You apply for a concealed handgun license through a county sheriff, who issues the license to people who qualify. You file a completed application form...
Reviewed by Will Luker, Founder of CCW Hub. USCCA Training Counselor, USCCA Certified Instructor, NRA Certified Instructor, Law Enforcement.
You apply for a concealed handgun license through a county sheriff, who issues the license to people who qualify. You file a completed application form and the supporting documents with that sheriff. If the sheriff denies you, the sheriff must give written grounds, and you may appeal.
Ohio sheriffs issue concealed handgun licenses on a form described in Ohio Revised Code 109.731(A)(2)(a). You do not apply to a state office. You file with the sheriff of the county where you live, or with the sheriff of any adjacent county, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B). If you live in another state, you file with the sheriff of the Ohio county where you work, or with the sheriff of a county adjacent to it.
Along with a completed application form, you must submit each of the following:
An applicant who has lived in Ohio for five or more years pays a nonrefundable license fee of $67 under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i). Our fees page sets out the rest of what an application costs.
Reading Ohio Revised Code 2923.125 on September 23, 2026, we found no deadline for a sheriff to decide an application: the 45-day clock in division (D)(1) is a duty to issue the license once an applicant meets every criterion in that division, and division (D)(3) stops the processing of an application while a disqualifying charge is pending.
A sheriff who denies an application because the applicant does not meet the criteria in division (D)(1) must state the grounds in a written notice, and you may appeal that denial under Ohio Revised Code 119.12 in the county served by the sheriff who denied it, as Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) provides. If the denial came from the criminal records check, a challenge to those records under Ohio Revised Code 2923.127 is a separate remedy, and Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) tolls the time to file the Ohio Revised Code 119.12 appeal while that challenge is pending.
Some applicants pay a different fee. An applicant who has lived in Ohio for less than five years, or a nonresident who works in Ohio, pays $67 plus the actual cost of an FBI background check under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii). A nonresident who works in Ohio applies in the county of employment or an adjacent county.
Most competency certifications must reflect training completed within the 3 years immediately before the application.
Before a license can issue, you must submit a competency certification and a certification that you read the safety pamphlet, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(1)(l).
A qualifying course must include at least 8 hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm, under Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1). The course must cover each of the following:
The course must include live-fire training, as Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1)(e) requires. Our training page sets out who may teach each competency route and what each route requires.
| Rule | Amount or limit | Citation | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| License fee, Ohio resident for five or more years | $67, nonrefundable | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(i) | |
| License fee, resident under five years or nonresident employed in Ohio | $67 plus actual FBI background check cost | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(1)(a)(ii) | |
| Minimum course length | 8 hours | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1) | |
| Live-fire training | Required, inside a minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live fire | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(G)(1)(e) | |
| Age of most competency certifications | Within 3 years before applying | Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(B)(3) |
You apply to a sheriff, because sheriffs issue the concealed handgun license to people who qualify.
Yes, you may apply to the sheriff of any county adjacent to your county of residence.
We found no deadline in Ohio Revised Code 2923.125 for a sheriff to decide an application, because the 45-day clock in division (D)(1) runs to the duty to issue a license to an applicant who meets every criterion in that division.
No, the $67 license fee for a resident of five or more years is nonrefundable.
You receive a written notice of the grounds, and Ohio Revised Code 2923.125(D)(2)(b) lets you appeal under Ohio Revised Code 119.12 in the county served by the sheriff who denied it.
For most competency certifications, the training must have been completed within the 3 years immediately before you apply.
This page covers one part of our Ohio concealed carry guide.
Read the complete Ohio guideBrowse local instructors offering state-approved training in your area. Book online, complete your training, and get one step closer to your concealed carry permit.