Connecticut Pistol Permit (CT Gun Permit): How to Apply, Cost and Renewal (2026)

Quick answer: Connecticut requires a state permit to carry a pistol or revolver anywhere outside your home, your own land or your place of business. You start with your local police chief (or first selectman or resident state trooper where there is no police chief), who can issue a 60-day temporary state permit. The state permit itself comes from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). You must be at least 21 and complete an approved firearms safety course taken within two years of applying. The statute sets the state permit fee at $140 ($70 kept locally and $70 sent to the state on approval) plus the FBI background check fee. The permit lasts five years, and renewal is $70. Facts below are from DESPP’s Special Licensing and Firearms Unit page and Connecticut General Statutes chapter 529, checked November 4, 2026.

Connecticut requires a permit to carry

CGS § 29-35: “No person shall carry any pistol or revolver upon such person’s person, except when such person is within such person’s dwelling house, on land leased or owned by such person or within the place of business of such person, without a permit to carry the same issued as provided in section 29-28.” The permit covers carrying a pistol or revolver on your person within the state.

How the two-step permit works

1. Temporary state permit (local): under CGS § 29-28(b), the chief of police of the town where you have a “bona fide permanent residence” (or, where there is no chief of police, the chief executive officer or a designated resident state trooper or state police officer) may issue a temporary state permit. They must find that you intend no use other than a lawful use and that you are “a suitable person to receive such permit.” A temporary state permit “shall expire sixty days after the date it becomes effective, and may not be renewed” (§ 29-30).
2. State permit (DESPP): the state permit is issued by DESPP and lasts five years.

Under § 29-29, the local authority takes your fingerprints, investigates your suitability and sends the fingerprints to the State Police Bureau of Identification within five business days. If the national records check isn’t back within eight weeks of a complete application, the local authority must tell you about the delay in writing. DESPP’s page says, “The issuing authority has 8 weeks to review your application and approve or deny.” A denial may be appealed to the Board of Firearm Permit Examiners.

Who qualifies

DESPP: “Applicants must be at least 21 years old and be a legal resident of the United States.” CGS § 29-28(b) also bars a permit for anyone who:

• has been convicted of a felony, of certain listed misdemeanors within the preceding twenty years, or of a family violence crime;
• has been convicted as a delinquent of a serious juvenile offense;
• was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and discharged within the preceding twenty years;
• was confined in a psychiatric hospital by probate court order within the preceding sixty months, or voluntarily admitted (or committed on an emergency certificate) within the preceding six months, as the statute describes;
• is subject to a restraining or protective order in a case involving physical force, or to a risk protection order;
• is prohibited under 18 USC 922(g)(2), (g)(4) or (g)(9);
• is an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States.

DESPP adds that the statute’s “suitability clause” lets the issuing authority deny an application, and revoke an existing permit, if it finds the applicant is not a suitable person to possess or carry a pistol or revolver.

The required safety course

For applications filed on or after July 1, 2024, CGS § 29-28(b) requires a course approved by the DESPP Commissioner, completed “not earlier than two years prior to the submission of such application,” and taught by an instructor certified by the National Rifle Association or the state. The course must include “instruction in state law requirements pertaining to safe storage in the home and in vehicles, lawful use of firearms and lawful carrying of firearms in public.”

DESPP’s applicant instructions say the course “must consist of no less than the NRA’s ‘Basic Pistol Course,'” that the NRA’s “Home Firearms Safety Course” and “First Steps Pistol Orientation Program” are not approved courses, and that “Live fire is also required.” DESPP lists computer-generated programs, dry-fire, simulators, plastic bullets and air guns as not acceptable, and says students must fire a semi-automatic pistol or revolver. DESPP publishes a list of CT approved instructors.

What to bring

• The application, from your local police department, city or town hall or first selectman’s office.
• Your course certificate.
• Proof you are legally in the United States, such as a birth certificate or U.S. passport. DESPP says naturalized citizens need proof of citizenship, and legal alien residents need Alien Registration numbers and 90-day proof of residency.
• Fingerprints and photographs for the background investigation.

Towns add their own steps. For example, the Hartford Police Department asks applicants to pre-enroll online for the fingerprint-based state and FBI check, pay the enrollment fee by card, and bring proof of Hartford residency.

Fees

CGS § 29-30 sets the fee for an original state permit to carry at “one hundred forty dollars plus sufficient funds as required to be transmitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to cover the cost of a national criminal history records check.” Seventy dollars stays with the local authority, and seventy dollars goes to the state once the temporary permit is approved. DESPP and towns quote each part as $70.00; Hartford, for example, takes a $70.00 money order with the application. Renewal is $70.00. No part of the fee is refunded unless the permit is not issued, and even then the FBI check portion is not refunded.

Renewal

• A state permit “shall expire five years after the date such permit becomes effective,” and each renewal lasts another five years (§ 29-30).
• DESPP mails a renewal letter 90 days before expiration. Renewals are by mail or online only; DESPP says “No in-person renewals.”
• DESPP says state permit holders get a 90-day grace period, and “Permits expired beyond 90 days will not be renewed.”
• You must notify the issuing authority within two business days of any change of address. State permit holders can do this online.

Non-residents

Under CGS § 29-28(f), a U.S. resident with no permanent residence in a Connecticut town, “but who has a permit or license to carry a pistol or revolver issued by the authority of another state,” may apply directly to the DESPP Commissioner for a Connecticut permit. The same rules and background checks apply. For which states honor a Connecticut permit, see our concealed carry reciprocity guide.

Carrying comfortably once your permit 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.

Connecticut Pistol Permit: Questions People Ask

How much is a CT gun permit?

The statute sets the original state permit at $140 plus the FBI background check fee: $70 paid locally with the application and $70 sent to the state on approval. Renewal is $70.

How long does it take to get a pistol permit in CT?

DESPP says the issuing authority has 8 weeks to review the application and approve or deny it.

What class do I need for a Connecticut pistol permit?

A DESPP-approved safety course taken within two years of applying, taught by an NRA- or state-certified instructor, that covers Connecticut’s storage, use and public-carry laws. DESPP requires live fire and no less than the NRA Basic Pistol Course.

How long is a Connecticut pistol permit good for?

Five years. The temporary state permit from your town lasts 60 days and can’t be renewed.

Can non-residents get a Connecticut pistol permit?

Yes, if they hold a carry permit or license from another state. They apply directly to the DESPP Commissioner under CGS § 29-28(f).

Sources, all read November 4, 2026: Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit, State Pistol Permit page and Instructions to Applicants; Connecticut General Statutes §§ 29-28, 29-29, 29-30 and 29-35 (cga.ct.gov, chapter 529); Hartford Police Department, Pistol Permits page. Laws change, so confirm with your local police department or DESPP before you apply. This is general information, not legal advice.