The cost to restore gun rights in Florida runs from roughly $120 in government fees, if you seal or expunge a record yourself, to $3,000 or more when attorney fees are added to a clemency application. The exact figure depends on which legal path fits your case, how complicated your record is, and whether you hire a lawyer. One warning before you spend anything: federal firearms law can still bar you from possessing a gun even after Florida says your rights are restored, so the cheapest mistake is paying for a state remedy that leaves you federally prohibited.
Which Path Applies to You
Price follows path, and the path depends on what the court did with your case.
If adjudication was withheld, or your charges were dropped, dismissed, acquitted, or never filed, you may be eligible to seal or expunge the record under Florida Statutes 943.059 and 943.0585.1The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 943.0585 – Court-Ordered Expunction of Criminal History Records2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 943.059 – Court-Ordered Sealing of Criminal History Records This is the cheaper route. You’re generally limited to one court-ordered sealing or expungement in your lifetime, though a court can seal records from multiple related arrests in a single proceeding.
If you were adjudicated guilty of a felony, sealing and expungement are off the table. Your route is executive clemency through the Florida Clemency Board, which can grant “Specific Authority to Own, Possess, or Use Firearms.” You must have completed all sentences, supervision, and court-ordered financial obligations, and the Rules of Executive Clemency impose a waiting period after sentence completion. There is no filing fee.3Florida Commission on Offender Review. Apply for Restoration of Civil Rights, Pardon, Firearm Authority and Other Forms of Clemency
Government Fees to Seal or Expunge
These costs are fixed or nearly so, which makes the sealing/expungement path the most predictable to budget for.
- FDLE Certificate of Eligibility: $75, nonrefundable. You have to get this certificate from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before you can file in any court. FDLE accepts money orders, cashier’s checks, or personal checks, but not cash or gift cards.4Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Applying for a Certificate of Eligibility for Court-Ordered Sealing or Expungement
- Court filing fee: Varies by county, with $42 a common charge from Florida clerks of court for filing the petition.
- Certified copies of court documents: Charging documents, judgments, and dispositions have to be attached to your petition. Fees vary, but figure around $1 per page plus a certification fee per document.
Added together, government fees for sealing or expunging usually land between $120 and $200, depending on how many documents you need and the county you’re filing in.
Government Costs for Clemency
The clemency application itself is free. The usual sting of document costs is also removed by statute: Florida Statute 940.04 requires clerks of court to provide certified copies of charging documents, judgments, and sentences at no charge when you need them for a clemency application.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 940.04 – Copy of Information or Indictment to Be Furnished Without Charge If you have offenses in several counties, that statute matters, because without it you’d be paying for copies and certification at each courthouse.
What’s left is postage to mail the packet to the Office of Executive Clemency in Tallahassee and small incidental costs for things like character references or employment documentation. If you prepare the application yourself, the government cost can be effectively zero.
Attorney Fees
You can handle either path without a lawyer. Most people hire one anyway because the eligibility rules are technical. A mistake on a seal or expunge petition wastes the $75 FDLE fee, and a poorly prepared clemency application drags out a process that already takes a year or longer.
Sealing or Expunging
Attorneys usually charge flat fees for seal and expunge work because the scope is predictable. Expect roughly $1,000 to $2,500, depending on how complicated your record is and whether a hearing is required. Some firms bundle the government filing fees into the flat rate. Ask whether a quoted price is all-inclusive before you sign.
Clemency Applications
Clemency representation costs more because the work is heavier and the outcome less certain. Some attorneys split the engagement, charging roughly $500 for an initial eligibility review and about $1,200 for application preparation and filing. Others quote a single flat fee of $2,000 to $5,000. If the Clemency Board schedules a hearing and your attorney attends, you’ll pay extra for hearing preparation and travel to Tallahassee. Multiple felony convictions or convictions spread across counties push the number higher.
Federal Pardon Representation
If your conviction is federal, Florida’s clemency process can’t help you. The remedy is a presidential pardon, a separate process entirely. Attorneys who handle federal pardon applications typically charge $2,500 to $10,000 or more, depending on complexity and whether hearings are involved. Federal pardons are rarely granted and the timeline runs years, making this the most expensive and uncertain path.
Why You Need to Check Federal Law Before Paying Anyone
Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison from possessing any firearm or ammunition.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts That ban runs on its own track, separate from Florida’s. Violating it is a federal felony no matter what Florida has done with your rights.
Federal law carves out an exception: a conviction doesn’t count for federal purposes if it has been expunged, set aside, or pardoned, or if the person’s civil rights have been restored, unless the order specifically says the person still cannot possess firearms.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions A successful Florida expungement, or a clemency grant that includes firearm authority, should satisfy federal law in most cases. The details matter. If you only seal a record without expunging it, or your clemency grant restores civil rights without specifically restoring firearm authority, the federal ban can still apply.
Federal law also bans firearm possession for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, with no expiration.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts A full expungement may clear it. Simply finishing your sentence or having the state restore your rights without expungement likely will not.
One more wrinkle. If a Florida court withheld adjudication on your felony, Florida state law may not treat you as a convicted felon, which can mean you never lost your state firearm rights under Florida Statute 790.23.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.23 – Felons and Delinquents, Possession of Firearms Unlawful The ATF has taken the position that a withhold involving a guilty plea and supervised probation can still count as a disqualifying conviction under federal law. If that’s your situation, paying for an expungement can still be worth it because a successful expungement triggers the federal exception.
Before paying any fee, know whether your situation involves a federal prohibition. An attorney familiar with both state and federal firearms law can keep you from spending thousands on a state remedy that leaves you federally barred.
Total Cost Summary
- Sealing or expunging without an attorney: $120 to $200 in government fees.
- Sealing or expunging with an attorney: $1,100 to $2,700, including government fees.
- Executive clemency for firearm authority without an attorney: effectively $0, since the application is free and the court documents you need must be provided at no charge.5Florida Senate. Florida Code 940.04 – Copy of Information or Indictment to Be Furnished Without Charge
- Executive clemency with an attorney: $1,500 to $5,000 or more, depending on the number of convictions and whether a Board hearing is involved.
- Federal pardon with an attorney: $2,500 to $10,000 or more, with a much longer timeline and a lower success rate.
Dollars aside, the real cost is time. Clemency applications routinely stretch past a year, and if the Board denies you, you’ve spent that time and the legal fee with nothing to show. Getting the eligibility analysis right before you file is the single most cost-effective step you can take.