Types of FFL licenses

All types, fees and counts

Fees are what ATF charges for a three-year license. The active counts come from ATF’s public list of licensees for August 2026, which does not include Type 03 collectors.

There are no Type 04 or 05 licenses in use. Explosives licenses and permits are a separate system under a different law.

One thing the numbers show: manufacturers are not a niche. Almost three in ten business licenses on ATF’s list are Type 07. Part of that is the fee, which is lower than a dealer license, and part is that many small shops do work that ATF treats as manufacturing.

Type 01: dealer and gunsmith

The standard license for selling firearms at retail or wholesale, running transfers for people who buy online, and doing gunsmithing. It is the right choice for a gun store, a home-based transfer business, a range with a retail counter, or a gunsmith who repairs and customizes firearms without manufacturing them.

A Type 01 dealer can:

• buy and sell firearms, including across state lines with other licensees;
• run Form 4473 transfers and background checks;
• repair, clean, fit and customize firearms;
• deal in NFA items after paying the Class 3 Special Occupational Tax.

What a Type 01 cannot do is manufacture firearms for sale. That line matters for gunsmiths. Making a frame or receiver, or certain conversions and builds done for sale, is manufacturing and needs a Type 07. ATF has issued rulings on specific services over the years. If you plan to offer anything beyond repair and customization of existing firearms, read those rulings first or just get the 07.

Type 02: pawnbroker

Same privileges as a Type 01, for a business that takes firearms as collateral for loans. Pawn transactions have their own wrinkles: a background check is required when a pledged firearm is redeemed, and many states regulate pawnshops separately. If pawn loans are part of your business, this is the license, and the fees match the 01.

Type 03: collector of curios and relics

The C&R license is not a business license. It lets collectors acquire firearms that qualify as curios or relics, generally those made at least 50 years ago plus items on ATF’s C&R list, directly from other licensees and across state lines.

It does not let you buy modern firearms at dealer prices, run transfers, or engage in the business of selling firearms. Collectors can sell items from their collection occasionally, and there is no premises requirement for doing business, though ATF can inspect the collection records.

At $30 for three years with an application that is shorter than the business version, it is a good fit for people who mostly want surplus rifles and older handguns without a trip to a dealer each time.

Type 06: manufacturer of ammunition

For manufacturing ammunition for sale, including commercial reloading. It does not cover armor-piercing ammunition or ammunition for destructive devices, and it does not let you deal in firearms. Anyone reloading for their own use needs no license. Selling reloads does.

Ammunition manufacturers also owe federal excise tax on sales, which is covered under Type 07 below.

Type 07: manufacturer of firearms

The manufacturer license covers making firearms and ammunition for sale, and it also includes the privileges of a dealer. A Type 07 holder can sell, run transfers and do gunsmithing, so many people who might do some manufacturing simply choose the 07 from the start.

Things that come with it:

• Excise tax. Manufacturers pay the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): 10% of the sale price for pistols and revolvers, 11% for other firearms and ammunition. Very small producers, those making fewer than 50 firearms a year, have an exemption. Check the current TTB rules before you rely on it.
• Marking requirements. Firearms you make must be marked with your name, city and state, and a serial number, among other things.
• Export rules. Most non-automatic firearms moved from State Department export control to Commerce Department rules in 2020. If you make items still on the U.S. Munitions List, such as fully automatic weapons, State Department registration comes into play.
• Zoning. A “manufacturing” use can trigger different zoning rules than a dealer’s office, even if the work is small-scale assembly in a garage.

With a Class 2 SOT, a Type 07 can also manufacture NFA firearms such as suppressors and short-barreled rifles.

Type 08: importer

For bringing firearms and ammunition into the United States for sale. Importers deal with ATF Form 6 import permits, import marking rules and, usually, customs brokers. A Type 08 also carries dealer privileges. Paired with a Class 1 SOT, an importer can bring in NFA items.

Types 09, 10 and 11: destructive devices

These cover dealing in (09), manufacturing (10) and importing (11) destructive devices, a legal category that includes explosive grenades, most firearms with a bore over half an inch, and certain ammunition. Type 10 also covers armor-piercing ammunition manufacturing.

At $3,000 for three years these are specialist licenses, mostly held by defense contractors, cannon makers and businesses supplying government buyers. Nobody should pick one of these by accident.

Choosing between 01 and 07

For most applicants the decision comes down to these two:

Changing from an 01 to an 07 later means a new application, not an amendment, so if manufacturing is a real part of the plan it usually makes sense to apply for the 07 from the start.