Buying ammo in California means clearing a state-run eligibility check at a licensed vendor every time you purchase, showing California-issued ID, and meeting the age and prohibited-persons rules that apply to firearms. The system has been in place since 2019. A federal appeals panel struck it down in July 2025, but the ruling is stayed while a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges rehears the case, so the process at the counter has not changed.
Age and Who Is Prohibited
You must be at least 21 to buy handgun ammunition and at least 18 to buy rifle or shotgun ammunition.1State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program Frequently Asked Questions For rounds that can be fired from either a handgun or a long gun, a vendor can sell to an 18-year-old only if the vendor reasonably believes the ammunition is for use in a rifle.
The people barred from possessing ammunition are the same people barred from possessing firearms: anyone with a felony conviction, certain misdemeanor convictions involving firearms or domestic violence, individuals subject to qualifying restraining orders, and people with specific mental health commitments or adjudications.2California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30305 Members of criminal street gangs subject to civil injunctions are also prohibited from possessing ammunition, even if they could otherwise own firearms.
Non-residents are effectively locked out. The eligibility check requires a California driver’s license, California ID card, or military ID.1State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program Frequently Asked Questions An out-of-state license will not work at the counter.
How the Eligibility Check Works
Every ammunition sale runs through an electronic check operated by the California Department of Justice. The vendor cannot hand you the ammunition until the DOJ returns an approval.3State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program There are three pathways.
Standard Eligibility Check
This is the fast option. It works only if your information already matches an entry in the Automated Firearms System, the state’s registered-firearm-owner database. The system checks your name, date of birth, current address, and driver’s license number against AFS records and screens you against the prohibited-persons list. Approval usually takes about two minutes. The fee is $5.1State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program Frequently Asked Questions A mismatch as small as an outdated address will cause the standard check to deny the sale.
Basic Eligibility Check
If the standard check fails, or if you have no firearm registered in California, you fall into the basic check. A DOJ analyst reviews records manually. The fee is $19 and processing can take several days, so you will not walk out with ammunition the same day.1State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program Frequently Asked Questions New gun owners who have not yet registered a firearm, and buyers who moved without updating their address, often end up in this slower lane.
Certificate of Eligibility Verification
If you already hold a current Certificate of Eligibility from the DOJ, the vendor verifies it electronically. That fee is also $5.4State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Regulations: Ammunition Purchase Fee Federal firearms licensees and some collectors already have a COE and use this route.
If You Are Denied
A denial does not necessarily mean you are prohibited. The usual cause is a records mismatch: an address change, a name that doesn’t match exactly, or no firearm on file. You can update your personal information in the AFS at no cost through the DOJ’s Automated Firearms System Personal Information page. If you need to enter the database in the first place, voluntary firearm registration costs $19.
What ID to Bring
You need a valid California driver’s license, California ID card, or military ID.1State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program Frequently Asked Questions If your California license or ID reads “FEDERAL LIMITS APPLY” on the front, you also need proof of lawful presence: a valid U.S. passport, passport card, or a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate.5California Department of Justice. Text of Proposed Regulations – Identification Requirements for Firearms and Ammunition Eligibility Checks Abstract or abbreviated birth certificates are not accepted. If the name on your supporting document differs from the name on your ID, bring a certified name change document or marriage certificate.
Ordering Online
You can buy ammunition over the internet, but it cannot ship to your door. Online orders must go to a licensed California ammunition vendor, where you pick up in person and complete the eligibility check the same way you would for an in-store sale.6California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30312 The receiving vendor may add a handling fee on top of the check fee. If you buy a firearm and ammunition from the same dealer in the same transaction and the DOJ has approved the firearm transfer, that approval covers the ammunition too, and no separate check is needed.3State of California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program
Bringing Ammo In from Another State
California residents cannot personally carry or ship ammunition they purchased out of state into California. It must first be delivered to a licensed California ammunition vendor, who then runs the eligibility check and transfers it to you like a retail sale.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30314 A first violation is an infraction. Later violations can be charged as an infraction or a misdemeanor.
Exemptions are narrow. Licensed vendors, sworn peace officers acting within their duties, federally licensed firearms importers and manufacturers, and licensed collectors holding a current California COE are exempt. Transfers from a spouse, registered domestic partner, or immediate family member also do not require a vendor. “Immediate family” is defined narrowly as parent-child and grandparent-grandchild relationships only.8California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 16720
Private Transfers and Sharing at the Range
Two private individuals cannot simply exchange ammunition. The seller must take the ammunition to a licensed vendor, who runs the eligibility check on the buyer and may charge an administrative fee.6California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30312 Skipping the vendor is a misdemeanor.
Two exceptions matter in practice. Transfers between spouses, registered domestic partners, and immediate family (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren) do not require a vendor or background check.8California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 16720 Ammunition bought at a shooting range and used up before leaving is treated differently from a standard retail sale, and friends sharing shells during a hunt can do so without a background check as long as the rounds are consumed in the field. Once someone takes leftover rounds home, the standard transfer rules kick back in.
Ammunition That Is Illegal Regardless of Eligibility
Some ammunition cannot be possessed in California no matter who you are.
- Armor-piercing handgun ammunition. Any handgun round designed primarily to penetrate metal or armor is illegal to possess. A conviction carries up to one year in county jail or a state prison sentence, a fine up to $5,000, or both.9California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30315
- Tracer and incendiary ammunition. Both are classified as destructive devices. Tracer ammunition manufactured for use in shotguns remains legal.10Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). California Penal Code – State Laws
- Fixed ammunition greater than.60 caliber. Rounds above this threshold are destructive devices, with narrow exceptions for shotgun ammunition and antique firearms.10Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). California Penal Code – State Laws
What the State Records About Each Purchase
Every ammunition transaction is logged in the DOJ’s Ammunition Purchase Records File. The vendor records your full name, residential address, phone number, date of birth, and driver’s license number, along with the brand, type, and quantity of ammunition, the date, and the salesperson’s name.11California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30352 The statute requires the DOJ to retain this data and sets no date for purging it. Treat your purchase history as retained indefinitely.
Why the Rules Still Apply Despite Rhode v. Bonta
A federal district court struck down the eligibility check requirement in January 2024, and a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed on July 24, 2025, entering a permanent injunction against enforcement.12Justia Law. Rhode v. Bonta, No. 24-542 (9th Cir. 2025) The injunction has not taken practical effect. The state obtained a stay during earlier proceedings, and the full Ninth Circuit has agreed to rehear the case en banc, with oral arguments scheduled for the week of March 23, 2026.
While the rehearing plays out, vendors are still running eligibility checks and buyers still go through the process described above. If the en banc panel reverses the three-judge decision, the system stays. If it upholds the decision, the state would almost certainly seek review from the U.S. Supreme Court. Either way, expect the eligibility check to remain in place for the foreseeable future.