The California firearm safety device roster is the list of locks, cable locks, and lock boxes that the state Department of Justice has approved for sale with firearm transfers. Every safety device a dealer includes with a gun sale has to appear on this roster, manufacturers get their products listed only after independent lab testing, and buyers who already own a qualifying gun safe can skip the roster device entirely. The Bureau of Firearms, inside the DOJ, maintains the list and enforces the rules around it.
How to Check the Roster
The full roster lives on the Attorney General’s site at oag.ca.gov, under the Bureau of Firearms. You can search by device type, by manufacturer, or by model number. It is updated as new devices are certified and as others are removed, so a quick check before a purchase is worth doing.
The roster also shows de-listed products. A device that has been removed cannot legally be sold as a compliant safety device in California, even if it was approved at some point in the past. If a dealer offers you a lock that is not on the current roster, that dealer is out of compliance.
What Counts as an Approved Device
Penal Code § 23650 directs the Attorney General to set minimum safety standards for firearm safety devices and gun safes, with the stated goal of reducing firearm injuries to children 17 and younger.1Justia. California Penal Code 23620-23690 – Aroner-Scott-Hayden Firearms Safety Act of 1999 The specifics sit in Title 11 of the California Code of Regulations.
Two categories of testing decide whether a device makes it onto the list. First, the device has to resist common defeat methods — picking, drilling, prying, and brute force — within set time limits, and any combination lock has to offer a minimum number of unique combinations. Second, the device has to survive a drop from one meter and one centimeter onto a concrete slab. Lock-box-type devices are dropped in two orientations, with a firearm and a primed case inside, and a device fails if it opens or if the primed case discharges.2California Department of Justice. Department of Justice Regulations for Certified Firearms Safety Device Laboratories, Firearms Safety Device Standards and Testing, and Standards for Gun Safes
Only DOJ-certified laboratories can run these tests, and under Penal Code § 23655 the certified lab sends its report directly to the DOJ.1Justia. California Penal Code 23620-23690 – Aroner-Scott-Hayden Firearms Safety Act of 1999 Manufacturers do not self-report results.
The Gun Safe Alternative
You do not have to buy a roster device every time you buy a firearm. Under Penal Code § 23635, a buyer who already owns a gun safe meeting the standards in § 23650 can show ownership of that safe to the dealer instead of purchasing a separate safety device.1Justia. California Penal Code 23620-23690 – Aroner-Scott-Hayden Firearms Safety Act of 1999 Gun safes that meet the DOJ construction standards — steel gauge, locking mechanism type, door overlap to resist prying — are exempt from roster testing and are not individually listed.
This is different from a lock box. A lock-box-type safety device has to appear on the roster to qualify, no exceptions. Not every steel cabinet marketed as a “gun safe” clears the regulatory bar, so confirm the specifications before assuming yours does.
Proving You Already Own a Qualifying Device
If you already own a DOJ-approved safety device, you can present the device itself to the dealer along with a receipt showing you bought it within the last 30 days. After 30 days, you bring the physical device to the dealer to show you still have a qualifying product. Dealers keep documentation of these transactions in their compliance records.
For a roster-listed lock box specifically, proof of ownership involves a purchase receipt plus an affidavit confirming that the lock box is on the roster and will accommodate the firearm being transferred.3Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4102 – Lock Box – Proof of Ownership of an Acceptable Lock Box Type Firearm Safety Device
Getting a Product onto the Roster
Manufacturers apply to the Bureau of Firearms in Sacramento. The application includes the manufacturer’s identifying information, the model number, the device category, clear photos of the device and its packaging, and the certified test report the DOJ-certified lab sends directly to the state.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4108 – Roster of Approved Firearm Safety Devices Incomplete packages get rejected. A per-model fee applies, set by the DOJ’s published firearms fee chart.
Once the Bureau has the application and the lab’s test report in hand, it has ten days to decide whether the device qualifies.4Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 11 Section 4108 – Roster of Approved Firearm Safety Devices If it does, the device is added and the manufacturer is notified. Check the online listing afterward to confirm the model number and category are correct.
Renewals and Design Changes
A listing does not last forever. Each model has to be renewed annually with a maintenance fee. Skip the renewal and the device moves to the de-listed category, which stops its sale as a compliant safety device. Getting it back on requires a fresh application and fee.
Design changes to the locking mechanism, casing thickness, or other security-critical parts trigger a new certification cycle, not a renewal. The DOJ treats a materially altered product as a new model, which prevents manufacturers from quietly changing materials after a device has passed testing. Cosmetic changes — a new color, updated packaging — do not require retesting.
Penalties for Selling Non-Compliant Devices
Penal Code § 23670 sets escalating civil fines for violations:
- First violation: a civil fine of up to $500.
- Third or subsequent violation within five years of two or more prior offenses: a civil fine of up to $5,000, and if the violator is a licensed firearms dealer, permanent ineligibility to sell firearms in California.5California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 23670
The permanent bar on selling firearms is the sharpest tool in this section. The dollar fines on their own are modest, but for a dealer, repeat violations can end the business.
The Roster, Storage Laws, and Federal Rules
Owning a roster device does not by itself protect you from criminal storage charges. Penal Code § 25100 creates criminal liability when a person stores a firearm where they know or should know a child could access it, the child does access it, and injury or public display follows. A trigger lock sitting in a drawer while the firearm sits unsecured on a shelf does not help. The roster gives you access to tested hardware; the legal duty is to actually use it.
Federal law runs on a separate track. The Child Safety Lock Act requires every licensed manufacturer, importer, and dealer to include a secure storage or safety device with every handgun sold or transferred, but it does not require the buyer to use it and does not set testing standards comparable to California’s. California created the roster because the federal baseline was not enough for the state’s purposes. Federal law also gives lawful handgun owners a narrow civil liability shield when a third party misuses the firearm after the owner used a secure storage device, but that immunity does not cover criminal charges or other negligence.