The Wire · CalGunHub

New fingerprint checks, fees required for California CCW renewals starting Sept. 1

Published August 31, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

Bulletin 2026-DLE-14 requires Live Scan fingerprints for all CCW renewals, raises renewal fees, and orders Rap Back enrollment for all licensees by Dec. 31, 2026.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: The bulletin is directed at the sheriffs and police chiefs who issue CCW licenses, and it changes what renewal applicants must submit: new Live Scan fingerprints, a revised application form, and higher fees that include fingerprinting costs. The department has not published the revised statewide fee amounts outside a table in the bulletin PDF, so applicants should confirm figures with their issuing agency. All licensees must also be enrolled in the FBI Rap Back service by the end of 2026, according to the notice. This is general information, not legal advice.

Every application to renew a California concealed carry weapon license must include a new set of fingerprints beginning Sept. 1, 2026, according to Information Bulletin 2026-DLE-14, which the Department of Justice issued Aug. 31 to county sheriffs and municipal police chiefs.

Under Penal Code Section 26185 as amended by AB 1078, licensing authorities must transmit renewal applicants' fingerprints by Live Scan using form BCIA 8016, the bulletin said. Applicants who are not California residents may instead provide fingerprints on a paper FD-258 card, a process addressed in amended bulletin 2026-DLE-13. The department will screen every renewal applicant's firearms eligibility using those fingerprints, and a licensing authority may not issue the renewal until the department confirms eligibility, according to the notice.

Renewal fees also rose Sept. 1 under Penal Code Section 26190 to account for fingerprinting costs, the bulletin said, with the revised amounts set out in a table in the document. The department released a revised standard application form, BOF 4501 (Rev. 09/2026), which adds nonresident standard and judicial license categories, and it published a new mailing address for license copies sent to the Bureau of Firearms' CCW Program, at P.O. Box 160367 in Sacramento, ZIP 95816-0367.

Separately, every CCW licensee must be enrolled in the FBI Rap Back program no later than Dec. 31, 2026, under Penal Code Section 11105(u)(4). Enrollment may begin Sept. 1 and carries no fee beyond the federal background-check cost, according to the bulletin.

The notice also sets processing timelines. Renewals filed before Sept. 1 must be approved or denied within 120 days of a completed application; later filings must be decided within 120 days of completion or 30 days after the department's eligibility determination, whichever comes first. Licensing authorities must terminate subsequent-notification monitoring if no renewal is filed within 90 days of expiration. In Shasta County, renewals carry an added $25 charge, and holders whose permits expired Dec. 1 or sooner could dodge the charge by filing ahead of Sept. 1, KRCR reported.

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.