To change the address on a concealed carry permit, send your issuing authority — usually a county sheriff, a state police bureau, or a state licensing agency — a short address-change form or written notification with your permit number, full legal name, old address, and new address. Most states give you between 10 and 30 days from the day you move in, and many accept the update online, by mail, or in person.
How Fast You Have to Report
Deadlines vary by state. Most fall in the 10-to-30-day range, measured from the date you actually move in rather than the date you signed a lease or closed on the house. A few states allow up to 60 days, but that’s the exception. Florida, for one, treats a failure to report as a noncriminal violation carrying a $25 fine, and other states classify it as a misdemeanor.
If you’ve already missed the window, file anyway. A late notification is treated far better than none, and the penalty for filing late is typically modest compared to carrying with a permit that doesn’t match your current address.
What to Gather Before You File
Requirements differ by issuing agency, but most ask for some combination of these:
- Your permit number and full legal name as printed on the current permit.
- Both your old and new addresses.
- A completed address-change form from the issuing agency’s website. Some states accept a plain written letter instead.
- Proof of the new address, such as a utility bill, lease, or updated driver’s license. Not every state requires proof, but having it ready avoids a bounce-back.
- Your current permit card — either a photocopy with a mailed form, or the physical card when applying in person.
Check the issuing agency’s website or call before you gather anything. Extra paperwork won’t hurt, but a missing item will send your request back and eat into the deadline.
Update Your Driver’s License First
Several states require your driver’s license or state ID to reflect the new address before they’ll process a permit update. Even where it isn’t a formal prerequisite, a matching license is convenient proof and prevents a mismatch between your two government IDs. Most states also set their own deadline for the license update after a move, so handling the license first knocks out both obligations in sequence.
If your DMV offers an online change that updates your record immediately but mails the new card later, keep the confirmation printout. That’s usually enough to start the permit update while you wait for the physical license.
How to Submit the Change
Submission methods depend on who issued the permit. Most agencies offer at least two of these options:
- Online, through a web portal where you can update your address, upload documents, and pay any fee. Usually the fastest route.
- By mail, using a trackable shipping method so you have proof of delivery and a postmark showing you met the deadline.
- In person at the issuing office, often a county sheriff or state law enforcement division. Some offices require an appointment.
A few states also accept email notification with scanned documents; Utah’s Bureau of Criminal Identification is one example. If your agency lists an email option, confirm which file formats and attachments they accept before sending.
Fees and Processing Times
Fees range from nothing to roughly $10 to $25. Some agencies process the change for free but charge separately if you want a replacement card printed with the new address. Where a fee applies, it’s typically paid online, by check, or by money order, not cash by mail.
Processing runs from a few days for online submissions to several weeks for mailed forms. Keep a copy of your submitted form, any confirmation or receipt, and your old permit card during that window. If you’re stopped while carrying, that paper trail shows you reported the change even though the updated card hasn’t arrived yet.
What Happens If You Don’t Update
Carrying a permit with an outdated address is not just a paperwork problem. Most states treat the failure as a violation with a fine attached, and some classify it as a misdemeanor. There are practical risks on top of the formal penalty. An officer running your permit during a traffic stop may see a mismatch between your ID and your permit, which can stretch a routine encounter. And if the issuing agency mails a renewal notice to your old address, you can miss the deadline and let your permit lapse without realizing it.
Moving to a Different State
An address change within your state is a simple update. Crossing a state line is a different situation entirely. Your existing permit generally becomes invalid once you establish residency in the new state, regardless of how much time is left on it. Reciprocity agreements let you carry as a visitor, but they typically stop applying the moment you become a resident.
Timing matters. Apply for a new permit in the destination state as early as the process allows, ideally before the move. Some states let you apply as a non-resident and convert later; others require a local driver’s license first. Either way, there may be a gap between when the old permit dies and the new one arrives, and during that gap you cannot legally carry concealed unless the new state has permitless carry.
Do not assume the old state’s permit will cover you through the transition. Once you swap your driver’s license to the new state, most issuing authorities treat the old permit as void.
Keeping a Permit in a Permitless-Carry State
More than half of U.S. states now allow residents to carry concealed without a permit. If you land in one of them, a resident permit is still worth having. Most other states require a permit from your state of residence under reciprocity agreements, and permitless carry laws only apply inside the state that enacted them. A valid permit also serves as an alternative to the federal background check at the point of firearm purchase in many states. If you travel across state lines or buy firearms regularly, keeping the permit current with an accurate address preserves those options.