California Ammo Buyers Guide

Last updated: October 14, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Several California gun laws are being challenged in court, so check the current rules with your vendor and the California Department of Justice before you buy.

California has the strictest rules in the country for buying ammunition and firearms. Here is what you need to know before you order ammo or a gun online and pick it up in California.

Buying ammunition in California

A background check for every purchase

Every ammunition purchase in California requires an eligibility check by the California Department of Justice (DOJ). The licensed ammunition vendor runs it electronically when you buy. There are three types of checks:

• Standard check: $5. For buyers whose name, date of birth, address and ID match a record in the state's firearm database (for example, because you bought a gun in California) and who are not prohibited from owning firearms.
• Certificate of Eligibility (COE) verification: $5. For buyers who hold a current COE (see below).
• Basic check: $19. For buyers with no matching record and no COE. A DOJ analyst reviews it, and the DOJ says it may take several days.

The Standard and COE checks cost $1 until July 1, 2025. If you buy a gun at a California dealer, you can buy ammunition in the same transaction under that approval.

Online orders ship to a licensed vendor

Ammunition you buy online can't be shipped to your home in California. It must be delivered to a California licensed ammunition vendor (many gun stores are), where you pick it up in person and pass the background check. Ask the vendor before you order whether they accept ammo shipments and whether they charge a fee for receiving them. You also generally can't bring ammunition you bought in another state into California unless it is first delivered to a licensed vendor here.

Age limits for ammunition

You must be 18 to buy rifle and shotgun ammunition and 21 to buy handgun ammunition. Ammunition that works in both rifles and handguns can be sold to an 18- to 20-year-old if the vendor reasonably believes it is for a rifle.

Is the ammo background check still in effect?

Yes. The law was challenged in Rhode v. Bonta. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled against it in July 2025, but that decision never took effect: the full Ninth Circuit vacated it on December 1, 2025, reheard the case in March 2026 and, as of this update, has not issued a decision. The background check and the vendor delivery rules remain in force.

How to buy ammo online, step by step

1. Compare prices per round on our ammo deals page or the 9mm ammo deals page.
2. Check that the store ships to California licensed vendors; some stores don't ship ammunition to California at all.
3. Call a local licensed ammunition vendor to confirm they accept shipments and ask about their fee.
4. Order online and choose that vendor as the shipping address.
5. When the vendor tells you it has arrived, bring your ID, pass the background check and pay the check fee, any vendor fee and the excise tax.

California Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax

Since July 1, 2024, an 11% state excise tax applies to retail sales of firearms, firearm precursor parts and ammunition in California, on top of sales tax. It is imposed on licensed dealers and ammunition vendors, who usually pass it on to the buyer; state DROS fees are not taxed. When you buy online from an out-of-state store, the California dealer or vendor that completes the transfer is responsible for the tax, so expect to pay it at pickup. Lawsuits against the tax are pending, but it remains in effect.

Buying a gun in California

Online gun purchases work as in our guide to buying a gun online: the gun ships to a California licensed dealer. On top of the federal rules, California requires:

• A Firearm Safety Certificate (FSC). You need a valid FSC to buy any firearm unless you're exempt. The test has 30 questions and you need 23 correct answers; it costs $25 (including one retake) and the certificate is valid for 5 years. A valid hunting license exempts you when buying a long gun.
• A 10-day waiting period. The dealer can't give you the gun until 10 days after it submits your purchase paperwork (DROS).
• State fees. $37.19 per purchase (DROS and firearm safety fees), plus the dealer's own fees.
• Age 21 for handguns and semi-automatic centerfire rifles, with exceptions for active law enforcement and military. Buyers aged 18 to 20 can buy other rifles and shotguns with a valid hunting license or another listed exemption.
• No more than three firearms in 30 days. The old one-gun-in-30-days limit was struck down in 2025 and replaced by a three-gun limit on April 1, 2026. Some cities, such as Los Angeles, have their own stricter limits.

The Handgun Roster

Dealers can sell new handguns only if the model is on the DOJ's Roster of Certified Handguns. Pistols must still have a chamber load indicator and a magazine disconnect to be added; the microstamping requirement is not currently applied. Since July 1, 2026, dealers also may not sell semi-automatic pistols with a cruciform trigger bar (which includes most Glock models) under AB 1127, except stock they received before January 1, 2026. The federal government has sued over AB 1127, but the law remains in effect. Private-party transfers through a dealer follow different roster rules; ask the dealer.

Magazines over 10 rounds

Californians can't buy, sell or receive magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The full Ninth Circuit upheld the ban in March 2025 (Duncan v. Bonta). A petition to the US Supreme Court is pending, so the ban stays in place. Magazines sold to California buyers are limited to 10 rounds.

Barrels and accessories

Since January 1, 2026, a firearm barrel bought separately must be sold in person through a California licensed dealer, so online stores ship barrels to a dealer. Sellers of certain gun parts and accessories, such as pistol grips, folding stocks, flash suppressors and threaded barrels, must also verify that the buyer is at least 18 and give a legal notice.

Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

A COE is a certificate from the California DOJ confirming that you were not prohibited from owning firearms when it was issued. Dealers, ammunition vendors and their employees need one; anyone else can get one too, and it lets you use the $5 COE verification check when you buy ammunition.

• How to apply: get your fingerprints taken at a Live Scan location (form BCIA 8016), then complete the application in the DOJ's CFARS system. Processing takes about 6 to 8 weeks.
• Cost: $71 for the first certificate, then $22 to renew online.
• Validity: 1 year. You can renew starting 60 days before it expires; if it has been expired for more than 90 days, you have to apply again.

Official sources

• California DOJ: Ammunition purchase FAQs
• California DOJ: Certificate of Eligibility
• California DOJ: Firearm Safety Certificate FAQs
• CDTFA: Firearm and ammunition excise tax