The Oneida County Sheriff's Office does not issue Pistol Permits.
To start your application, please visit the Oneida County Office of Pistol Permit Licensing in the County Courthouse at 800 Park Avenue, Utica. The Office of Pistol Permit Licensing webpage indicates the days and hours the office is open.
If you live in the City of Rome or the City of Utica, your background investigation and fingerprints will be handled by your city. The Pistol Permit Office will provide specific information.
If you live outside of Utica or Rome, you will be directed to contact the Sheriff's Office to complete the background investigation and fingerprinting procedures.
To schedule your fingerprint and background-check appointment, visit Fingerprint Service Appointment or call the Sheriff's Office ID Card Unit at (315) 765-2223 on Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pistol permit appointments are scheduled by appointment only.
When you arrive for your appointment, the clerk will take your paperwork. The paperwork will be checked, and if it is incomplete or erroneous, you will be sent away, and you will have to reschedule an appointment. If your paperwork is in order, we will take your fingerprints (approximately thirty minutes wait). Fingerprints are digitally scanned. Clean hands and fingertips help us capture readable fingerprints that will not be rejected by the system.
After you leave the Sheriff's Office, you will next be contacted by the Pistol Permit Office. This can take up to six months or longer.
It can take as long as four months for your references to be returned from those to whom you have directed they be sent.
When the FBI response and your references have been returned to the Sheriff's Office, they are forwarded to the Pistol Permit Office.
If your references are not back within four months, your application is deemed incomplete, and it is returned to the Pistol Permit Office. The Pistol Permit Office will contact you.
There is nothing the Sheriff's Office can do to expedite the Pistol Permit process. We keep your paperwork only as long as necessary, and delays may arise with your references. You can help minimize the turn-around time in the application process by using reliable persons as your references.
Please note: Sheriff's Office employees, both civilian and sworn, are prohibited from acting as character references for pistol permits.
