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Avery County Sheriff’s Office Now Offers Concealed Carry and Gun Purchase Permits Online

By Jesse Wood

Oct. 27, 2014. The Avery County Sheriff’s Office now offers concealed handgun carry permits and gun purchase payments online. Sheriff Kevin Frye made the announcement on Monday afternoon.

Frye noted in a release that the local sheriff’s office entered into an agreement with a company called Permitium that will provide this service and expedite the permit process. The use of this online service, which accepts all major credit and debit cards, costs an additional $3 plus applicable tax on top of the normal fees.

People can still go to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office adjacent to the Avery County Courthouse in Newland to obtain a purchase in person by paying cash.

Permits to buy handguns using Permitium cost $5 plus the online fee and tax.

Initial permits for concealed carry cost $90 plus a $10 fingerprinting fee, the online fee and applicable tax. However, renewal permits for concealed carry cost $75.

To apply online for the permits, click here and look at the left-hand side of the page to click on either gun permits or concealed carry handgun permits tabs.


Permit requirements as listed on the Permitium website:

Handgun Purchase Permit Requirements: 

Applicant Must:

  • be a citizen, a naturalized citizen or a resident alien;
  • be twenty-one (21) years of age;
  • have attained at least one month’s residency in Avery County;
  • at the time of pickup, provide a valid driver’s license or other picture ID with current address provided by the State of North Carolina;
  • Resident Aliens: Must bring a resident alien card, social security card and a NC driver’s license or NC ID card;
  • Naturalized Citizens: Must bring your Naturalization Certificate or valid US Passport.

Applicant Must NOT:

  • Must NOT be convicted of any felony, or similar offense in any jurisdiction or currently under indictment for any felonious offense.
  • Must NOT be a fugitive from justice.
  • Must NOT be an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana, any depressant, stimulant or narcotic drug.
  • Must NOT be adjudged incompetent on grounds of mental illness, nor have been committed to any mental institution.
  • Must NOT be convicted of a Domestic Violence Offense.
  • Must NOT have unresolved criminal charges pending.
  • Must NOT have a suspended driver’s license.
  • Must NOT have a substantial history of convictions, arrests, or reports demonstrating a continuing pattern of criminal activity.
  • Must NOT be discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions.
  • Must NOT be an illegal alien or unlawfully residing in the United States.
  • Must NOT have been a citizen of the United States and renounced that citizenship.
  • Must NOT have an active court order of protection (50B) that alleges any domestic threat or violence.

Please note that as part of the application process, you will authorize the Avery County Clerk of Superior Court to inform the Sheriff of Avery County whether or not the clerks’ records contain the record of any involuntary mental commitment proceeding under Article 5 of Chapter 122C of the General Statutes in which you have been named as a respondent. The purpose of this release is to enable the Sheriff to determine your qualification and competence to purchase and handle a handgun.

Concealed Handgun Permit Requirements:

Applicant Must:

  • be a citizen or a naturalized citizen;
  • be twenty-one (21) years of age;
  • have attained at least one month’s residency (30 days) in Avery County;
  • not suffer from any mental or physical infirmity which would prevent safe handgun handling and operation;
  • at the time of pickup, provide a valid driver’s license or other picture ID with current address provided by the State of North Carolina;
  • successfully complete a firearms training and safety course that has been designed by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Standards Commission (See Yellow Pages or a firearms dealer for businesses that provide training).

A criminal background check is performed on each applicant before granting the permit. The processing of the concealed carry weapons permit takes much longer than the handgun purchase permit. The Sheriff has forty-five (45) days from the time all application materials, to include receipt of the mental health records, are received to either issue or deny a permit. N.C. General Statute 14-415-15(a).

Anyone interested in applying for a concealed carry weapon permit must make an appointment online using this system. Prior to using this system, make sure you have the following information available.

  • NC Driver’s license number
  • NC Firearms Training Certificate Number (located at the bottom right corner of the certificate)

If you have a Law Enforcement Qualification (N.C.G.S § 14-415.12(A)), you MUST bring the following items with you in order to exempt you from taking the NC Firearms Safety Training Course:

  1. Firearms Qualification Scores that are within the last 12 months.
  2. A letter from your superior stating that you are not under any disciplinary action and are eligible to carry your weapon.
  3. Your law enforcement ID badge