How to Complete and Submit the NYS Pistol Permit Amendment Form (PPB-5)

The NYS pistol permit amendment form PPB-5 is the document you file with your county licensing officer whenever you add or remove a firearm, report one lost or stolen, change your address or name, or need a replacement permit card. It also handles amendments to semi-automatic rifle licenses. You can download it from the New York State Police firearms page or pick up a copy at your County Clerk’s office.¹

When to File a PPB-5

New York Penal Law § 400.00(9) lets any licensed pistol, revolver, or semi-automatic rifle holder apply to their licensing officer for an amendment at any time.² In practice you’ll file one when you:

Add a handgun you’ve bought or acquired. A handgun that isn’t listed on your permit can expose you to prosecution for criminal possession of a weapon.³
Remove a handgun you’ve sold, traded, or transferred.
Report a firearm lost, stolen, or destroyed, and identify the law enforcement agency you reported it to.
Change your address. State law requires written notice within ten days of moving, and you must also inscribe the new address on the back of your physical license.²
Change your legal name after marriage, divorce, or court order.
Replace a damaged, lost, or unreadable permit card.

The ten-day address rule is the only hard statutory deadline in that list. The rest carry no fixed clock, but a handgun sitting in your safe that doesn’t appear on your permit is, legally, a handgun you’re not authorized to possess. File promptly.

How to Fill Out the Form

Gather your information before you start. Serial numbers are the item people misread most often, and a single wrong digit means the form won’t match the state database and the amendment gets rejected or delayed.

Header and Personal Information

Enter your full legal name, date of birth, New York driver’s license or non-driver ID number, physical address, mailing address if different, and your pistol or semi-automatic rifle license number.⁴ License numbers follow a format like 111-98 (permit number, then year). Some counties will look yours up if you don’t have it, but bringing it saves time.

Transaction Type

Check the box that matches what you’re doing: adding a firearm, removing one, reporting a lost or stolen firearm, updating personal information, or requesting a duplicate card. You can combine changes on a single PPB-5, such as adding one handgun while deleting another.

Firearm Details

For each weapon, list the manufacturer, model, type (pistol, revolver, or single shot), caliber, and serial number.⁵ Verify the serial number against the physical firearm.

Acquisition, Disposition, and Loss Sections

Section 5 asks for the name and address of the person or dealer you acquired a weapon from. Section 6 asks for the name and address of the person or dealer you transferred one to. Section 7 covers lost, stolen, or destroyed firearms and asks you to identify the law enforcement agency you notified.⁵

Signature

Sign and date. Some counties require notarization for specific changes. Erie County, for example, requires a notarized PPB-5 for co-registration changes.⁶ If your amendment goes beyond a routine add or delete, call your licensing office first.

Semi-Automatic Rifle Amendments

The same PPB-5 covers semi-automatic rifle licenses. The form’s full title is “Pistol / Revolver License Amendment — Semi-Automatic Rifle License Amendment,” and there’s a checkbox in the transaction type section to indicate the change involves a rifle license.⁵

Sections 5, 6, and 7 do not apply to semi-automatic rifles. For a rifle amendment, fill in the weapon details and leave those acquisition, disposition, and loss fields blank.⁵

Where to Submit It and What It Costs

File the completed PPB-5 with the licensing officer or County Clerk’s office in the county that issued your permit. Accepted methods vary by county, so call ahead. Wayne County accepts walk-in submissions.⁷⁶⁸ Busier counties may require appointments, especially when a purchase coupon is being issued.

The base amendment fee is $3.00 per form regardless of how many changes it contains. Most counties add a charge for a reprinted permit card. Ontario County charges an additional $5.00 for a new card.⁹ Dutchess County charges $3.00 for the amendment plus $10.00 per card, with each card holding up to six firearms, so a standard amendment there runs $13.00.¹⁰ Payment methods vary; many offices take cash or money order, some accept credit cards.

Adding a Handgun: the Purchase Coupon Step

Adding a handgun isn’t a matter of buying the gun and then filing the PPB-5. Most counties use a coupon system that has to be completed before you take possession.

You file the PPB-5 indicating you want to add a handgun. If approved, the office issues a purchase coupon authorizing you to take possession of a specific firearm. You present the coupon to the dealer or seller, complete the transfer, and the office then updates your license record. Madison County’s instructions are explicit: do not take possession of any handgun until after you have registered it with the pistol permit office, obtained a purchase coupon, and had the weapon added to your permit.¹¹

Sullivan County offers a pre-purchase option. Permit holders in good standing can buy up to two coupons at $15.00 each, valid for handgun purchases within New York State. Even with a pre-approved coupon, the handgun cannot be carried until it has been formally added to your permit; it must go straight from the dealer to your home and stay secured there until the paperwork clears. Sullivan County’s rules warn in bold that possessing a handgun not yet added to your permit will result in permit suspension and potential prosecution for criminal possession of a weapon.³

Processing Time and What You Get Back

Once you submit the form, the licensing officer reviews the request and verifies the information against existing records. Monroe County advises allowing at least 14 business days, and that figure covers just transferring a firearm from a dealer with no complications.⁸ More complex changes or higher-volume counties can run longer.

After approval, the licensing officer files a record of the amendment with the Division of State Police in Albany.² You’ll receive an updated permit card or paper insert reflecting the change. Keep the current version with you whenever you carry.

Where to Get the Current Form

Download the PPB-5 from the New York State Police firearms page under “County Pistol/Revolver/Semi-Automatic Rifle License Forms.”¹ Copies are also available at the County Clerk’s office, and some counties post their own version; Tompkins County hosts the current revision, dated August 2022.⁵ Use the most recent revision. Older versions may lack the semi-automatic rifle fields and can be rejected.

Some offices accept typed PDFs printed on paper; others want handwritten black ink. When in doubt, call your county’s pistol permit office before submitting.

Recertification Is a Separate Requirement

Filing PPB-5 amendments keeps individual entries current, but New York also requires full recertification of your license every five years, and completing one does not satisfy the other.

Under Penal Law § 400.00(10), pistol and revolver licensees must recertify with the Division of State Police every five years by providing their current name, date of birth, address, and the make, model, caliber, and serial number of every firearm they possess. Failure to recertify results in revocation of the license. Semi-automatic rifle licenses also require recertification every five years, with a penalty of up to $250 for missing the deadline rather than automatic revocation.² Recertification is handled through the State Police recertification portal, not through the PPB-5. Staying current with your amendments makes recertification a confirmation rather than a reconstruction.

1
New York State Police. Firearms
2
New York State Senate. New York Code PEN 400.00 – Licensing and Other Provisions Relating to Firearms
3
Sullivan County, New York. Pistol Permit Pre-approved Coupon Rules
4
Monroe County, New York. Instructions for Adding the Semi-Automatic Rifle Permit to your In Process Pistol Permit Application by Mail
5
Tompkins County New York. NYS Pistol / Revolver License Amendment – Semi-Automatic Rifle License Amendment
6
Erie County Clerk. Amendments by Mail
7
Wayne County, NY. Pistol Permits
8
Monroe County Sheriff. Pistol Permits
9
Ontario County, NY – Official Website. Amending a Pistol Permit
10
Dutchess County. Pistol Permits
11
Madison County, NY. Pistol and Semi-automatic Rifle Permits