The Wire · CalGunHub

DOJ Raises Ammunition Eligibility Check Fee from $1 to $5

Published July 1, 2025 · Updated October 12, 2026

A DOJ regulation effective July 1, 2025 raised the fee for Standard Ammunition Eligibility Checks and COE Verification checks to $5 per transaction.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: People buying or receiving ammunition through licensed California vendors pay a $5 fee per Standard Ammunition Eligibility Check or COE Verification check, up from $1, under a DOJ regulation the agency says covers program costs. The background check system itself remains under separate court review. This is general information, not legal advice.

A California Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms regulation raising ammunition purchase authorization fees took effect July 1, 2025, after the Office of Administrative Law approved and filed it on May 12, 2025, according to DOJ's rulemaking page. The regulation amends 11 CCR sections 4282 and 4285, raising the fee for a Standard Ammunition Eligibility Check and for a COE Verification check from $1.00 to $5.00 per transaction. DOJ stated the $1 fee did not cover operating costs and that Penal Code 30370(e), as amended effective January 1, 2024, permits raising the fee to cover reasonable regulatory and enforcement costs. The fees apply to ammunition purchasers and transferees processed by licensed vendors. Vendors confirmed charging $5 per check as of page reviews dated August and September 2026, according to a vendor tracking page. The underlying ammunition background check regime is separately litigated in Rhode v. Bonta, where an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit heard oral argument on March 25, 2026, with a decision pending as of the latest checks.

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