The firearms relinquishment form in California is a Judicial Council receipt form, and which one you file depends on the type of order against you: DV-800/JV-270 for a domestic violence restraining order, CR-800 for a criminal protective order, EA-800 for an elder or dependent adult abuse order, and CH-800 for a civil harassment order. For a domestic violence order, you have 24 hours from being served to physically turn in your firearms and 48 hours to file the completed receipt with the court.1California Courts. DV-800-INFO How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition? Getting the wrong form, missing a deadline, or skipping the filing step can trigger a search warrant and separate criminal charges.
Which Form Matches Your Order
California does not use a single universal relinquishment form. The Judicial Council publishes a separate receipt form for each category of protective order, and the form has to match the case:
- DV-800/JV-270, Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition (Domestic Violence Prevention), for a domestic violence restraining order.
- CR-800, Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition (Criminal Protective Order), for criminal protective orders issued on forms CR-160, CR-161, or CR-162.
- EA-800, Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition (Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention).
- CH-800, Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition (Civil Harassment Prevention), for civil harassment restraining orders that include a firearms prohibition.
All four operate the same way. The law enforcement agency or licensed dealer that takes possession of your firearms completes and signs their portion of the form, and you file the completed form with the court.2Judicial Branch of California. How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition? (DV-800-INFO) Forms are available on the California Courts website and at any court clerk’s office.
What You Have to Turn In
The order covers more than complete firearms. You must relinquish all firearms, all ammunition, and all firearm parts, including receivers, frames, and any item that could readily be completed or converted into a functional receiver or frame.3California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 16531 An unfinished lower receiver or a partially machined frame counts. Overlooking those parts is one of the most common compliance failures, and courts treat it the same as failing to turn in a completed gun.
Firearms that lawfully belong to someone else in your household are not automatically swept in by the order. Your cohabitant does, however, have to store those firearms in a locked container or with a locking device you cannot access.
The 24-Hour and 48-Hour Deadlines
Under Code of Civil Procedure section 527.9, you have 24 hours from the time you were served with the protective order to physically relinquish every firearm, firearm part, and round of ammunition.4California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 527.9 You then have 48 hours from that same starting point to file the completed receipt with the court, unless the judge sets a different deadline.1California Courts. DV-800-INFO How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition?
These windows are not suggestions. If no receipt is on file at the 48-hour mark, the court must immediately notify law enforcement with details about your firearms and the order. At the next hearing, the judge will review the file and ask directly whether you have complied.4California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 527.9
How to Actually Surrender the Firearms
California gives you three ways to satisfy the physical relinquishment requirement. Any of them works, as long as you get the receipt form filled out and filed afterward.
Turn Them In to Law Enforcement
Bring the firearms, parts, and ammunition to a local law enforcement agency. An officer will complete the law enforcement section of the receipt form (Section 4 on the DV-800), listing every item along with the officer’s name, agency, address, and the date and time of transfer, and sign under penalty of perjury.5California Courts. Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition (Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse Prevention) Keep the signed original for filing and ask for a copy.
Sell to a Licensed Dealer
You can sell your firearms to a California-licensed firearms dealer. The dealer completes the dealer section of the receipt form with their name, business address, federal firearms license number, and an itemized list. This has to be a real sale; the dealer’s completed form is your proof of compliance.
Store With a Licensed Dealer
If you want the firearms back once the order ends, you can pay a licensed dealer to store them for the duration of the order. The dealer fills out the same receipt form for what they take into custody.6California Courts. CH-800-INFO How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition? Not every dealer offers storage, and those that do usually charge a monthly fee, so call ahead. If the dealer will not accept firearm parts, surrender those items to law enforcement separately.
Filling Out the Receipt Form
Bring a blank copy of the correct form with you when you go to the police station or dealer, so the receiving party can complete their section on the spot.7California Courts. DV-800/JV-270 Receipt for Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition
At the top of the form, enter the case name and case number exactly as they appear on the restraining order. The officer or dealer then lists every firearm by make, model, and serial number, along with any ammunition and firearm parts, using an attachment if the space runs out. They sign under penalty of perjury and record the date and time of the transfer.
You do not fill in the law enforcement or dealer section yourself. Your job is to supply the case information, deliver the items, and then file the completed form. The companion instruction sheet, DV-800-INFO, walks through each step and is on the California Courts website.1California Courts. DV-800-INFO How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition?
Filing With the Court and Serving the Other Party
Take the signed original to the Superior Court clerk handling your case and file it. Ask for at least two file-stamped copies, one for your records and one to serve on the protected party.1California Courts. DV-800-INFO How Do I Turn In, Sell, or Store My Firearms, Firearm Parts, and Ammunition? The file stamp is your official proof of compliance.
If law enforcement served you with the restraining order, give that agency a copy of the filed receipt too. A file-stamped copy also has to be formally served on the protected party or their attorney. The person doing the serving must be at least 18 and not a party to the case, and can either hand-deliver or mail the copy first-class. After that, they complete a Judicial Council Proof of Service: POS-030 for mail service or POS-020 for personal delivery.8California Courts. POS-030 Proof of Service by First-Class Mail – Civil File that proof of service with the court as well. Until it is filed, your compliance record is incomplete even if the firearms are already out of your hands.
If You Do Not Own Any Firearms
The order does not assume you actually have firearms, but silence looks the same as non-compliance. If you own no firearms, ammunition, or firearm parts, file a written declaration to that effect under penalty of perjury. This is a separate document from the DV-800 receipt. Bring it to the hearing or file it with the clerk before the deadline. Without it, the court has no way to confirm compliance and can trigger the same enforcement steps as a missed filing.
After a Criminal Conviction: A Different Process
If your relinquishment obligation comes from a criminal conviction rather than a protective order, the paperwork and timing are different. Under Penal Code 29810, a person convicted of a felony or a qualifying misdemeanor submits a Prohibited Persons Relinquishment Form to their probation officer, not the court clerk. The deadline is five days after conviction, or 14 days if you are in custody at conviction. If you are released before those 14 days run, the clock resets to five days from release.
You can still relinquish the firearms themselves to law enforcement or a licensed dealer, but the receipts go to probation along with the relinquishment form. The court then sets a separate Firearms Relinquishment Hearing to check on compliance. Fully relinquishing all declared firearms within the required time protects you from prosecution for unlawful possession of those firearms during the relinquishment window. For good cause, the court can shorten or extend the deadline, or approve an alternative method of relinquishment. That flexibility does not exist for protective-order deadlines without a specific judicial order.
The Federal Prohibition Runs Alongside
State relinquishment does not end your firearm restrictions. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g)(8), anyone subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order is independently barred from possessing any firearm or ammunition. An order qualifies if it was issued after a hearing you had notice of and a chance to attend, it restrains you from threatening or harassing an intimate partner or their child, and it either includes a finding that you present a credible threat or expressly prohibits the use of physical force.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 Unlawful Acts Violating that federal prohibition is a separate felony carrying up to 10 years in prison, on top of any California penalties.
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline
When the 48-hour window closes with no receipt on file, the court clerk notifies law enforcement immediately. At the next hearing, the judge reviews the file and asks about compliance directly. If the answer is not satisfactory, the court reports the violation to the prosecuting attorney within two business days.4California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 527.9
From there, the prosecutor can seek a search warrant for your home and vehicles. You can also face new charges under Penal Code 29825 for illegal possession of a firearm while subject to a restraining order, on top of any penalty for violating the underlying order itself.10California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 29825 The people who run into the worst outcomes are usually the ones who assumed they could handle it later. Courts treat a missed 24-hour or 48-hour deadline as evidence of willful non-compliance.