NYC gun license, by borough
One process, one standard, all five boroughs. Here's the citywide answer — and where each borough's practical questions get answered.
Getting a gun license in New York City works the same way in every borough. The NYPD License Division handles handgun licensing centrally for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — one set of forms, the same 18 hours of training, the same four notarized references, the same investigation, and the same roughly six-month wait from a complete submission. There is no borough-specific rule, no local desk, and no queue your address moves you up or down. What changes borough to borough isn't the standard — it's the practical questions your housing and household raise.
Same rules everywhere — different questions
- Gun license in ManhattanProximity to the License Division buys nothing — plus small-apartment storage and household questions.
- Gun license in BrooklynMulti-adult households and getting every cohabitant affidavit notarized on time.
- Gun license in QueensFitting the full 18 hours of training around a working schedule.
- Gun license in The BronxLining up and coordinating your four notarized references.
- Gun license in Staten IslandDistance to appointments, and planning the in-person steps.
The one citywide standard
These are the rules that apply the same in every borough. Each is set by an agency other than us, with the primary source attached:
You must be at least 21 years old to apply.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act requires 18 hours of training — 16 hours of classroom instruction plus 2 hours of live-fire — with a state-approved instructor, and a written test passed at 80% or higher.
Set by New York State (CCIA) · DCJS · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Four character references are required, and they must be notarized.
Set by 38 RCNY Chapter 5 · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
A notarized affidavit is required from every adult living in your home.
Set by 38 RCNY Chapter 5 · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Roughly six months is typical from a complete submission to the decision letter, covering the interview, fingerprinting, the FBI background check, and the character investigation.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
You submit your own application. A consulting firm cannot file for you or represent you before the License Division — only a New York-licensed attorney may represent an applicant.
Set by NYPD License Division · source · we last checked 2026-07-14
Is the gun license process different in each NYC borough?+
No. The NYPD License Division runs one centralized handgun-licensing process for all five boroughs. The same forms, the same 18 hours of training, the same four notarized references, the same investigation, and the same standard apply whether you live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island. Your borough is an address on the application, not a separate category or queue.
Does my borough affect how long the process takes?+
No. Roughly six months from a complete submission is typical citywide, and the NYPD keeps full investigative discretion over both the decision and its timing. No borough address moves you up a queue. The only part of the calendar anyone can influence is the part before you file — assembling a complete, correct application.
Why have a page for each borough if the rules are the same?+
Because the practical questions differ even when the rules don't. A studio raises different storage questions than a house; a shared apartment raises different household-affidavit questions than living alone. Each borough page covers the questions applicants there actually ask — the standard itself is identical everywhere.
Do I have to live in the borough to apply through the NYPD?+
NYC handgun licensing goes through the NYPD License Division for residents of the five boroughs. Non-residents who have a place of business in NYC, or who need a Special Carry license, are handled on a dedicated track rather than the standard resident process.
Your borough doesn't decide where you stand. Your file does.
Check your eligibility