Pistol Permit Division

All application submissions will be done by appointment only. All completed forms must be submitted in person to this office.

Contact Civil Office Manager Andrea Benjamin-Legg at 518-943-3300 x606 to set up an appointment between the hours of 9am-3:45pm Monday through Friday.

APPLICANTS MUST BE A LEGAL RESIDENT OF GREENE COUNTY for a period of not less than two (2) years prior to applying, and be a citizen of the United States. You must be twenty-one (21) years of age or older, or honorably discharged from the US Military service or the New York State National Guard.

Types of Licenses

Sporting Use: A Carry License, which is stamped Sporting Use Only restricts the licensee to carrying a loaded firearm to and from a range for recreational or competitive shooting, or for hunting or other sporting use where legal in New York State, except when traveling through New York City. When traveling to range, licensee can carry one loaded gun on his person to and from pistol range.

Note: For the purpose of target shooting and hunting, licensees are authorized to meet for the purpose of carpooling or to use a restroom on the way to and from their shooting destination. You are authorized to do this only during the period upon leaving your residence and arriving at your shooting destination or during the return trip, and this can only be done when practical. You are not authorized to take your firearm(s) to any establishment used exclusively for alcohol consumption

Carry: This license allows you to possess and carry a concealed firearm when proper cause exists for the issuance thereof. (P.L. 400-2-F) The concealed firearm may be carried except where restricted by law. All licenses are issued “Good Until Revoked.”

Knowingly providing false information will be sufficient cause to deny this application and constitutes a crime punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. The following conditions affect any license which may be issued:

  1. No license issued as a result of this application is valid in the City of New York.
  2. Any license issued as a result of this application will be valid only for a pistol or revolver specifically described in the license properly issued by the licensing officer.
  3. If I permanently change my address, notice of such change and my new address must be forwarded to the Superintendent of the State Police and in Nassau County and Suffolk County, to the licensing officer of that county, within 10 days of such change.
  4. Any license issued as a result of this application is subject to revocation at any time by the licensing officer or any judge or justice of a court of record.
Buying a Handgun

A handgun can only be purchased through a Federal and New York State licensed handgun dealer. The dealer’s receipt must include his or her federal and state license numbers along with a complete description of the handgun. Please schedule an appointment with the Sheriff’s Pistol Permit Division to complete required amendments. You will be given a purchase coupon to bring to the dealer to take possession of the firearm.

Selling a Handgun

Handguns can only be bought and sold through federal and state licensed handgun dealers. The dealer will give you a receipt to give to the Pistol Permit Division to remove the handgun from your license.

When a pistol license holder is deceased, the Executor or Administrator of the Estate must dispose of the handgun(s) within 15 days to a dealer, police department or Sheriff ‘s Office. After the 15 days, you are required to make arrangements with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office to have the firearm(s) picked up and held for safekeeping until it can be registered. (It is against the law for you to bring the firearm in yourself to the law enforcement agency.)

Any person who voluntarily surrenders to any police or sheriff’s department (under their terms) an unregistered handgun, is granted amnesty from prosecution for Unlawful Possession. Contact the local police or Sheriff ‘s office before bringing in any weapons.

After one year, surrendered firearms may be destroyed pursuant to the law.

Applications are available with no appointment at the Civil Office at 411 Main Street, Catskill (Monday-Friday,9am-5pm). Applications can also be picked up by appointment only at the Sheriff’s Office at 45 Haverly Memorial Drive, Coxsackie (Monday-Friday, 9am-3:45pm).

Application process:

  • Applications are comprehensive and contain detailed instructions for completion including requirements for residency and references.
  • Upon submission and review of a completed application, instructions for fingerprinting will be provided to the applicant.
  • Applicant residence checks are conducted and references are contacted prior to submission of application to the Licensing Agent for approval.
  • Applicant is notified by the Court when application has been approved and is instructed to contact the Sheriff’s Office at that time.
  • Status updates on pending applications are ONLY available through the Court (518-625-3160).
  • If all information and/or documents are not submitted within a six (6) month period, the application is deemed incomplete and will be returned to the applicant.
  • If you qualify for a license, it will be signed by the Court Judge and forwarded to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for processing. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office will conduct a pistol license applicant investigation. This process takes between six (6) and twelve (12) months.

Approved Instructors

Firearm Safety

  • Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
  • Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
  • Always keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard unless you intend to fire the weapon.

License Regulations

  • License holder must be in possession of license at all times while carrying firearms. License holder should endeavor to engage in periodic practice at an authorized range.
  • To assure maximum safety, proper safeguards must be taken at all times to keep firearms away from unauthorized persons, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN.
  • Firearms should not be left in the glove compartment or trunk of autos, or any place where unauthorized persons may readily have access to them.
  • A license holder shall not take physical possession of a handgun prior to obtaining a purchase coupon from the Sheriff’s Office.
  • Any violation of the criminal law as well as excessive use of alcohol, violent domestic fraction or abuse, erratic behavior, drug abuse or abuse of driving privileges or the failure to exercise reasonable safety precautions with respect to your firearms, may result in the suspension or revocation of your pistol license.
  • A pistol license holder is authorized to use ONLY the firearm(s) that are registered on their license.
  • Upon demand, a pistol license holder must show their license to any police or peace officer acting in an official capacity.
  • You are not to laminate or alter license in any way.
  • Your pistol license is valid in New York State only. However, it is NOT valid in the City of New York or other states.

New York State police400.00(10)(b) License: Expiration, Certification and Renewal

Licensees whose licenses were first issued before January 15, 2013 must have recertified before January 31, 2018 (and every three years thereafter). Licensees whose licenses were issued after January 15, 2013 must recertify within three years of the original issue date (and every three years thereafter). The State Police typically mail notices to licensees advising them of upcoming recertification deadlines, but it is the responsibility of the licensee to recertify whether or not they receive a notice. Failure to recertify will act as a revocation of such license.

NYSP Safe Act of 2013 – Pistol Permit Recertification

NYS Police Online Registration for Assault Weapons

NYS Firearms License Request for Public Records Exemption

The NYSAFE Act protects the privacy of pistol license holders by permitting them to notify a County Sheriff that they do not wish for their information to be released publicly. Visit the NYS Police FAQ page & Download the form

Frequently Asked Questions

Name Change

If you have changed your name because of marriage or for other legal reasons, you must provide the Pistol License Unit with a marriage Certificate or legal court documents verifying the change.

Address Change

Should you change the address listed on your license, you must schedule an appointment with the Pistol Permit Division no later than ten days after the change becomes effective. If you move to a different county within NY State, you must complete a permit transfer form to have your pistol license records transferred to new county of record.

Lost or Mutilated License

If your license becomes mutilated or lost, you must notify the Pistol Permit Division and complete a request for a duplicate license form.

To Pick Up a Handgun

Picking up a handgun is by appointment only. To make the appointment, please call 518-943-3300 extension 606.

When Should a Report Be Made to the Pistol Permit Division?

A report must be made to the Pistol Permit Division under the following circumstances:

  1. Loss of firearm
  2. Loss or mutilation of pistol license
  3. Change of business or residence address
  4. Arrest, indictment or conviction in any jurisdiction
  5. Disposal of firearm(s) to a dealer