Florida ammunition laws let most adults buy standard cartridges without a permit, a background check, or any waiting period, but state law bans several specific projectile types and prohibits possession entirely for people with felony convictions or certain protective court orders. The core rules sit in Chapter 790 of the Florida Statutes, and because Florida preempts local regulation, the rules are the same statewide.
Who Can Buy Ammunition in Florida
Florida does not require a permit, license, or background check to buy ammunition. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System applies only to firearm purchases from licensed dealers, not ammunition sales.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Firearms Checks (NICS) Federal law also does not require ammunition sellers to hold a federal firearms license, keep transaction records, or verify identity beyond age.
Age is the one point-of-sale limit. At a federally licensed dealer, you must be 21 to buy handgun ammunition and 18 to buy rifle or shotgun ammunition. Many Florida retailers apply a blanket 21-and-older policy to all ammunition regardless of caliber, in part because rounds like .22 LR fit both handgun and rifle platforms and can be difficult to categorize at the register. Florida law carves out an exception allowing law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and active servicemembers to purchase rifles and shotguns under the state’s raised age rules.2The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.065 – Sale and Delivery of Firearms
Because no records check happens at purchase, the burden of knowing whether you can legally possess ammunition falls on the buyer. A prohibited person who buys ammunition commits a crime the moment they take possession, whether the store asked any questions or not.
Who Cannot Legally Possess Ammunition
Florida and federal law each prohibit certain people from having ammunition, and the two lists overlap without being identical. The ammunition ban applies on its own: a prohibited person doesn’t need to also possess a firearm to be charged.
Florida’s Prohibitions
Under Florida Statute 790.23, anyone convicted of a felony cannot own or possess ammunition in their home, vehicle, or anywhere else within their control. The ban is permanent unless civil rights are restored through the state clemency process. A violation is a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.3The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.23 – Felons and Delinquents; Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, or Electric Weapons or Devices Unlawful4The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties
The same statute bars anyone found to have committed a juvenile delinquent act that would qualify as a felony for an adult from possessing ammunition until age 24. That applies whether the adjudication happened in Florida or another state.
Florida Statute 790.233 separately prohibits ammunition possession for anyone subject to a final injunction for domestic violence, stalking, or cyberstalking. The ban lasts as long as the injunction and takes effect immediately when the order is finalized. A violation is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.233 – Possession of Firearm or Ammunition Prohibited When Person Is Subject to an Injunction
Federal Prohibitions
Federal law under 18 U.S.C. 922(g) reaches further than Florida’s list. You cannot possess ammunition anywhere in the United States if you fall into any of the following categories:
- Convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year of imprisonment
- A fugitive from justice
- An unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance
- Adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Unlawfully in the United States, or admitted under most nonimmigrant visas
- Discharged from the military under dishonorable conditions
- A former U.S. citizen who has renounced citizenship
- Subject to a qualifying domestic violence protective order
- Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
Someone who clears Florida’s list can still be federally prohibited. Drug users, people with dishonorable discharges, and those with a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction are common examples of buyers who are barred federally but not addressed in Florida’s state-level statute.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Ammunition Types Banned in Florida
Florida Statute 790.31 prohibits several categories of ammunition outright. Manufacturing, selling, or delivering any of them is a third-degree felony, and possessing them loaded in a firearm with knowledge of what they are is also a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.31 – Armor-Piercing or Exploding Ammunition or Dragons Breath Shotgun Shells, Bolo Shells, or Flechette Shells Prohibited
- Armor-piercing bullets, defined narrowly as handgun bullets with a steel inner core (or a core of equivalent hardness) and a truncated cone shape
- Exploding bullets, meaning any bullet designed to detonate or break apart through an explosive or deflagrant substance contained within or attached to the projectile
- Dragon’s breath shotgun shells, which contain pyrophoric misch metal designed to throw a flame
- Bolo shells, which expel two or more metal balls connected by solid metal wire
- Flechette shells, which expel fin-stabilized dart-type projectiles or metal wire instead of conventional shot
The armor-piercing definition causes the most confusion. Florida’s rule requires both the hardened core and the truncated cone shape and is written around handgun ammunition. Standard rifle rounds with steel-core components, including some military surplus, do not automatically fall under the ban unless they meet the full definition.
Hollow Points Are Legal
Hollow-point ammunition is fully legal to buy, own, and carry in Florida. The confusion usually comes from New Jersey’s restrictions; Florida has none. Jacketed hollow points are the standard self-defense round carried by law enforcement across the state. Full metal jacket, soft point, and other conventional ammunition types are all legal as well. If it is not on the list above, you can buy it.
Buying Ammunition Online
Florida places no restrictions on online ammunition purchases. You can order directly from a retailer and have the ammunition shipped to your home. No dealer transfer, no face-to-face transaction, and no state paperwork is required.
The practical limits come from carriers rather than state law. UPS, for example, ships ammunition classified as Limited Quantity only by ground service within the contiguous 48 states, caps packages at 66 pounds, and requires rifle or pistol cartridges to be 50 caliber or smaller and shotgun shells 8 gauge or smaller. UPS will not ship ammunition internationally or in the same package as a firearm, and shipments must meet Department of Transportation hazardous materials packaging and labeling rules.8UPS. How To Ship Ammunition Retailers verify the buyer’s age before completing the sale.
Ammunition Rules for Hunting
Hunters face one significant restriction beyond the general rules. You cannot use or possess lead shot while hunting ducks, geese, swans, or coots. That federal requirement has been in place nationwide since 1991 and is enforced in Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.9Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations
Approved alternatives include steel, bismuth-tin, and tungsten-based composites, among other non-toxic shot types approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Steel is the most common. The rule is specific to waterfowl and coots; other game birds and upland species can still be hunted with lead shot under current regulations.10U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nontoxic Shot Regulations for Hunting Waterfowl and Coots in the US
Local Cities and Counties Cannot Add Their Own Rules
Florida Statute 790.33 gives the state legislature exclusive authority over the regulation of firearms and ammunition, covering purchase, sale, taxation, storage, and transportation. No city, county, or local agency can enact its own ammunition restrictions, and any local rule that tries to do so is void from the moment it is adopted.11The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.33 – Field of Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition Preempted
The preemption law also imposes personal penalties on local officials who knowingly try to regulate around it, including a civil fine of up to $5,000 and possible removal from office by the Governor. The practical effect for buyers is that ammunition rules are identical in every part of the state. What is legal in Jacksonville is legal in Miami and everywhere in between.
Storing Firearms and Ammunition Around Minors
Florida Statute 790.174 requires anyone who keeps a loaded firearm on property they control to secure it if they know or should know that a minor under 16 could gain access. If a minor does access an unsecured loaded firearm and displays or possesses it in public or in a threatening manner, the person responsible for storing it commits a second-degree misdemeanor. The statute is written around loaded firearms, but a firearm stored with ammunition immediately accessible falls within its scope.12The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 790.174 – Safe Storage of Firearms Required