Texas Concealed Handgun License (CHL) Eligibility

A person is eligible for a license to carry a concealed handgun if the person:

  • is a legal resident of this state for the six-month period preceding the date of application
  • is at least 21 years of age, (military 18 – 21 years old now eligibile – 2005 Texas CHL law change)
  • has not been convicted of a felony
  • is not charged with the commission of a felony, Class A or Class B misdemeanor, or Disorderly Conduct
  • is not a fugitive from justice for a felony, Class A or Class B misdemeanor
  • is not a chemically dependent person
  • is not incapable of exercising sound judgment with respect to the proper use and storage of a handgun
  • has not, in the five years preceding the date of application, been convicted of a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or an offense under Disorderly Conduct, Section 42.01, Penal Code
  • is fully qualified under applicable federal and state law to purchase a handgun
  • has not been finally determined to be delinquent in the payment of a tax or other money collected by the comptroller
  • has not been finally determined to be delinquent in making a child support payment administered or collected by the attorney general
  • is not currently restricted under a court protective order subject to a restraining order affecting a spousal relationship
  • has not, in the 10 years preceding the date of application, been adjudicated as having engaged in delinquent conduct violating a penal law in the grade of felony
  • has not made any material misrepresentation, or failed to disclose any material fact, in an application submitted pursuant to Section 411.174 or in a request for application submitted pursuant to Section 411.175.

Direct any questions about eligibility to the DPS web-site.