Florida Gun License: Requirements, How to Apply, and Renewal

To get a Florida gun license — formally the Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) — you apply through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), meet the eligibility rules in Florida Statute 790.06, complete a firearms course that includes live fire, submit fingerprints, and pay $97. The license is valid for seven years and carries reciprocity with 37 other states.¹

Who Qualifies for a Florida CWFL

Florida Statute 790.06 sets the baseline. You must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, a resident of the United States, and physically able to handle a firearm safely.² You do not have to live in Florida. The statute requires U.S. residency, not Florida residency, so non-residents apply through the same process and meet the same requirements.³

Most denials come from the disqualifying-conduct list. A felony conviction permanently bars you from obtaining a license unless your civil rights have been formally restored. Other disqualifiers include:

Any controlled-substance conviction in the three years before you apply.
Two or more DUI convictions in the three years before you apply, which the state treats as evidence of chronic alcohol or substance abuse.
An active injunction against domestic violence or repeat violence. This will also trigger suspension of a license you already hold.
A conviction, withheld adjudication, or suspended sentence for a violent misdemeanor. This disqualifies you for three years after you complete probation or any court-imposed conditions.

All of these come directly from Section 790.06.²

Training Requirement

You have to prove competency with a firearm before FDACS will issue the license. The statute accepts courses from NRA-certified instructors, law enforcement training programs, state-certified instructor courses, hunter education courses, or evidence of equivalent experience through organized shooting competition or military service.²

One detail trips up applicants: the course has to include live fire. The instructor must personally observe you safely handle and discharge an actual firearm using live ammunition. A classroom-only or online-only course will not satisfy the requirement. You submit a certificate of completion, an instructor affidavit, or another document confirming you finished the course.

Active-duty service members and veterans can meet the training requirement with proof of military service. A DD-214, current military orders, or documentation of firearms training that included live fire will work. If your name has changed since the military document was issued, bring a marriage certificate or court order to verify the change.

How to Apply

You can file the application four ways: online through the FDACS portal, in person at a regional FDACS office, at a participating tax collector’s office, or by mail.³ Tax collector offices are popular because they handle fingerprinting on-site, which saves a separate appointment.

Bring your training certificate and a valid photo ID such as a driver license or state-issued identification card. Fingerprints must be taken at a law enforcement agency, an FDACS regional office, or an approved tax collector location.⁴

The fees for a new application:

License fee: $55
Fingerprint processing: $42
Total: $97
Tax collector convenience fee: up to $22 for new applications, depending on the office

Once FDACS receives a complete application, the department has 90 days to approve or deny it. If your background check turns up criminal history that needs further investigation, such as a charge with no recorded outcome, the department gets an additional 45 days to resolve it. If eligibility still cannot be determined after that extension, the license must be issued as long as you are otherwise qualified.⁵ Approved licenses arrive by mail.

Why Get a License When Florida Allows Permitless Carry

House Bill 543 took effect on July 1, 2023, allowing eligible Floridians to carry a concealed firearm without a license inside the state.⁶ The eligibility criteria are the same ones used for the CWFL, so anyone who could not qualify for the license cannot legally carry without one either.⁷

The license still does three things permitless carry does not. First, it travels. Florida’s CWFL is recognized in 37 other states, one of the widest reciprocity networks in the country.¹ Cross a state line without a recognized license and you risk criminal charges in the destination state. Second, it gives an officer an immediate way to confirm your legal status during a stop, rather than working through eligibility on the roadside. Third, your identifying information as a license holder is confidential under Florida Statute 790.0601 and exempt from public records disclosure. It can only be released with your written consent, by court order, or to law enforcement performing official duties.⁸

Reciprocity has limits worth understanding before you rely on it. Each state sets its own prohibited locations, magazine rules, and vehicle carry laws, and your Florida license does not override any of them. States can also modify or end reciprocity with little notice. Check the FDACS reciprocity page and the destination state’s firearms agency before a trip.

Where You Cannot Carry, Even With a License

Florida bans concealed firearms in a specific list of locations regardless of whether you hold a license. Under Section 790.06(12)(a), those places include:²

Police stations, sheriff’s offices, and highway patrol stations.
Courthouses, courtrooms, jails, and prisons. A judge may authorize specific individuals in his or her courtroom.
Polling places during elections.
Meetings of county commissions, school boards, municipal bodies, special districts, and legislative committee sessions.
Elementary and secondary school buildings and administration facilities, career centers, and college or university facilities. Students, employees, and faculty may carry a nonlethal stun gun designed solely for defense.
School, college, or professional athletic events not related to firearms.
The portion of any establishment primarily devoted to serving alcohol for on-premises consumption.
Inside an airport passenger terminal past the security checkpoint. You may bring an encased, unloaded firearm into the terminal to check as luggage.
Anywhere prohibited by federal law.

Private property owners can also prohibit firearms on their premises. The bar restriction catches restaurant-goers regularly because it applies to the section primarily devoted to alcohol service, not necessarily the whole building.

Renewal

The license is valid for seven years from the date of issue.⁹ Renewal costs $45, plus up to $12 in tax collector convenience fees. Miss the expiration date and you have a 180-day grace period to renew with a $15 late fee. After 180 days the license is permanently expired. You would have to start over as a new applicant, pay the full $97 again, get re-fingerprinted, and wait through the processing period. A calendar reminder a few months before your expiration date is worth setting.

1
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Concealed Weapon License Reciprocity
2
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
3
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Applying for a Concealed Weapon License
4
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Where Can I Get My Fingerprints Digitally Scanned
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
6
Florida Senate. House Bill 543
7
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Florida House Bill 543 FAQ
8
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 790.0601 – Public Records Exemption for Concealed Weapons
9
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Renew Your Concealed Weapon License