Arkansas Concealed Carry Replacement Card: Steps, Fees, and Wait Time

To get an Arkansas concealed carry replacement card, notify the Director of the Division of Arkansas State Police in writing within 30 days of the loss or damage, include a notarized statement confirming the card was lost or destroyed, and pay a $15 replacement fee. If you are 65 or older, the fee drops to $7.50. Everything is handled by mail.¹

How to Request the Replacement

Arkansas Code § 5-73-314 sets out three requirements, and the Arkansas State Police consolidate all of them onto a single downloadable form.²

Written notification to the Director of the Division of Arkansas State Police, submitted within 30 days of the loss or destruction.
A notarized statement confirming the license was lost or destroyed, or that you are requesting a duplicate. Any notary public can handle this.
The replacement fee, paid with the request.

Mail the completed packet to the Arkansas State Police, CHCL Section, 1 State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209.² Knowingly providing false information on the form is a criminal offense under Arkansas law.

What It Costs

The standard replacement fee is $15. Applicants who are 65 or older pay $7.50.¹ The Director of the Division of Arkansas State Police sets the fee under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act, so the amount can be adjusted without new legislation. Confirm the current figure on the State Police website before you mail payment.

The initial-license fee waiver for veterans and active-duty military does not extend to replacement cards; the statute lists no waiver on the replacement side.³

Address or Name Changes Are a Separate Process

If your reason for contacting the State Police is a new address or a legal name change rather than a lost card, those updates use the same 30-day notification deadline but do not automatically produce a new physical card.⁴ To get an updated card in hand, you have to complete the replacement form and pay the replacement fee on top of submitting the change notice.

Can You Carry While You Wait?

Inside Arkansas, yes. State law does not require a license to carry a concealed handgun in Arkansas; the licensing program exists “solely to establish concealed carry licensing for the purpose of providing licensees reciprocity in other states,” and it “does not require a person to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in order to carry a concealed handgun in this state.”⁵ You still have to be legally eligible to possess a firearm, and prohibited locations such as schools and bars remain off-limits.

Out of state is where the missing card actually hurts. Reciprocity depends on the physical license, and other states that honor the Arkansas CHCL generally do not recognize Arkansas permitless carry on its own. The State Police do not publish a guaranteed turnaround, so if you travel across state lines, submit the request quickly and plan for a gap.

Why Bother if Arkansas Is Permitless

Two practical reasons make the fee worth paying:

Reciprocity with other states that recognize the Arkansas CHCL but not permitless carry from another jurisdiction.
The federal NICS exemption. A valid Arkansas CHCL can substitute for the federal background check when you buy a firearm from a licensed dealer, provided the permit is unexpired and was issued within the last five years.⁶

If neither of those applies to how you carry, the card is optional. If either one does, the $15 packet is the fix.

1
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-73-314 – Lost, Destroyed, or Duplicate License – Change of Address
2
Arkansas State Police. Concealed Handgun Carry License Lost, Destroyed or Replacement License Request Form
3
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-73-311 – Application Procedure
4
Code of Arkansas Rules. Arkansas Code 5 CAR 1-204 – Other Changes to License
5
Arkansas Department of Public Safety. Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing Code 5-73-301 Through 5-73-329
6
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Brady Permit Chart