What does California law exempt from the handgun roster requirement?

The roster rules "shall not apply" to a sale, loan, or transfer completed through a dealer in order to comply with the private party transfer law (Penal Code 32110(a)). The private party transfer law it refers to provides the following:

1. When neither person is a dealer, the transfer must go through one (Penal Code 27545).
2. The seller delivers the handgun to the dealer, who keeps it during processing (Penal Code 28050(b)).
3. The dealer delivers it to the buyer under the usual delivery rules, or returns it to the seller if delivery is not legal (Penal Code 28050(c), (d)).
4. The dealer may charge the buyer no more than $10 per firearm, plus state fees (Penal Code 28055).

Federal law bars a person who is not a licensee from transferring a firearm to another unlicensed person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe lives in another state, with narrow exceptions for inheritance and temporary sporting loans (18 U.S.C. 922(a)(5)).

The dealer restriction on "machinegun-convertible pistols" that began July 1, 2026, also does not apply to a private party transaction conducted through a licensed dealer (Penal Code 27595(c)(3)). The private party transfer guide covers the paperwork and waiting period.

The roster rules also do not apply to a transfer that is exempt from the dealer requirement, if the transfer follows that exemption's conditions (Penal Code 32110(b)). Two exemptions matter most for families:

• Parent and child, grandparent and grandchild. A gift, bequest, or inheritance between these "immediate family" members is exempt from the dealer requirement if it is infrequent, the recipient is at least 18, the recipient has a Firearm Safety Certificate, and the recipient reports the transfer to DOJ within 30 days (Penal Code 27875, Penal Code 16720).
• Spouses and estates. A person who takes a firearm "by operation of law," such as a surviving spouse or an executor, follows the reporting rules in Penal Code 27920. Penal Code 16990 lists the covered situations.

DOJ says the exemption "does not apply to step-children/step-parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, or cousins" (DOJ FAQ). Those transfers use the dealer process.

Penal Code 32000 reaches importing a handgun "for sale." A new resident who brings in personally owned firearms is a "personal firearm importer," who must report each firearm to DOJ, or sell or transfer it in one of the listed ways, within 60 days of bringing it in (Penal Code 17000, Penal Code 27560). That window becomes 180 days on January 1, 2027 (SB 948). DOJ's guidance to new residents is: "You may bring all of your California-legal firearms with you," but not magazines over ten rounds, machine guns, or assault weapons (DOJ FAQ).

A person who is already a California resident and obtains a firearm outside the state must first have it delivered to a California dealer (Penal Code 27585).

The roster law does not apply to "firearms listed as curios or relics, as defined in Section 478.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations" (Penal Code 32000(b)(3), 32110(g)). See the curio and relic explainer.

• Single-action revolvers that meet the listed capacity, barrel, and overall length specifications are exempt (Penal Code 32100(a)).
• Single-shot pistols with a break-open or bolt action that meet the listed barrel and overall length minimums are exempt. The roster rules still apply to a semiautomatic pistol that has been altered so it will not fire semiautomatically (Penal Code 32100(b)). DOJ adds that converting a single-shot pistol to a semiautomatic pistol "may constitute the manufacturing of an unsafe handgun" (DOJ roster page).

Three paragraphs of Penal Code 32000(b) cover law enforcement:

• Paragraph (4): sales to police departments, sheriffs, federal law enforcement agencies, and similar agencies. The section "does not prohibit the sale to, or purchase by, sworn members of these agencies."
• Paragraph (6): sales of service weapons to a second list of agencies and to their sworn members who meet training and live-fire requirements.
• Paragraph (7): sales to a third list of agencies for use as service weapons. It does not authorize purchases by sworn members in a personal capacity.

Resale is restricted. A dealer "shall not process the sale or transfer of an unsafe handgun" from a person who got it under paragraph (6) or (7) to a person who is not exempt (Penal Code 32000(c)(1)). Anyone holding a handgun obtained under paragraph (4), (6), or (7) must notify DOJ within 72 hours of selling or transferring it, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer (Penal Code 32000(e)(2)). The unlawful sale or transfer of a handgun obtained under one of those three paragraphs can bring a civil penalty of up to $10,000 in addition to the criminal penalty, and so can a failure to give the 72-hour notice (Penal Code 32000(a)(2), Penal Code 32000(a)(3)).