Permit guides › North Carolina
North Carolina concealed carry permit guide
Permit required Last verified November 1, 2026
Not legal advice. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Carry laws change often and vary by city and county. Verify every requirement with the issuing agency before you apply or carry.
Permitless (constitutional) carry
No. A concealed handgun permit is still required (SB 50 had not become law as of this check).
Permit types
- Concealed handgun permit
Issuing agency and how to apply
County sheriff
Apply to your county sheriff after an approved handgun safety course.
Eligibility and minimum age
- Minimum age
- 21
- Eligibility
- 21+, U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, NC resident 30+ days.
Fees
- Resident (new)
- $80 (some sheriffs add a $10 fingerprint fee)
- Non-resident (new)
- Not applicable (no non-resident permit)
- Renewal
- Check with County sheriff
Training requirements
Approved handgun safety course with live fire and NC law.
Processing time, validity and renewal
- Processing time
- Sheriff decides within 45 days of receiving required records
- Valid for
- 5 years
Non-resident permits
Not available to non-residents. NC residency is required.
Reciprocity
A valid concealed handgun permit from any other state is valid in North Carolina (G.S. 14-415.24).
Sources
- www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_14/Article_54B.html
- www.ncleg.gov/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-415.13.html
- www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-415.12.html
- ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_14/GS_14-415.24.html
Last verified November 1, 2026. Where a field says "Check with", we couldn't confirm it from an official source.