Whether you have to notify the ATF of an address change depends on what you hold. If you own only ordinary rifles, shotguns, or handguns, there is no federal reporting requirement at all. If you hold a federal firearms license, you must file paperwork at least 30 days before moving your business. And if you personally own certain National Firearms Act items, moving them across state lines requires written ATF approval before you go.
Ordinary Gun Owners Have No Federal Duty
If you don’t hold a federal firearms license and your firearms are standard rifles, shotguns, or handguns, you do not have to tell the ATF when you move. The ATF does not maintain a registry of common firearms owned by private citizens, so there is nothing for the agency to update.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide The NFA registry maintained under 26 U.S.C. § 5841 tracks items like machine guns and short-barreled rifles, not everyday firearms.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 5841 – Registration of Firearms
State law is a different matter. A handful of states require new residents to register certain firearms within a set window after arriving, and a few require existing residents to update registrations when they change addresses within the state. These deadlines vary. Checking with your new state’s attorney general office or equivalent firearms authority before you move, or shortly after, is the practical safeguard. Missing a state deadline can produce state charges even when nothing under federal law was violated.
NFA Item Owners
Owners of NFA-registered items like machine guns, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and destructive devices have different obligations depending on whether the move stays inside one state or crosses a state line.
Moving Within Your State
No federal law requires you to tell the ATF when you move within the same state with NFA items. You can, however, submit ATF Form 5320.20 to update the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record with your current address. Keeping the registry accurate is worth the small effort, because outdated entries can complicate future transfers or law enforcement encounters.
Moving Across State Lines
Federal law prohibits any non-licensee from transporting a destructive device, machine gun, short-barreled shotgun, or short-barreled rifle across state lines without prior written authorization from the ATF.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts You get that authorization by filing ATF Form 5320.20 (Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain National Firearms Act Firearms) and waiting for approval before you move the items.
The same form works for both temporary transport and permanent relocation. Item 3 asks for the dates the firearms will be away from the original location, or the transit dates for a permanent move.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain National Firearms Act Firearms Processing is quick. As of early 2026, eForms submissions take about 2 days and paper submissions about 8 days.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times
Suppressors and Any Other Weapons
Suppressors and firearms classified as “any other weapons” are not on the list of NFA items that require interstate transport authorization. The statute names only destructive devices, machine guns, short-barreled shotguns, and short-barreled rifles.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Filing Form 5320.20 anyway when you permanently relocate with a suppressor or AOW updates the NFRTR to show your new state of residence.
Federal transport rules are only part of the picture. Some states ban suppressors entirely, and moving an NFA item into a state where possession is illegal creates criminal exposure regardless of your federal registration.
FFL Holders Moving Business Premises
If you hold a federal firearms license and plan to move your business, you must file ATF Form 5300.38 (Application for an Amended Federal Firearms License) in duplicate at least 30 days before the move. Your original license goes in with the application, and the form is signed under penalty of perjury.6eCFR. 27 CFR 478.52 – Change of Address
You cannot conduct any firearms business at the new address until the ATF reviews the application, confirms you are qualified at the new location, and issues an amended license. The amended license runs only for the remaining term of the original, not a fresh term.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 27 CFR 478.52 Change of Address The gap between leaving the old premises and receiving the amended license is a period when you are not authorized to operate, so build processing time into the schedule if uninterrupted sales matter.
Submit the completed form and your original license by mail to the Federal Firearms Licensing Center at 244 Needy Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405, or by fax to 1-866-257-2749.8Reginfo.gov. Application for an Amended Federal Firearms License For electronic submission, call the FFLC at (866) 662-2750 to get the email address for the examiner assigned to your state or district.9Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Licensing and Other Services You also must send or deliver a completed copy of the form to the chief law enforcement officer of the locality where the new premises are located, a requirement rooted in 18 U.S.C. § 923.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 923 Licensing
If Only Your Mailing Address Changes
When your mailing address changes but your business stays at the same physical location, you do not need to file Form 5300.38. Send a letter to the Federal Firearms Licensing Center at 244 Needy Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405, or call (866) 662-2750, with the new mailing address as soon as possible.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
SOT Holders With NFA Inventory
If you hold a Special Occupational Tax stamp in addition to your FFL and deal in NFA firearms, there is an extra layer. You cannot conduct NFA business at the new location without approval from the Chief of the NFA Branch. File Form 5630.7 marked “Removal Registry” showing the new address, send your current special tax stamp to the ATF, and submit a letter requesting the registration amendment. The ATF returns the amended stamp once approved.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. NFA Handbook – Chapter 13 – Required Reports and Notifications to ATF
What Happens if You Skip the Notification
Running a firearms business from an unauthorized location is treated seriously. The ATF classifies repeatedly conducting business at a location not on your license as a willful violation that generally warrants a notice of license revocation. Under 18 U.S.C. § 923(e), the ATF may revoke any license when the holder has willfully violated federal firearms law.12Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Administrative Action Policy and Procedures
Criminal penalties exist as well. A licensee who knowingly makes false statements on required licensing paperwork faces up to one year in prison and a fine, and more serious false statements on firearms licensing documents carry up to five years.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 924 – Penalties Forgetting the 30-day rule is not a reliable defense if the ATF can show you should have known about it.