As of June 1, 2021 there were 751,102 approved Concealed Pistol Licenses (CPLs) in Michigan, a number that has been increasing over the years. Of that total, 46 percent of those license holders reside in Southeastern Michigan. Within Southeastern Michigan, Wayne County has the highest number of CPL holders at 120,164, followed by Oakland and Macomb counties (89,596 and 72,515, respectively).
In order to obtain a CPL a Michigan resident must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted into the United States
- Be a legal resident of Michigan and reside in Michigan for at least six months immediately prior to application.
- Not have been convicted of various crimes
- Meet certain requirements regarding mental illness
- Complete a CPL class
To view the entire criteria list click here.
In 2016 County Gun Boards were eliminated; these bodies had the power to deny an individual a CPL if the license was deemed detrimental to the applicant or others. Now, County Clerks and the Michigan State Police process concealed weapon applications. As noted earlier, since then the number of CPLs in Michigan has increased. As of December 2016 there were 497,016 active CPLs in Michigan and now there are 751,102.
The cost of the CPL application process varies between counties (specifically County Clerk departments) and according to the Michigan State Police, in Southeastern Michigan it cost Washtenaw County the most, on average, to process an application at $36.08. Livingston County had the lowest average cost at $14.81.
The data used for this post is from the Michigan State Police.