Applications for Firearms License are located at:
The Chatham County Probate Court
133 Montgomery Street Room 509
Savannah, GA 31401
REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING A FIREARMS LICENSE
(CONCEALED WEAPON PERMIT)
PLEASE NOTE:
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TO APPLY FOR A FIREARMS LICENSE IN THIS COURT, YOU MUST BE 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AND BE A RESIDENT OF CHATHAM COUNTY. YOU MUST PRESENT A PHOTO I.D. AND PROOF OF YOUR PRESENT CHATHAM COUNTY ADDRESS.
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ALL PERMITS WILL BE SENT TO YOU BY MAIL.
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IF THE PERMIT IS DENIED, THERE IS NO REFUND .
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REPLACEMENT FEE FOR A LOST PERMIT IS $5.00.
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A COPY OF THE LAWS RELATING TO CARRYING WEAPONS IS $1.00.
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INFORMATION ON GUN SAFETY CLASSES IS AVAILABLE FROM THE CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR CIVIALIAN FIREARMS TRAINING PAGE.
ALL APPLICANTS MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING (EFFECTIVE 7/1/09):
1. A $40.00 CASH, MONEY ORDER or CASHIERS CHECK made payable to the Chatham County Sheriff's Department. (This fee is to pay for the background check.)
2. Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for Probate Court Fee. This may be either cash, money order or personal check.
3. The applicant must fill out the application in Probate Court and sign in the presence of a Deputy Court Clerk.
4. Fingerprinting will be done at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, located in the Walter Mitchell, Jr., Detention Center at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive. The Sheriff's hours for printing are 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., therefore you should be here no later than 3 p.m.
5. First time applications usually take four (4) to five (5) months. Please wait at least four (4) months before calling to check on your permit. The permit is valid for five (5) years.
6. You may apply three (3) months before your permit expires.
RENEWALS:
You must renew your permit within the month it expires to avoid paying for another background investigation. Renewals usually take one (1) month with same requirements as #2 and #3.
STATES ENTITLED TO FIREARM LICENSE RECIPROCITY:
Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming
LICENSING EXCEPTIONS PURSUANT TO O.C.G.A. 16-11-129(b)
(b) Licensing exceptions.
No license shall be granted to:
1. Any person under 21 years of age;
2. Any person who is a fugitive from justice or against whom proceedings are pending for any felony, forcible misdemeanor, or violation of Code Section 16-11-126, 16-11-127, or 16-11-128 until such time as the proceedings are adjudicated;
3. Any person who has been convicted of a felony by a court of this state or any other state; by a court of the United States including its territories, possessions, and dominions; or by a court of any foreign nation and has not been pardoned for such felony by the President of the United States, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, or the person or agency empowered to grant pardons under the constitution or laws of such state or nation or any person who has been convicted of a forcible misdemeanor and has not been free of all restraint or supervision in connection therewith for at least five years or any person who has been convicted of a violation of Code Section 16-11-126, 16-11-127, or 16-11-128 and has not been free of all restraint or supervision in connection therewith for at least three years, immediately preceding the date of the application;
4. Any individual who has been hospitalized as an inpatient in any mental hospital or alcohol or drug treatment center within five years of the date of his application. The probate judge may require any applicant to sign a waiver authorizing any mental hospital or treatment center to inform the judge whether or not the applicant has been an inpatient in any such facility in the last five years and authorizing the superintendent of such facility to make to the judge a recommendation regarding whether a license to carry a pistol or revolver should be issued. The judge shall keep any such hospitalization or treatment information confidential. It shall be at the discretion of the probate judge, considering the circumstances surrounding the hospitalization and the recommendation of the superintendent of the hospital or treatment center where the individual was a patient, to issue the license; or
5. (A) Any person, the provisions of paragraph (3) of this subsection notwithstanding, who has been convicted of an offense arising out of the unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, or use of a controlled substance or other dangerous drug.
(B) As used in this paragraph, the term:
(i) "Controlled substance" means any drug, substance, or immediate precursor included in the definition of controlled substances in paragraph (4) of Code Section 16-13-21.
(ii) "Convicted" means a plea of guilty, a finding of guilt by a court of competent jurisdiction, the acceptance of a plea of nolo contendere, or the affording of first offender treatment by a court of competent jurisdiction irrespective of the pendency or availability of an appeal or an application for collateral relief.
(iii) "Dangerous drug" means any drug defined as such in Code Section 16-13-71.
The Chatham County Probate Court is the issuing agency for the Firearms License and the application fee is $25.00. Once the Application for Firearms License is complete, a clerk at the Chatham County Probate Court will direct the applicant to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office for fingerprinting.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office provides a fingerprinting service for the Chatham County Probate Court. The fingerprinting fee is $19.25 (cash, money order or certified check) made payable to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. The $19.25 fee is for the GBI and the FBI to complete a fingerprinting background check on the applicant.
The fingerprinting hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For more information on applying for a Firearms License, please contact the Chatham County Probate Court at 912-652-7267.