I took the Ohio CCW training.
Now what?
How to apply for the license
1. Schedule an Appointment
The sheriff's office is the government agency that issues Ohio Concealed Carry Licenses. You can apply in the county you live in or a county that touches your county.
(A few counties offer walk-ins, but most require an appointment.)
2. Fill Out Application
If you have questions about how to answer any of the questions, contact the sheriff's office where you will be applying.
You will need to attach a "passport style" photo. There are apps you can use or you can go to Walgreens to get one made.
3. Read the Law Summary
You are required to read this publication before applying for the license. It recaps the laws you need to be aware of.
They will ask you if you read it. You must be able to say yes.
At the sheriff's office
*Don’t take your gun with you to your appointment!*
The appointment is based on paperwork and a background check. You won’t do any shooting or ‘testing’ for them.
They will take your application, verify your training and fingerprint you for a background check. As long as your training meets Ohio’s requirements and you pass the background check, you will get your license. It usually takes a couple of weeks to hear back about whether you were approved. (See the 
Hot Tip below!)
What to bring to your appointment
Make sure you double check what is required at the county where you applying. Each county does things a bit differently. Be sure you know what forms of payment are accepted at that county. Be sure you know exactly what forms of ID they require in that county.
Generally speaking they want:
1. Your completed application (with passport style photo attached)
2. Valid ID (each county differs on what ID they want)
3. Proof of doing the training (or DD214 to show military experience in place of training) – You will show them the certificate of completion you got from us at the end of your range training
4. Fee , normally $67 but there could be extra fees if you haven’t lived in Ohio for 5 years or more (each county differs on what payment methods they accept).
……Plus any other paperwork that specific county requires.
*If you took online training, be sure to check that county accepts online training before wasting your time going to an appointment. Not all counties will accept it. Franklin county does.
🔥Hot tip:
If you live in Franklin County or a county that touches it, it is a great place to apply. Downtown traffic and finding an open parking meter can be annoying, but they are very easy to work with at Franklin County.
The biggest advantage: speed of processing! Most counties will take your paperwork at your appointment and then call you after they have processed it. By law the county has 45 days to process your application. (It is usually much quicker than that but you still usually have to wait a week or two.) Franklin County typically processes your paperwork right there at your appointment. If you are approved, they give you your license at the appointment. Not only do you get your license sooner, you don’t have to waste a trip going back to pick up.
Hocking County is the only other county we are aware of that processes applications on the spot. If you live in Hocking or a county that touches Hocking, they are also a great option. (Just be aware that they may not accept online training. Call them to clarify.)
⚠If going to Franklin County, be sure you have EXACT change. They will turn you away if you show up with all $20 bills.
Keep going! Keep growing!
This isn’t about a concealed carry license. It’s about a living a lifestyle of taking your protection seriously.
Don’t stop after you get the license!
Rosie Pistol
Ladies, don’t lose the momentum you gained in class.
These events are once per month April through October. The 2022 dates will be up in early March.
USCCA Protector Academy
If you joined USCCA in class, you have access to awesome online courses! I learned the things that transformed me from gun ignorant 10 years ago to confident defender today. I hope you will take advantage of them.
If you didn’t join USCCA yet, use this button to get a FREE sample of the one of the types of training you would have access to.
