ARTICLE 1. License to Sell, Lease, or Transfer Firearms at Retail [26700. - 26725.]

Cal. Penal Code - PEN 1.

in effect

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26700. Section 26700.

As used in this division, and in any other provision listed in Section 16580, “dealer,” “licensee,” or “person licensed pursuant to Sections 26700 to 26915, inclusive” means a person who satisfies all of the following requirements: (a) Has a valid federal firearms license. (b) Has any regulatory or business license, or licenses, required by local government. (c) Has a valid seller’s permit issued by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration pursuant to Section 6067 of the Revenue and Taxation Code and, commencing July 1, 2024, has a valid certificate of registration issued pursuant to Section 36036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. (d) Has a certificate of eligibility issued by the Department of Justice pursuant to Section 26710. (e) Has a license issued in the format prescribed by subdivision (c) of Section 26705. (f) Is among those recorded in the centralized list specified in Section 26715.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26705. Section 26705.

(a) The duly constituted licensing authority of a city, county, or a city and county shall accept applications for, and may grant licenses permitting, licensees to sell firearms at retail within the city, county, or city and county. The duly constituted licensing authority shall inform applicants who are denied licenses of the reasons for the denial in writing. (b) No license shall be granted to any applicant who fails to provide a copy of each of the following documents: (1) A valid federal firearms license. (2) A valid seller’s permit issued by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration pursuant to Section 6067 of the Revenue and Taxation Code and, commencing July 1, 2024, a valid certificate of registration issued pursuant to Section 36036 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. (3) A certificate of eligibility issued by the Department of Justice pursuant to Section 26710. (c) A license granted by the duly constituted licensing authority of any city, county, or city and county, shall be valid for not more than one year from the date of issuance and shall be in one of the following forms: (1) In the form prescribed by the Attorney General. (2) A regulatory or business license that states on its face “Valid for Retail Sales of Firearms” and is endorsed by the signature of the issuing authority. (3) A letter from the duly constituted licensing authority having primary jurisdiction for the applicant’s intended business location stating that the jurisdiction does not require any form of regulatory or business license or does not otherwise restrict or regulate the sale of firearms. (d) Local licensing authorities may assess fees to recover their full costs of processing applications for licenses.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26710. Section 26710.

(a) A person may request a certificate of eligibility from the Department of Justice. (b) The Department of Justice shall examine its records and records available to the department in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System in order to determine if the applicant is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing, receiving, owning, or purchasing a firearm. (c) The department shall issue a certificate to an applicant if the department’s records indicate that the applicant is not a person who is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing firearms. (d) The department shall adopt regulations to administer the certificate of eligibility program and shall recover the full costs of administering the program by imposing fees assessed to applicants who apply for those certificates.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26715. Section 26715.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (b), the Department of Justice shall keep a centralized list of all persons licensed pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 26700. (b) (1) The department may remove from this list any person who knowingly or with gross negligence violates a provision listed in Section 16575. (2) The department shall remove from the centralized list any person whose federal firearms license has expired or has been revoked. (3) The department shall remove from the centralized list any person or entity who has failed to provide certification of compliance with Section 26806 pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 26806. (4) Upon removal of a dealer from this list, notification shall be provided to local law enforcement and licensing authorities in the jurisdiction where the dealer’s business is located. (c) Information compiled from the list shall be made available, upon request, for the following purposes only: (1) For law enforcement purposes. (2) When the information is requested by a person licensed pursuant to Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code for determining the validity of the license for firearm shipments. (3) When information is requested by a person promoting, sponsoring, operating, or otherwise organizing a show or event as defined in Section 478.100 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or its successor, who possesses a valid certificate of eligibility issued pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 27200) of Chapter 3, if that information is requested by the person to determine the eligibility of a prospective participant in a gun show or event to conduct transactions as a firearms dealer pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 26805. (d) Information provided pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be limited to information necessary to corroborate an individual’s current license status as being one of the following: (1) A person licensed pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 26700. (2) A person who is licensed pursuant to Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code, and who is not subject to the requirement of being licensed pursuant to subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, of Section 26700.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26720. Section 26720.

(a) The Department of Justice may conduct inspections of dealers at least every three years to ensure compliance with the requirements of this title, including any regulations promulgated to implement this title, Sections 21628.2, 21636, and 21640 of the Business and Professions Code, and any other applicable state law. (1) Commencing on January 1, 2024, the department shall conduct inspections of all dealers, except a dealer specified in subdivision (c), at least once every three years, to ensure compliance with the requirements of this title, including any regulations promulgated to implement this title, Sections 21628.2, 21636, and 21640 of the Business and Professions Code, and any other applicable state law. (2) Inspections of dealers pursuant to this subdivision shall include an audit of dealer records that includes a sampling of at least 25 percent but no more than 50 percent of each record type. (b) The department may assess an annual fee, not to exceed one hundred fifteen dollars ($115), to cover the reasonable cost of maintaining the list described in Section 26715, including the cost of inspections. (c) A dealer whose place of business is located in a jurisdiction that has adopted an inspection program to ensure compliance with firearms law is exempt from that portion of the department’s fee that relates to the cost of inspections. The applicant is responsible for providing evidence to the department that the jurisdiction in which the business is located has the inspection program. The department may inspect a dealer who is exempt from mandatory inspections under subdivision (b) to ensure compliance with the requirements of this title, including any regulations promulgated to implement this title, Sections 21628.2, 21636, and 21640 of the Business and Professions Code, and any other applicable state law.

Cal. Penal Code - PEN § 26725. Section 26725.

The Department of Justice shall maintain and make available upon request information concerning all of the following: (a) The number of inspections conducted and the amount of fees collected pursuant to Section 26720. (b) A listing of exempted jurisdictions, as defined in Section 26720. (c) The number of dealers removed from the centralized list defined in Section 26715. (d) The number of dealers found to have violated a provision listed in Section 16575 and any other applicable state law with knowledge or gross negligence.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026