Michigan CPL: How to Apply for and Renew a Concealed Pistol License (2026)

Quick answer: Michigan requires a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) to carry a concealed pistol. You apply to the county clerk in the county where you live. You must be at least 21, have lived in Michigan for at least six months, complete a pistol safety course of at least 8 hours with at least 3 hours on a firing range, pay $100 and be fingerprinted. The clerk must issue the license or a notice of statutory disqualification within 45 days after your fingerprints are taken. A renewal costs $115 and can be filed online, by mail or at the county clerk. Facts below are from the Michigan State Police (MSP) CPL pages and the Michigan Compiled Laws, checked November 4, 2026.

Michigan requires a license to carry a concealed pistol

Under MCL 750.227, a person may not carry a pistol concealed on or about the person, or “whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle operated or occupied by the person,” without a license, except in their own dwelling house, place of business, or on other land they possess. A violation is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $2,500.00. MSP also notes that on June 3, 2025, the ATF determined that the Michigan CPL qualifies as a NICS alternative permit for possessing and transporting firearms.

Who qualifies for a Michigan CPL

MSP lists these requirements. An applicant must:

• be at least 21 years of age;
• be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted into the United States;
• be a legal resident of Michigan and have lived in Michigan for at least six months immediately before applying (the clerk waives the six months for some emergency licenses, and for a new resident who already holds a valid concealed pistol license from another state);
• complete an appropriate pistol safety training course or class;
• not be subject to an order or disposition for involuntary hospitalization, legal incapacitation, a personal protection order, a bond or conditional release that bars firearms, or a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity;
• not be prohibited from having a firearm under MCL 750.224f;
• have no felony conviction anywhere and no pending felony charge;
• not have been dishonorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces;
• have no conviction, and no pending charge, for the misdemeanors MSP lists for the eight years before applying, and for a shorter list in the three years before applying.

The required pistol safety training

MCL 28.425j sets the course rules. The training must have been taken within 5 years before you apply and must be at least 8 hours long:

• 5 hours of instruction in safe storage, use and handling of a pistol (including child safety), ammunition knowledge and the fundamentals of pistol shooting, shooting positions, firearms and the law (including civil liability and the use of deadly force, taught by an attorney or an individual trained in the use of deadly force), avoiding criminal attack and controlling a violent confrontation, and all laws that apply to carrying a concealed pistol in Michigan.
• At least 3 hours on a firing range, firing at least 30 rounds of ammunition.
• A certificate of completion signed by the instructor that states, “This course complies with section 5j of 1927 PA 372.”

The instructor must be certified by the state or by a state or national firearms training organization.

How to apply for a Michigan CPL

1. Get the application kit. MSP says kits are provided free of charge by county clerks during normal business hours, or online at michigan.gov/firearms. The form is RI-012, the Concealed Pistol License Standard & Emergency Application.
2. File the application with the county clerk in the county where you live. You sign it under oath, and the clerk or the clerk’s representative administers the oath.
3. Include your training certificate, and a passport-quality photograph if the Michigan Secretary of State does not have a digitized photograph of you on file.
4. Pay the $100.00 application and licensing fee to the county clerk, who gives you a receipt.
5. Have classifiable fingerprints taken by the county clerk, the state police, a sheriff’s office, a local police agency or another fingerprinting provider, pay the $15.00 fingerprint fee set by MCL 28.425b, and keep the fingerprint receipt.

The county clerk must issue a license or a notice of statutory disqualification within 45 days after your fingerprints are taken. MSP’s page quotes the required receipt wording: if neither is issued within 45 days, “this receipt shall serve as a CPL for the individual named in the receipt when carried with an official state issued driver’s license or personal identification card.” Under MCL 28.425b, an application is considered withdrawn if you are not fingerprinted within 45 days after filing it, and a completed application and its receipts expire 1 year after the date of application.

Michigan CPL renewal

• When: MSP says a renewal may be submitted “not more than six months before, nor one year after, the expiration of the current CPL.” Your county clerk mails a notice 3 to 6 months before your license expires.
• Online: if your renewal notice contains a PIN, you can renew online at michigan.gov/cplrenewal. A notice without a PIN means you are not eligible to renew online.
• By mail or in person: send the completed renewal application with payment to the MSP CPL Unit, P.O. Box 30634, Lansing, Michigan 48909, or renew at your county clerk’s office.
• Fee: $115.00.
• Training: you sign a statement on the application certifying at least three hours of review of the required training and at least one hour of firing range time in the six months before you apply.
• Fingerprints: not needed again if MSP already holds them. MSP has kept CPL fingerprints since January 1, 2006.
• Timing: under MCL 28.425l, the county clerk issues the renewal license or a notice of statutory disqualification within 30 days after the renewal application is received.

Carrying while your renewal is pending. If you apply before your license expires, its expiration date is extended until the renewal or a notice of statutory disqualification is issued. Carry the renewal receipt with your expired license; together they serve as a valid CPL. If you apply after your license has expired, you may not carry a concealed pistol until the renewal license is issued. A license expired for more than one year is no longer eligible for renewal, so you apply as a new applicant.

How long a Michigan CPL lasts

A license, including a renewal, is valid until your birthday that falls not less than 4 years or more than 5 years after it is issued or renewed (MCL 28.425l).

Carrying with a CPL: ID, police stops and pistol-free areas

Carry your license and ID. MCL 28.425f requires you to have your CPL and your state-issued driver license or personal identification card with you whenever you carry a concealed pistol, and to show both to a peace officer who asks. If a peace officer stops you while you are carrying, you must immediately disclose that you are carrying a pistol on your person or in your vehicle. Failing to disclose is a state civil infraction: a $500.00 fine and a 6-month license suspension for a first offense, and a $1,000.00 fine and revocation for a subsequent offense within 3 years of a prior one.

Pistol-free areas. MCL 28.425o bars CPL holders from carrying a concealed pistol on the premises of:

• a school or school property (a parent or legal guardian may carry while in a vehicle dropping off or picking up a student);
• a public or private child care center or day care center, child caring institution or child placing agency;
• a sports arena or stadium;
• a bar or tavern whose primary source of income is the sale of alcohol by the glass for drinking on the premises;
• a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship, unless its presiding officials permit it;
• an entertainment facility with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more;
• a hospital;
• a dormitory or classroom of a community college, college or university.

Parking areas of these places are not part of the “premises.” The statute exempts some licensees, such as retired police officers and certain security staff.

Carrying comfortably once your CPL arrives

The Cloudster Pillow holster wedge mounts to the back of any IWB or AIWB holster with hook-and-loop, angles the grip into your body for better concealment and comfort, and has shredded cooling gel memory foam fill you can add or remove to set its thickness. Our Kore 1.5″ ratchet gun belts keep the holster steady. For how other states handle permits and renewals, see our carry permit requirements guide.

Michigan CPL: Questions People Ask

How much is a CPL in Michigan?

The application and licensing fee is $100.00, paid to the county clerk, plus a $15.00 fee for the fingerprints (MCL 28.425b). A renewal is $115.00.

How long does it take to get a Michigan CPL?

The county clerk must issue the license or a notice of statutory disqualification within 45 days after your fingerprints are taken. A renewal is decided within 30 days after the application is received.

Can I renew my Michigan CPL online?

Yes, if the renewal notice from your county clerk contains a PIN. Use it at michigan.gov/cplrenewal. Without a PIN, renew by mail to the MSP CPL Unit or in person at your county clerk.

Can I renew an expired Michigan CPL?

Yes, within one year after it expires, but you may not carry a concealed pistol until the renewal license is issued. After more than one year, you must apply as a new applicant.

How long is a Michigan CPL valid?

Until your birthday that falls not less than 4 years or more than 5 years after the license is issued or renewed.

Sources, all read November 4, 2026: Michigan State Police, Concealed Pistol License Requirements, Concealed Pistol Application and Instructions, and Concealed Pistol License Renewal Information pages; Michigan Compiled Laws 28.425b, 28.425f, 28.425j, 28.425l, 28.425o and 750.227 (legislature.mi.gov, complete through PA 114 of 2026). Laws change, so confirm with MSP or your county clerk before you apply. This is general information, not legal advice.