any concealed weapon license to local law enforcement.¹⁸ Possessing a firearm while subject to a risk protection order is a third-degree felony.

NFA Items

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and other items regulated under the National Firearms Act are legal to possess under Florida law but require federal registration through the ATF. As of January 1, 2026, the $200 federal excise tax has been eliminated for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and similar regulated items. Machine guns and destructive devices still carry the $200 tax. The paperwork requirements remain: ATF Form 4 for a transfer, fingerprints, a passport photo, and a background check.

1
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Requirements to Purchase a Firearm
2
Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Firearm Purchase Program
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.065 – Sale and Delivery of Firearms
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.0655 – Purchase and Delivery of Firearms; Mandatory Waiting Period
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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Identify Prohibited Persons
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 837.06 – False Official Statements
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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Applying for a Concealed Weapon License
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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Concealed Weapon or Firearm License Fee Schedule
12
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.33 – Field of Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition Preempted
14
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Renew Your Concealed Weapon License
15
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Concealed Weapon License Reciprocity
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms
17
Transportation Security Administration. Transporting Firearms and Ammunition
18
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.401 – Risk Protection Orders