How to get an FFL in Florida

Florida by the numbers

Florida has more federal firearms licensees than any state except Texas. ATF’s August 2026 listing shows 4,558 active licenses with premises in Florida.

The pawnbroker number stands out. Nationally, Type 02 licenses are about 7.5% of the list. In Florida they are 12%, which tells you something about how much firearms business goes through pawnshops in the state.

Jacksonville has the most licensees of any Florida city (164), followed by Orlando (143), Miami (124), Tampa (114), Sarasota (81) and Lakeland (70).

The federal application is the same

The federal process in Florida works like it does anywhere else. You file ATF Form 5310.12, submit fingerprints and photos for each responsible person, send a copy to your chief law enforcement officer, and meet with an ATF investigator. The step-by-step application guide covers it.

In Florida, the CLEO is usually the police chief if your premises are inside city limits, or the county sheriff otherwise.

ATF’s Miami and Tampa field divisions cover the state, so your qualification interview will be scheduled through whichever office covers your county.

Background checks go through FDLE

This is the biggest day-to-day difference for a Florida dealer. Florida is a point-of-contact state. Instead of contacting the FBI’s NICS system directly, dealers run firearm purchase checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Firearm Purchase Program. FDLE checks the federal databases as well as Florida records.

After your license arrives, you register with FDLE as a licensed dealer before you can run checks. The program has its own procedures and a per-check fee, and FDLE provides the current details to dealers when they enroll.

Waiting period and minimum age

Two state rules shape every sale.

Waiting period. A dealer can’t deliver a firearm until three days have passed, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or until the FDLE records check is complete, whichever comes later. The waiting period used to apply only to handguns and was extended to all firearms in 2018. Holders of a Florida concealed weapon license are exempt, as are trade-ins of another firearm and certain long-gun purchasers who have completed a hunter safety course.

On top of that, the Florida Constitution lets each county require its own criminal history check and a waiting period of three to five days for firearm sales within the county. Check whether the county where your premises are has adopted one.

Minimum age. Since 2018, licensed dealers in Florida generally cannot sell any firearm, long guns included, to someone under 21. There are exceptions for certain law enforcement officers, correctional officers and military service members. In the 2026 session the Florida House passed a bill to lower the age to 18 for rifles and shotguns, but as of this writing it had not become law. Verify the current rule before you set store policy.

Pawnbrokers need a state license too

If you plan to operate as a Type 02 pawnbroker, the federal license is not enough. Florida pawnbrokers are licensed by the Office of Financial Regulation under the Florida Pawnbroking Act (Chapter 539, Florida Statutes). That law has its own requirements on recordkeeping, holding periods and transaction reporting. Get the state pawnbroker license lined up alongside your FFL application.

Taxes and local registration

A Florida firearms business typically needs:

• Sales tax registration with the Florida Department of Revenue. The state rate is 6%, plus a discretionary county surtax in most counties.
• A local business tax receipt from your county, and from your city if you are inside city limits.
• Registration with the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) if you form an LLC or corporation, along with the annual report that keeps it active.

Zoning in Florida

Florida has strong state preemption of firearms regulation: section 790.33 prohibits cities and counties from regulating firearms and imposes penalties on local officials who try. That preemption covers firearms regulation, though, not general zoning of businesses. A city can still apply its ordinary home occupation rules, commercial zoning and sign regulations to your business the same way it would to any other business.

For a home-based FFL, look up your city’s home occupation rules and ask the zoning office specifically about an office-type business with customers by appointment. Many Florida communities are also governed by HOAs with their own restrictions on home businesses, which ATF won’t enforce but your neighbors might.

Storage and weather

One Florida-specific practical point: insurance and security planning should account for hurricanes. A safe bolted to a slab, a plan for moving or securing inventory before a storm, and an insurance policy that actually covers firearms inventory in a named storm are worth sorting out before you stock anything. Theft or loss of firearms after a storm still has to be reported to ATF within 48 hours of discovery.

A Florida checklist

1. Confirm zoning with your city or county.
2. Register your entity with Sunbiz, if using one.
3. Register for sales tax with the Department of Revenue.
4. Get your local business tax receipt.
5. If you will pawn, apply for the state pawnbroker license with the Office of Financial Regulation.
6. File ATF Form 5310.12 and send the CLEO copy.
7. Complete the ATF qualification interview.
8. Once licensed, enroll with FDLE’s Firearm Purchase Program.
9. Set up your records, safe storage and waiting-period procedures before your first sale.