Prince William County Concealed Carry Permit Requirements

To qualify for a Prince William County concealed carry permit, you must be at least 21 years old, live in the county, prove handgun competency through an in-person course, and have no disqualifying criminal, mental health, or substance history. Applications go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 9311 Lee Avenue, 3rd Floor, in Manassas, with a fee capped at $50, and the court has 45 days to issue or deny the permit.¹

Who Qualifies

The two threshold rules are age and residency. You must be 21 or older and reside in Prince William County. There’s no minimum length of residency, so you can apply the day you move in.¹

Active military members 21 or older stationed at a Virginia duty post or the Pentagon can apply through the circuit court where they are domiciled, even if their permanent home is in another state.²

Training That Counts

Every applicant has to demonstrate handgun competency, and Virginia law requires the training be done in person. Online-only courses do not qualify, and a clerk will reject a certificate from a course with no in-person component.¹ That’s the pitfall most applicants trip on, because online concealed carry courses are heavily marketed.

Beyond that, Virginia accepts a wide range of training:³

A hunter education course approved by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources or a similar agency in another state.
Any firearms safety or training course offered by the NRA or the USCCA.
A firearms course open to the public and taught by an instructor certified by the NRA, USCCA, or the Department of Criminal Justice Services.
A firearms course designed for security guards, special deputies, or law enforcement personnel.
Current military service, participation in organized shooting competition, or proof of honorable discharge from any branch.
A current or previously held Virginia firearms license that was not revoked.
Any other firearms training the court finds adequate.

Once you meet the competency requirement, your proof doesn’t expire, and the court can’t ask for more than the statute requires.¹

Who Is Disqualified

Virginia sets the disqualifications at the state level, and the clerk and court have no discretion over most of them. If any of the following applies to you, the application will be denied.⁴

Criminal History

Anyone prohibited from possessing a firearm under Virginia’s felony firearms prohibition is disqualified, though the statute permits a court-issued restoration order. A juvenile adjudication for conduct that would have been an adult felony disqualifies you for up to 16 years from the later of the adjudication date or release from incarceration.⁵

A conviction for assault, battery, sexual battery, illegal discharge of a firearm, or brandishing disqualifies you if it occurred within the three years before you apply. Two or more misdemeanor convictions within five years also disqualify you when at least one is a Class 1 misdemeanor; a judge has some discretion when none of them are Class 1. Traffic infractions and Title 46.2 misdemeanors don’t count.⁴

Protective Orders and Mental Health

You can’t receive a permit while subject to a restraining order or protective order that bars firearm possession. If you were previously found legally incompetent or incapacitated and your rights were later restored, you must wait at least five years from the restoration to apply. The same five-year wait applies after release from involuntary mental health commitment.⁴

Substance Abuse and Other Bars

Anyone addicted to or unlawfully using controlled substances is disqualified. A DUI conviction or public drunkenness conviction within the three years before you apply is also a bar. So are a dishonorable military discharge, fugitive status, and lack of lawful immigration status. Finally, the court can deny a permit if it finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that you are likely to use a weapon unlawfully or negligently.⁴

After a Felony

A felony conviction isn’t necessarily permanent. If the Governor restores your civil rights, you can petition the circuit court in the county where you live or were convicted to restore your firearm rights. For a Virginia felony, this requires either a full pardon with no firearms restrictions, or a simple restoration of civil rights followed by court permission to possess firearms.⁶ Federal felony convictions require a separate process through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, because a state restoration doesn’t remove federal disabilities.

How to Apply

The application is Virginia State Police Form SP-248, available at the Virginia State Police website or the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.³ It asks for your full legal name, any other names you have used, your current residential address, and all addresses where you have lived during the past five years.⁷

You’ll also list physical descriptors: height, weight, sex, race, hair color, eye color, and any distinguishing marks or tattoos. Your Social Security number is optional, but including it speeds the background check because it helps match records accurately. You sign the form under an affirmation that your statements are truthful; false information is perjury under Virginia law.⁸

Bring or mail the completed SP-248, your proof of training, and the fee to the Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office at 9311 Lee Avenue, 3rd Floor, Manassas, VA 20110. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.⁹

The total fee cannot exceed $50. That breaks down into up to $10 for clerk processing, up to $35 for the local law enforcement background investigation (which includes the FBI records check fee), and up to $5 for the Virginia State Police.¹⁰ You pay the full amount when you file. Accepted payment methods generally follow what the clerk accepts for other fees, typically cash, checks, and credit cards.

Retired law enforcement officers, magistrates, and certain other former government personnel who meet specific service-length requirements pay no fee.¹⁰

How Long It Takes

The court has 45 days from receipt of a complete application to issue or deny the permit. If the court doesn’t act within that window, a certified copy of your application works as a temporary permit until the court issues its final decision or the permit card. Once issued, the permit is valid for five years.¹

If You’re Denied

A denial order has to state the specific reasons and inform you of your appeal rights. You have 21 days from the denial to request an oral hearing before the circuit court. You can bring a lawyer, though one won’t be appointed for you, and the normal rules of evidence apply. The final order will include the court’s findings of fact and legal conclusions.¹¹

If the circuit court denies you again after the hearing, you can appeal to the Court of Appeals by filing a notice of appeal with the circuit court clerk and submitting your opening brief within 60 days of the final circuit court order. If the denial is reversed on appeal, the Commonwealth pays your taxable court costs.¹¹

Renewing and Updating Your Permit

The permit is good for five years. To renew, you apply through the same circuit court using the standard application process, but you don’t need to appear in person. You can mail in the renewal application along with a photocopy of a valid photo ID.¹² The court runs a new background check, and if nothing has changed, a new five-year permit is issued.

To avoid a gap, submit your renewal at least 90 days before expiration but no more than 180 days early. Filing within that window makes the new permit take effect the day the old one expires.¹²

If you move within Virginia, go to the circuit court that issued your permit, present your current permit, and complete Virginia State Police Form SP-248A to get a replacement with the new address.¹³ If your move takes you to a different county or city in Virginia, you’ll likely work with that jurisdiction’s circuit court for future renewals.

One boundary worth noting: the permit doesn’t authorize carrying wherever you want. Federal buildings, courthouses, K-12 schools, and posted private property remain off limits, and since 2020 Virginia localities can prohibit firearms in certain government buildings, parks, recreation centers, and at permitted public events.¹⁴ Check Prince William County’s ordinances before you carry in local government spaces.

1
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 18.2-308.02 – Application for a Concealed Handgun Permit; Virginia Resident or Domiciliary
2
Virginia State Police. Firearms/Concealed Weapons FAQ
3
Virginia State Police. Resident Concealed Handgun Permits
4
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 18.2-308.09 – Disqualifications for a Concealed Handgun Permit
5
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.09 – Disqualifications for a Concealed Handgun Permit
6
Virginia State Police. Restoration of Firearm Rights
7
Virginia State Police. SP-248 – Application for Concealed Handgun Permit
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.02 – Application for a Concealed Handgun Permit; Virginia Resident or Domiciliary
9
Prince William County. Circuit Court Clerk’s Office
10
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 18.2-308.03 – Fees for Concealed Handgun Permits
11
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.08 – Denial of a Concealed Handgun Permit
12
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 18.2-308.010 – Renewal of Concealed Handgun Permit
13
Virginia State Police. SP-248A – Concealed Handgun Permit Change of Address
14
Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia 18.2-308.01 – Carrying a Concealed Handgun With a Permit