To register an inherited firearm in California, you file a report with the state Department of Justice within 30 days of taking possession and pay a $19 processing fee for each firearm. The report is submitted either online through the California Firearms Application Reporting System (CFARS) or by mailing form BOF 4544A to the Bureau of Firearms in Sacramento. Filing that report is what puts the gun in your name in the state’s Automated Firearms System, and skipping it is a misdemeanor.1California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27920
Before You Take Possession
You need to be at least 18 and hold a valid Firearm Safety Certificate before the firearm changes hands. The FSC applies whether the transfer is happening through a will, a trust, or intestate succession, and it applies whether or not the person you inherited from was a family member. Getting the certificate means passing a written safety test at a licensed dealer and paying $25. An unexpired Handgun Safety Certificate also satisfies the requirement.2State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearms Reporting and Law Enforcement Release Application
Executors and administrators get a narrow break. You can hold estate firearms in that representative role without an FSC while you settle the estate, but the moment you transfer one to yourself as an heir, the certificate requirement kicks in.
You also cannot be a prohibited person under state or federal law. Prior felony convictions, certain misdemeanor convictions, and some restraining orders all disqualify you. Inheritance is not a workaround. If you are prohibited, taking possession is itself a separate offense, so the firearm needs to go to another eligible heir or to a licensed dealer instead.3California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 29800
Which Type of Transfer Applies
California treats an inherited firearm as one of two kinds of transfer, and which one you pick determines which report you file. Both bypass the usual requirement that a firearm transfer go through a licensed dealer.
An operation of law transfer under Penal Code 27920 covers any firearm acquired through a will, trust, or intestate succession, regardless of your relationship to the person who died.1California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27920
An intrafamilial firearm transaction under Penal Code 27875 covers infrequent transfers by gift, bequest, or intestate succession between immediate family members.4California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 27875
California defines immediate family narrowly. It means parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren. Siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins are not on the list, which surprises most people. A brother inheriting his sister’s rifle does not qualify for the intrafamilial pathway, but the operation-of-law pathway still works for him. Many inheritances fit both categories; when they do, the CFARS portal walks you through which report matches your situation.
How to File Your Report
You have two ways to file, and both cost $19 per firearm.
Online Through CFARS
The California Firearms Application Reporting System is the DOJ’s online portal. Create an account, choose the report type that applies (operation of law or intrafamilial), enter the required information, and pay the fee by credit card. The system emails you status updates.2State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Firearms Reporting and Law Enforcement Release Application
By Mail
Print form BOF 4544A, complete it, and mail it with a $19 check or money order per firearm, payable to the Department of Justice, to:
Department of Justice, Bureau of Firearms
P.O. Box 820200
Sacramento, CA 94203-0200
An incomplete form or a missing fee gets returned without processing, and the clock on your 30-day window keeps running while it sits in the mail.5California Department of Justice. Report of Operation of Law or Intra-Familial Firearm Transaction
What the Form Asks For
- Your full legal name, date of birth, address, and California driver’s license or ID number
- The firearm’s make, model, serial number, caliber, and type (handgun, rifle, or shotgun)
- The name of the person you inherited from and the method of transfer (will, trust, or intestate succession)
After you submit, the DOJ runs a firearms eligibility check to confirm you are legally allowed to possess the gun. You get a confirmation notice once it clears.
What Happens If You Miss the 30-Day Deadline
Late reporting is a violation of Penal Code 27590. Most reporting violations are charged as misdemeanors. When the firearm involved is a handgun or a centerfire semiautomatic rifle, penalties can reach up to a year in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.6California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 27590
The practical cost matters too. An unregistered firearm that gets lost or stolen has no record tying it to you, which complicates any recovery and can raise questions about how you obtained it.
Firearms Inherited From Out of State
Bringing an inherited firearm into California from another state normally triggers the requirement to route it through a licensed dealer. Penal Code 27585 carves out an exception for transfers that qualify as intrafamilial under Penal Code 27875 or as operation of law under Penal Code 27920. Either way, you file the same DOJ report within 30 days of taking possession in California.7California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 27585
Getting the firearm physically into California is the harder part. Federal law bars non-dealers from shipping handguns through the U.S. Postal Service, and major carriers like FedEx will not accept firearm shipments from non-licensees at all. In most cases you arrange for a licensed dealer in the originating state to ship to a licensed dealer in California, who then processes the transfer to you. Each dealer typically charges a transfer fee in the $40 to $100 range.
Assault Weapons and .50 BMG Rifles
Standard inheritance rules do not apply to assault weapons or .50 BMG rifles. California prohibits transferring these firearms to another person, and that prohibition covers inheritance.8California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 30600
If a lawfully registered assault weapon ends up in an estate, the heir has 90 days to do one of the following:9California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 30915
- Render the firearm permanently inoperable
- Sell it to a licensed dealer authorized to handle assault weapons
- Obtain a dangerous weapons permit from the DOJ, which is rarely granted to individuals
- Remove it from California to a state where possession is legal
Missing the 90-day window puts you in unlawful possession, which is a felony. If you are the executor of an estate that contains an assault weapon or a .50 BMG rifle, deal with it early rather than waiting for probate to close.