Minnesota Carry Permit: Requirements, Fees, and Restrictions

A Minnesota carry permit lets you carry a pistol, openly or concealed, anywhere in the state, subject to the location restrictions below. The county sheriff issues it under a “shall issue” rule: if you are at least 21, complete a certified training course, and pass a background check, the sheriff must grant the permit and cannot refuse based on personal judgment alone. Residents and non-residents can apply, and the sheriff has 30 days to decide once your packet is complete.¹

Who Qualifies

Minnesota Statutes § 624.714 lists six requirements. You must be at least 21 and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. You must finish an approved training course within one year before you apply. You cannot be prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, and your name cannot appear in the state’s criminal gang investigative data system. The sheriff must also run a successful background check and find no evidence that you pose a substantial danger to yourself or others.¹

“Shall issue” is the key phrase. Meet every criterion and the sheriff has no authority to turn you down on a hunch. The one narrow exception lets the sheriff deny a permit only when specific, documented evidence shows a substantial likelihood that you would endanger yourself or the public. Unverified allegations that were never investigated cannot be used against you.¹

What Will Disqualify You

The background check runs you against Minnesota’s prohibited-person list in § 624.713 and the federal rules in 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Any single hit on either list blocks the permit.

Under Minnesota law, you cannot possess a pistol if you have a conviction for a crime of violence (or an equivalent out-of-state offense) unless your rights have been restored. A misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor controlled-substance conviction bars you for three years from the conviction date, as long as you pick up no new drug convictions in that window. A judicial commitment as mentally ill, developmentally disabled, mentally ill and dangerous, or chemically dependent also disqualifies you unless your firearm rights are restored through court. Active domestic-abuse or harassment restraining orders and certain juvenile adjudications apply as well.²

Federal law reaches further. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), any felony conviction, not just a violent one, disqualifies you from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Federal prohibitions also cover fugitives, unlawful drug users, people subject to certain protective orders, and anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Clear the state list but fail the federal check, and the sheriff still must deny you.¹

The Training Course

You must complete a certified handgun training course within one year before you apply. A certified instructor teaches it, and the course covers three things: pistol fundamentals, the legal rules around firearm possession and the use of deadly force, and a live-fire shooting qualification. The legal portion matters more than people expect, because the rules on when you can and cannot use a firearm in self-defense carry life-altering consequences if you get them wrong.¹

Your instructor issues a certificate of completion at the end. You’ll include a photocopy in your application packet. Courses typically run $70 to $125 depending on the instructor and location. The training requirement does not go away after your first permit: every renewal needs a new course completed within the year before you apply.

What to Submit, and Where

Minnesota’s statute spells out exactly what the sheriff can require, and nothing more. Your packet contains three items:

The completed application form, signed and dated.
An accurate photocopy of your training certificate.
An accurate photocopy of your current driver’s license, state ID, or passport photo page.

That short list is exclusive. If a sheriff’s office hands you extra forms or asks for additional documents, the statute says they cannot require them.¹

You have to apply in person. Residents go to the sheriff’s office in their county of residence. Non-residents can apply at any Minnesota county sheriff’s office. Mail and online applications are not accepted.¹

Fees and the 30-Day Clock

The sheriff can charge up to $100 for a new application and up to $75 for a renewal. These are statutory caps on reasonable processing costs, and some counties charge less.¹

Once the sheriff has your complete packet, a strict 30-day deadline starts. Within those 30 days, the sheriff must either issue the permit or send you a written denial that states the legal grounds. If the sheriff fails to respond in 30 days, the permit is deemed issued by operation of law, and the sheriff must promptly finish the paperwork. The permit itself arrives as a wallet-sized card, usually by mail.¹

If You’re Denied

A denial is not final. You can petition the district court in the county where you applied, and the court must hold a hearing within 60 days. The judge reviews the matter from scratch rather than deferring to the sheriff. The hearing record is sealed.

The burden is on the sheriff. To hold the denial, the sheriff must prove by clear and convincing evidence that you are disqualified under the statutory criteria or that you pose a substantial danger. If you win, the court orders the permit issued and awards you reasonable costs and attorney fees.¹

Where the Permit Doesn’t Let You Carry

The permit is valid throughout Minnesota, but several categories of places remain off-limits.

State-Restricted Places

You cannot carry in correctional facilities, state hospitals, or courthouse complexes regardless of your permit. Carrying on K-12 school property or at a licensed child care center is a felony unless the principal or operator gives you written permission, which is rarely granted. The law does allow a permit holder to keep a firearm in a vehicle parked on school or child care property.¹

Federal Places

Federal law bans firearms inside any federal facility, meaning a building or part of a building owned or leased by the federal government where federal employees regularly work. That covers federal courthouses, Social Security offices, IRS offices, VA facilities, and similar buildings. The penalty is up to one year in prison for simple possession, or up to two years for a federal court facility.³

Post offices and their parking lots are prohibited under federal postal regulations. Airport security zones past TSA screening are off-limits, and firearms on aircraft must be unloaded, locked in checked baggage, and declared to the airline. National parks in Minnesota follow state law for possession, but firearms are still banned inside any federal building within the park, such as a visitor center or ranger station.⁴

Private Property and Workplaces

A private business can ban firearms, but only by posting a sign that meets detailed statutory requirements at every entrance or by having an employee personally tell you guns are prohibited and ask you to comply. If you’ve been properly notified and refuse to leave, the penalty is a petty misdemeanor with a maximum $25 fine for the first offense. The firearm is not subject to forfeiture.¹

Two protections are worth knowing. No private establishment or employer can stop you from keeping a firearm in your vehicle in a parking lot, and landlords cannot restrict tenants from lawfully carrying or possessing firearms. Employers can set workplace policies restricting firearms during the course of your employment, and public colleges can restrict carry by students on campus, but violating those policies is an employment or civil matter rather than a crime. Neither employers nor colleges can extend the restriction to the parking lot.¹

Carrying ID and Talking to Police

Whenever you carry, you must have your permit card and a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport) in your immediate possession. If a peace officer lawfully asks to see them, you must produce both. Failing to have them on you is a petty misdemeanor with a maximum $25 fine for the first offense, and the citation is dismissed if you can later show the court or the arresting officer’s office that you were legally authorized to carry at the time.¹

Minnesota does not require you to volunteer that you are carrying. If an officer asks, though, you must answer truthfully. It’s a duty to disclose on request, not a proactive duty to inform. Many instructors still recommend telling the officer early in a traffic stop, because it tends to make the encounter smoother.¹

Keeping the Permit Current

Name, Address, or Lost Card

If your legal name or permanent address changes, or if your card is lost or destroyed, you have 30 days to notify the issuing sheriff. Missing the deadline is a petty misdemeanor with a fine up to $25. Replacement cards cost $10. If the card was lost or destroyed, the replacement request must include a notarized statement confirming the loss.¹

Renewal

A Minnesota permit is good for five years. You can start the renewal up to 90 days before your expiration date by submitting the same three-item packet with a renewal fee of up to $75. You’ll need a fresh training course completed within one year of the renewal application. The same 30-day decision deadline applies.¹

If you let your permit expire by more than 30 days, most counties treat the application as a new permit rather than a renewal, which bumps the fee up to the $100 maximum. Don’t sit on it.

Penalty for Carrying Without a Permit

Carrying a pistol in a public place, in a vehicle, or on a boat without a valid permit is a gross misdemeanor on a first offense. A second or later conviction is a felony. These penalties apply to anyone who isn’t a peace officer, with no grace period and no warning system.¹

1
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 624.714 – Carrying of Weapons Without Permit; Penalties
2
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 624.713 – Certain Persons Not to Possess Firearms
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
4
National Park Service. Firearms in National Parks