A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-308.03 of the Code of Virginia, relating to concealed handgun permit fees.
HB692 would amend Virginia’s concealed handgun permit fee statute to lower the maximum fees that may be charged during the permit application process. Under current law, the clerk, local law-enforcement agency, and State Police may collectively charge up to $50; the bill would reduce that cap to $25. It also lowers the local law-enforcement agency’s background-investigation fee cap from $35 to $10, while leaving the clerk’s $10 fee and the State Police’s fee cap of $5 in place. The bill does not change the underlying permit process itself, only the amount applicants may be charged for processing and investigation.
The bill also preserves the existing fee waiver for certain retired public safety and law-enforcement personnel. Those who qualify under the statute—such as retired magistrates, Virginia and federal law-enforcement officers, Coast Guard boarding personnel, correctional officers, and probation and parole officers—would continue to receive permits without paying the issuance fee, subject to the service and age requirements already in law. In practical terms, the bill would reduce the cost of obtaining a concealed handgun permit for most applicants while maintaining exemptions for specified retirees.
HB692 would directly amend § 18.2-308.03 of the Code of Virginia, changing the statutory fee schedule for concealed handgun permits. It would reduce the maximum total processing fee from $50 to $25 and lower the amount local law-enforcement agencies may charge for background investigations. The bill would affect circuit court clerks, local law-enforcement agencies, the Virginia State Police, and permit applicants statewide, while leaving the permit eligibility standards and application procedures otherwise unchanged.
There is limited recorded discussion or voting history available for HB692, and no committee transcript is provided. Based on the bill’s text and its referral to the House Committee on Public Safety, the measure appears to be a straightforward fee-reduction proposal rather than a broader policy change. The absence of recorded votes or debate suggests no documented consensus or opposition in the available materials, though the subject matter is likely to draw interest from gun-rights supporters, permit applicants, and local agencies that collect the fees.
The main point of contention is likely to be the reduction in revenue for local law-enforcement agencies and courts that process concealed handgun permits, since the bill cuts the allowable fee for background investigations and halves the overall cap. Supporters would likely emphasize lower costs for applicants and easier access to permits, while opponents may argue that the current fees help cover administrative and investigative expenses. The bill also preserves fee exemptions for a broad set of retired law-enforcement and public safety personnel, which could be viewed as a benefit to those groups but is not itself a new source of controversy in the text provided.