What Is Required for a Concealed Pistol License (CPL)?

Here are the basic requirements for obtaining a concealed pistol license (CPL) in Michigan:

To get a CPL, a person must be

  • 21 years of age or older
  • A U.S. citizen or person lawfully admitted to U.S.
  • Be a legal resident of Michigan and live in Michigan for 6 months prior to application for the CPL,
    • A legal resident of Michigan is defined as one of the following:
      • A person has a Michigan drivers license or other official Michigan state ID,
      • A person lawfully registered to vote in Michigan,
      • A person on active military service outside of Michigan but whose home of record is in Michigan,
      • A person on active military permanently stationed inside Michigan but whose home of record is another state.
  • The six month residency requirement can be waived only for one of the following reasons:
    • A person can receive an emergency license if they are an applicant for a personal protection order (PPO)
    • A person can receive an emergency CPL if the county sheriff determines by clear and convincing evidence that the person’s or the person’s family member’s immediate safety is affected by the inability to hold a CPL
    • For a new Michigan resident, if the person held a valid CPL in another state prior to coming to Michigan
  • Has the appropriate training and knowledge in gun use by completing a pistol safety class
  • The person is not subject to one of the following orders;
    • Involuntary mental health treatment or hospitalization
    • Legal incapacitation
    • Personal protection order (also known as a restraining order)
    • Bond or conditional release prohibiting firearm possession (such as during a pending court case)
    • Finding of not guilty by reason of insanity
  • The person is not prohibited from possessing or otherwise having a firearm due to having been convicted of a felony. MCL 750.224f
  • Have no felony convictions in Michigan or elsewhere, no pending felony cases, either in Michigan or elsewhere
  • The person has never been dishonorably discharged from the military
  • The person has not been convicted of a specified misdemeanor in either the last 8 or 3 years. The full list of misdemeanors can be found here on our website
  • The person has not been found guilty but mentally ill of any crime, and has not offered a plea of not guilty of, or been acquitted of, any crime by reason of insanity
  • The person is not currently nor has ever been the subject of an involuntary commitment due to mental illness
  • The person has not been diagnosed mental illness at the time the application is made that includes an assessment that the individual presents a danger to himself or herself or to another, regardless of whether he or she is receiving treatment for that illness
  • The person must have a valid drivers license or personal identification card

Call us

Call Sam Bernstein at 734-883-9584 or e-mail at bernstein@arborypsilaw.com.

Sam Bernstein is an Ann Arbor Criminal Law Attorney.

ArborYpsi Law is located at 2750 Carpenter Rd #2, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

Read More

  • Drinking and Your CPL
  • Firearms Civil Infractions
  • Concealed Pistol License Possession and Disclosure
  • Carrying a Weapon while Intoxicated or Under the Influence
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