Mississippi Concealed Carry Permit: Rules, Endorsement, and Renewal

A Mississippi concealed carry permit is issued by the Department of Public Safety, lasts five years, and costs $112 for a first-time applicant. Mississippi is a constitutional carry state, so anyone 18 or older who can legally possess a firearm may carry a concealed handgun without any permit at all. People still apply because a formal permit skips the NICS background check when buying from a dealer, opens reciprocity with other states, and qualifies you for the enhanced endorsement that lifts most of the location restrictions built into state law.¹

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 21, a Mississippi resident, and hold a valid state driver’s license or ID. Members and veterans of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, can apply at 18.¹

A felony conviction permanently disqualifies you unless you have been pardoned or the conviction has been expunged. Other disqualifiers include:

Adjudication of mental incompetence or involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, unless five years have passed since a court restored your capacity or a licensed psychiatrist certifies you have been free of disability for five years.
A state or federal drug conviction, or voluntary or involuntary commitment to a substance abuse treatment facility, within the three years before you apply. Either creates a presumption of chronic use.
Two or more alcohol-related convictions within the preceding three years, or commitment to an alcohol treatment facility during that window.

DPS runs a full background check on every applicant, and any of these will result in denial.

How to Apply

Download the Individual Firearm Permit Application from the DPS Firearm Permit Division website and complete it in one sitting. If you close your browser before printing, you lose your entries.²

Sign the application in front of a notary public. This step cannot be handled at the Highway Patrol station. Once notarized, bring the application in person to a Mississippi Highway Patrol substation, where staff will photograph you and take live-scan fingerprints for the background check.

The first-time permit fee is $112. Renewals cost $72, or $52 if you are 65 or older.³

Once your file is complete, DPS has 45 days to issue the license, deny it, or notify you in writing that it needs more time along with an estimate of how long. A denial must be in writing and can be appealed. Approved permits arrive by mail at the address on your application.¹

Where a Standard Permit Lets You Carry

A standard permit covers most public spaces in Mississippi, but state law lists specific locations that stay off-limits:¹

Police, sheriff, and highway patrol stations, plus jails, prisons, and other detention facilities
Courthouses, courtrooms, meetings of any governmental governing body, and sessions of the Legislature or its committees
Elementary and secondary schools, and any junior college, community college, or university facility, unless you are taking part in an authorized firearms activity
Polling places
Any portion of a business that primarily serves alcohol for on-premises consumption, including beer and wine bars
School, college, or professional athletic events not related to firearms
Places of worship, subject to limited exceptions under a separate statute
Airport passenger terminals, unless the firearm is encased for shipment as checked baggage
Any location where federal law prohibits firearms

On top of those, any private property owner or business can prohibit firearms by posting a sign readable from at least ten feet away stating that carrying a pistol or revolver is prohibited. The permit does not override a posted sign.

The Enhanced Carry Endorsement

The enhanced endorsement is the reason most Mississippians pursue a formal permit. It stamps an additional authorization onto the standard permit and clears you to carry in nearly every location on the restricted list, including college campuses and courthouses.⁴

To qualify, complete a firearms safety course of at least eight hours taught by an instructor certified through a nationally recognized training organization or approved by DPS. The curriculum must include at least one hour of legal instruction covering concealed carry law and justifiable use of force.⁵ Military members and veterans with law enforcement or combat handgun training, and honorably retired law enforcement officers, can qualify instead by submitting an affidavit confirming they have read and will follow all enhanced carry laws.⁴

Even with the endorsement, four categories of location remain off-limits:

Police, sheriff, and highway patrol stations
Detention facilities, prisons, and jails
Courtrooms during an active judicial proceeding, though the surrounding courthouse is fine
Places of nuisance as defined by Mississippi law

Carrying Rules and Notifications

Mississippi does not require you to inform an officer that you are carrying during a traffic stop or other encounter. You do, however, have to keep your permit and a valid ID with you whenever you carry concealed, and you must produce both if an officer asks. Failing to carry the permit is a noncriminal violation with a $25 fine.¹

If you move, you have 30 days to notify DPS in writing of your new address. The same 30-day window applies if the permit is lost or destroyed. Missing either deadline is another $25 noncriminal violation. To replace a lost, stolen, or destroyed permit, appear in person at an authorized Highway Patrol station with a completed and notarized Lost or Destroyed Affidavit. The duplicate fee is $15, payable by cash, credit card, debit card, check, or money order.⁶

Firearms in Your Vehicle at Work

Mississippi law prevents most employers from banning firearms stored in a locked vehicle in their parking lot. The protection applies to both public and private employers, so leaving a handgun in your locked car during work hours is generally legal even when the building itself is a gun-free zone.⁷

Two exceptions matter. A private employer can prohibit firearms in vehicles if the parking area uses a gate, security station, or other access control that restricts public entry. And the statute does not cover company-owned vehicles you drive for work.

Federal Property and Out-of-State Travel

No state permit, standard or enhanced, overrides federal law. Carrying a firearm into a federal facility is a crime under federal statute.⁸ Post offices, VA hospitals, Social Security offices, federal courthouses, and military installations are all off-limits. Post office property includes the parking lot, which catches people off guard when postal buildings share lots with other businesses.

Mississippi recognizes any valid, unexpired concealed carry license issued by another state, so visitors can carry here on their home permit. Whether another state honors your Mississippi permit depends on that state’s own rules. Some recognize it automatically, some require a formal agreement, and some do not recognize it at all. DPS maintains a current reciprocity list on its website; check it before traveling armed, because these agreements change.⁹

Renewing Your Permit

The permit is valid for five years from the date issued. Renewals are handled by mail rather than in person. Download the Concealed/Enhanced Carry Renewal Application from the DPS Firearm Permit Division website, complete and notarize it where required, and mail it with payment to the Firearm Permit Division at P.O. Box 1459, Canton, MS 39046. Renewal fees are $72, or $52 at age 65 and older, paid by personal check, cashier’s check, or money order made out to the Department of Public Safety. Do not send cash.²

Constitutional carry does not fully cover the gap if you let the permit lapse. An expired permit means no reciprocity in other states and no access to enhanced-endorsement locations until the renewal is processed.

1
Justia Law. Mississippi Code 45-9-101 – License to Carry Stun Gun, Concealed Pistol or Revolver
2
DPS Driver Service Bureau. Firearm Permit Applications and Forms
3
Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Firearm Permit Fees
4
Mississippi Legislature. HB1083 – Mississippi Code 97-37-7
5
Legal Information Institute. 31 Mississippi Code R 1-15.1 – Enhanced Conceal and Carry
6
DPS Driver Service Bureau. Duplicates and Lost Permits
7
FindLaw. Mississippi Code 45-9-55 – Firearm Storage in Vehicles on Employer Property
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities
9
DPS Driver Service Bureau. With What Other States Does Mississippi Have Reciprocity