How to Register Inherited Firearms in California: 30-Day Deadline

To register an inherited firearm in California, you have 30 days from the day you take possession to send the Department of Justice a completed Report of Operation of Law or Intra-Familial Firearm Transaction (form BOF 4544A), a $19 processing fee, a copy of your California ID, and documentation showing your right to the firearm.¹ Before you file, you need to be sure you can legally own the gun in the first place.

The 30-Day Clock

The deadline is 30 days from the day the firearm comes into your hands, not the day the person died and not the day probate closes.¹ If the estate is still working through probate and the gun hasn’t been released to you, the clock hasn’t started. Once it has, miss the window and you are in possession of an unregistered firearm.

The same 30-day deadline applies whether you received the firearm through a will, through intestate succession when someone died without one, or as a gift from an immediate family member.²

Confirm You Can Legally Possess the Firearm

Inheriting a gun does not override California’s possession rules. You must be at least 18.² Anyone with a felony conviction under state or federal law is permanently prohibited from owning firearms in California.³ Certain misdemeanor convictions, including domestic violence, assault, stalking, criminal threats, and firearm offenses, trigger a 10-year ban.⁴ Addiction to a narcotic drug is also disqualifying.

Active court orders can prohibit possession too. Domestic violence protective orders, civil harassment restraining orders, and workplace violence orders that include firearm restrictions all bar possession,⁵ as do gun violence restraining orders.⁶ Court findings tied to mental disorder or incompetence to stand trial also prohibit possession unless a court later restores the right.⁷ If any of this applies, do not take possession of the firearm.

Which Type of Transfer You’re Filing

The same form, BOF 4544A, covers two different situations, and the rules differ in one meaningful way.

An operation of law transfer covers firearms you receive through a will or intestate succession from anyone, whatever the relationship. The core requirements are that you aren’t prohibited and you file within 30 days.¹

An intra-familial transfer covers firearms passed between immediate family members. Under California law, that means parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren. These transfers skip the licensed dealer, but the recipient must already hold a valid Firearm Safety Certificate before taking possession, or an unexpired Handgun Safety Certificate if the firearm is a handgun.² The FSC costs $25 and requires passing a written test at a licensed firearms dealer. The transfer also has to be infrequent, not part of a business.

Inheriting from a sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend falls under the operation of law provisions, not the intra-familial rules, so the FSC requirement does not attach.

What Goes in the Package

You can download the Report of Operation of Law or Intra-Familial Firearm Transaction, form BOF 4544A, from the California DOJ.⁸

About you, the form asks for:

Full legal name as it appears on your California ID
Date of birth
Current address
California driver’s license or ID card number
Phone number and email address

About the firearm, you’ll need:

Make (manufacturer)
Model
Serial number
Caliber or gauge
Type (pistol, revolver, rifle, or shotgun)

Don’t guess at the serial number. If it has worn away or the firearm never had one, which is common with very old guns, note that on the form. An incorrect serial can get the submission rejected or flagged.

With the completed form, include:

A $19 processing fee by check or money order payable to the Department of Justice⁸
A copy of your California driver’s license or ID card
Supporting documentation such as a death certificate, a copy of the will or trust naming you, or probate court orders

If your California ID carries the words “FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY,” you also need to submit proof of lawful presence in the United States. The DOJ accepts a valid U.S. passport, a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate (not an abbreviated or abstract version), a Certificate of Naturalization, or a permanent resident card.⁹ If your name has changed since the ID was issued, include a certified copy of the marriage certificate or court order showing the change.

Where to Send It

Mail the whole package to:

Department of Justice
Bureau of Firearms – OL
P.O. Box 820200
Sacramento, CA 94203-0200

Keep copies of everything, including the check or money order. The DOJ does not accept this form electronically. After the Bureau of Firearms reviews the submission and runs a background check, it will either approve or deny the registration. Hold onto the confirmation when it arrives; it’s your proof of legal ownership.

If the DOJ Denies Your Registration

A denial letter typically arrives within about two weeks and explains the reason along with how to request the record behind it.¹⁰ Most denials come from a background check flagging a conviction or court order the applicant didn’t realize was still on their record.

To dispute, request your California criminal record using the Request for Live Scan form (BOF 8016RR) from the DOJ website, review it, and work directly with the court that handled the original case to send any correction to the DOJ.¹⁰ DOJ staff won’t discuss the record over the phone, so everything moves in writing. A firearms attorney can help if the record issues are tangled.

While a denial is pending or being challenged, you cannot possess the firearm. It should sit with the estate, a licensed dealer, or law enforcement until the issue is resolved.

Inheriting a Firearm From Out of State

Federal law normally blocks transferring a firearm to someone in another state without a federally licensed dealer, but inheritance is one of the exceptions. A firearm received through a bequest or intestate succession can go directly to the heir without a dealer, provided the heir can legally possess firearms where they live.¹¹

That exemption only gets the gun across the state line. Once it’s in California, the 30-day registration deadline still applies, and so does every state eligibility rule. Confirm the firearm itself is legal in California too; a gun that was fine in Arizona or Texas may qualify as an assault weapon or carry features banned here.

When the Firearm Can’t Simply Be Registered

Some inherited firearms can’t stay with you through the ordinary form. If you inherit a registered assault weapon, you have 90 days to pick one of four options: make it permanently inoperable, sell it to a licensed dealer, obtain a DOJ permit to possess assault weapons (rarely issued to individuals), or remove it from California.¹² For an inherited .50 BMG rifle, the window is 180 days with the same four options.¹³ Letting the deadline pass means illegal possession of a prohibited weapon.

Large-capacity magazines are a separate problem. California bans possession of any magazine holding more than 10 rounds. If one came with the inherited firearm, you can’t keep it. It must be surrendered to law enforcement, sold to a licensed dealer, or removed from the state.

Antique firearms, meaning those manufactured before 1899 that don’t use conventional ammunition, are exempt from many of California’s standard transfer and registration requirements.¹⁴ A pre-1899 firearm modified to accept modern ammunition may lose that status.

After You’re Registered

Registration is the start of your obligations, not the end.

Storage

Under a law that took effect January 1, 2026, every firearm you keep in your home must be securely stored whenever it isn’t being carried on your person or kept close enough that you can prevent unauthorized access. Securely stored means locked in a DOJ-certified firearm safety device or in a gun safe that meets state standards.¹⁵ A first violation carries a fine of up to $250, a second up to $500, and a third or later violation is a misdemeanor.

If anyone in your household is prohibited from possessing firearms, the standard is stricter: your firearms must be securely stored at all times, with no exception for proximity.¹⁶ Violating this provision is a misdemeanor.

Separately, if you store a firearm in a way that lets a child or prohibited person access it and that person causes injury or carries it to a public place, the charges range from misdemeanor to felony depending on what happens.

Lost or Stolen Firearms

If your registered firearm is lost or stolen, report it to local law enforcement within five days of discovering the loss, including make, model, and serial number. If you later recover it, notify the same agency within five days of getting it back.¹⁷

1
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27920
2
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27875
3
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 29800
4
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 29805
5
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 29825
6
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 18100
7
California Legislative Information. California Code WIC 8103
8
California Department of Justice. Report of Operation of Law or Intra-Familial Firearm Transaction BOF 4544A
9
California Department of Justice. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Division 5 – Bureau of Firearms Regulations
10
State of California Department of Justice. Bureau of Firearms
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922
12
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 30915
13
State of California Department of Justice. Assault Weapons and .50 BMG Frequently Asked Questions
14
State of California Department of Justice. Frequently Asked Questions
15
California Legislative Information. SB 53
16
California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 25135
17
California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 25250