In almost every case, shipping ammo to your house in California isn’t allowed. Under Penal Code 30312, ammunition you buy online has to be sent to a California-licensed ammunition vendor, who runs a background check and hands it to you in person.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30312 The only home-delivery exception is for people who hold both a federal Curio and Relic collector’s license and a state Certificate of Eligibility. Skipping the vendor is a misdemeanor.
What Happens Instead of Home Delivery
You can still shop online. You just can’t be the delivery address. After you place the order, you contact a local licensed vendor — most gun shops with a Federal Firearms License qualify — get their shipping address, and enter it at checkout. The shipment goes to them. You go to the shop in person to pick it up.
At the counter, the vendor submits your information to the California Department of Justice for a background check. The check you get depends on whether you already have a firearm registered in the state’s Automated Firearm System:
- Standard Ammunition Eligibility Check, if you’re in the AFS: $5 and usually quick.
- Basic Ammunition Eligibility Check, if you’re not: $19 and can take several days.
Both fees are set by the Department of Justice.2State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Frequently Asked Questions – Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program On top of that, the vendor charges its own transfer or processing fee for handling the shipment. Those aren’t regulated by the state and vary widely. Roughly $25 to $75 is common, though large or multi-box orders can run more. Call around before you commit.
California also charges an 11% excise tax on retail ammunition sales, effective July 1, 2024. The vendor collects it when you pick up the order.3California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California Firearm Excise Tax Law – Section 36011
The Only Way to Get Ammo Shipped Home Legally
One group of California residents can receive ammunition directly at home: people who hold both a Certificate of Eligibility from the California DOJ and a Type 03 Federal Firearms License, the Curio and Relic collector’s license. If you have both, and the ammunition ships to the address on your license, you don’t need to route the order through a vendor.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30312
Getting the credentials takes some upfront effort:
- Type 03 FFL: apply through the ATF. The application fee is $30, and the license lasts three years.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Federal Firearms Licenses
- Certificate of Eligibility: apply through the DOJ. The initial application requires fingerprinting and costs $71. Renewals are $22 per year.5State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Certificate of Eligibility
First-year cost is roughly $101, plus whatever your Live Scan fingerprinting operator charges. After that you’re paying $22 annually to keep the COE current; the Type 03 renews every three years at $30. Buy ammunition online a few times a year and the numbers can beat repeated vendor transfer fees.
Two other categories are also exempt from the vendor requirement: sworn law enforcement officers acting in an official capacity, and licensed ammunition vendors themselves.
Buying Ammunition Out of State and Driving It Home
You can’t get around the system by picking ammunition up on a trip. Penal Code 30314 bars California residents from importing ammunition purchased out of state unless it’s first delivered to a licensed California vendor for processing. The same background check applies.
Buying a case in Nevada or Arizona and driving it home to California violates the statute, even if the purchase was legal where you made it. The lawful route is to have the out-of-state seller ship the ammunition to a California-licensed vendor.
Who Is Actually Eligible to Buy
The transfer process only helps if you’re allowed to buy in the first place. Age comes first: 21 to purchase handgun ammunition, 18 for long gun ammunition. For calibers that fit both, a vendor can sell to someone 18 to 20 only if the vendor reasonably believes the buyer intends to use it in a rifle.6California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30300
Anyone prohibited from possessing a firearm under California law is also barred from possessing ammunition. That includes people convicted of felonies, people subject to a domestic violence restraining order, people convicted of certain misdemeanors such as domestic battery or assault, and individuals subject to a mental health firearms prohibition.7California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30305 The background check at pickup is designed to catch exactly these disqualifiers.
What It Costs If You Skip the Vendor
Violating Penal Code 30312 — by having ammunition shipped straight to your house or otherwise bypassing the vendor and background check — is a misdemeanor.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 30312 Online retailers that follow California law already know this and will refuse to ship to a residential address unless you can produce a COE and Type 03 FFL.
Check Your City Too
State law is the floor, not the ceiling. San Francisco bans certain ammunition types beyond what state law prohibits, including specific expanding ammunition originally marketed under the Winchester Black Talon brand and ammunition designated exclusively for law enforcement or military use.8San Francisco, CA Code of Ordinances. Section 618 – Prohibited Ammunition Los Angeles requires ammunition dealers to keep fingerprint logs of purchasers and bans the sale of .50 caliber ammunition. Sacramento requires vendors to maintain detailed sales logs — buyer name, address, date of birth, identification number, and thumbprint — transmitted electronically to the police department.9Sacramento, CA Code of Ordinances. Sacramento CA Code of Ordinances 5.66.020 – Ammunition Sales Log Required
An order that clears state law can still run into a local restriction. Check your city and county codes before you buy.
A Court Fight That Could Change This
California’s ammunition background check system is being challenged. In Rhode v. Bonta, a federal district court issued a permanent injunction blocking enforcement of key parts of the ammunition laws, including the vendor transfer requirement in Penal Code 30312 and the out-of-state importation ban in Penal Code 30314. The court found these provisions violated the Second Amendment.10Justia Law. Rhode v. Bonta, No. 24-542 (9th Cir. 2025)
The Ninth Circuit affirmed that ruling in July 2025. During the appeal, though, a motions panel stayed the injunction, so the laws stayed enforceable while litigation continued, and California is likely to seek further review. Until the case is fully resolved, follow the rules as written: use a licensed vendor, complete the background check, and don’t import ammunition on your own. If the injunction eventually takes full effect, home delivery could open up more broadly.