Office of the Sheriff

According to State Law MCL 28.422 Section 2.1, a person must obtain a license to purchase a pistol PRIOR to purchasing the firearm. No individual is exempt from this law. Further instructions below.

Purchasing from an FFL dealer (Store)

If you are purchasing a firearm from a Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) dealer and you do not have a CPL, you must first obtain a License to Purchase (LTP). After receiving the pistol sales record form from the dealer, the Michigan State Police/Registry copy must be turned in to the Sheriff’s Office or your local agency (Note: not all agencies register firearms please call the records unit of your local agency to confirm). You must turn in the Michigan State Police/Registry copy of the firearm within 10 days of purchase. The Sheriff’s Office accepts these forms Monday through Friday 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Private Party Sales:

License to Purchase allow sales between non FFL dealers. The individual purchasing the firearm must apply in person at the law enforcement agency of their residence with their State of Michigan ID or Driver’s License identifying their correct address. An LTP is not required if the purchaser is a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) holder, but they must complete an RI-060 form (see link below) to register the firearm. The Sheriff’s Office issues LTP’s Monday through Friday from 7:00AM-11:45AM and 1:00PM-3:45PM.

If you reside within the following areas, please contact your local agency for registration:

• City of Kalamazoo (not including Kalamazoo Township):  Please contact the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at (269) 337-8106.
• City of Portage:  Please contact the Portage Public Safety at (269) 329-4567.

These departments issue LTP’s and may have policies and business hours different than the Sheriff’s Office.

The LTP must be completed even though the applicant may already have possession of the firearm, such as t through an inheritance or if they recently moved to Michigan. FFL dealers are not exempt from this section of the law.

An LTP is valid for 30 days and must be turned in within 10 days of taking possession of the firearm. The seller must sign the LTP and keep one copy for their records. The seller must turn in the Licensing Authority Copy to the department that issued the LTP.

The link below is for CPL holders who are purchasing from a private party:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/msp/ri-060_696761_7.pdf

For additional questions, please call the records department at 269-385-6190.