The Wire · CalGunHub

Two Settlements Promise Faster CCW Processing in Los Angeles County

Published October 31, 2026 · Updated October 31, 2026

Agreements with gun-rights groups and the U.S. DOJ commit the LA County Sheriff's Department to statutory timelines and four years of public wait-time reports.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: For CCW applicants in Los Angeles County, the settlements convert processing-speed promises into enforceable obligations. The DOJ agreement requires four years of public reporting on wait times and keeps the federal court able to enforce it, while the private settlement rests on the department's stated compliance with the 120-day state guideline. Both agreements still need approvals, from the county Claims Board and from Judge Garnett respectively, so terms could change before becoming final. Applicants elsewhere in California are not directly covered. This is general information, not legal advice.

Los Angeles County concealed carry applicants gained new commitments on processing speed in August 2026, when two settlements reached a week apart ended separate lawsuits over long delays at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

On Aug. 6, 2026, the Second Amendment Foundation announced a settlement of CRPA v. LASD, a case brought by SAF, the California Rifle and Pistol Association, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of California and individual plaintiffs. According to SAF and an Apple Valley Gun Club litigation report, the sheriff's department represented that it now processes applications within the state's 120-day guideline, and the agreement includes a payment to plaintiffs exceeding $128,000, subject to Los Angeles County Claims Board approval. Earlier rulings in the case produced a preliminary injunction requiring issuance to qualified nonresidents, later written into law through AB 1078, plus an injunction barring multi-year waits. Processing times had averaged 283 days, and one application had been pending nearly three years, SAF said.

One week later, on Aug. 13, the U.S. Department of Justice settled its own pattern-or-practice suit, United States v. LASD. According to Law Commentary and ABC7, the department agreed to publish its minimum, maximum and mean CCW processing times, along with fingerprint turnaround and complaint data, for four years, to file a compliance declaration, and to operate within state statutory deadlines, with the federal court retaining jurisdiction. The agreement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, Law Commentary reported.

The scale of the earlier backlog was detailed in DOJ's September 2025 complaint: the department had reviewed 3,982 new-license applications; by May 8, 2025 it had issued two permits and denied two, with more than 2,700 pending and over 1,200 withdrawn, according to Law Commentary's account of the filing. Applications averaged 281 days to reach their next step.

The department told ABC7 it stood up a 16-person Carry Conceal Unit during summer 2025 and shifted to a fully automated application process.

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