Glendale, California: Justice Department Sues City Over Concealed Carry Permits Costing About $2,000

The Justice Department sued the city of Glendale, California on Monday, accusing its police department of running a concealed carry permit scheme so expensive and open ended that it violates the Second Amendment.

The complaint, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, puts the total cost of a first permit at about $2,000 and a renewal at about $1,300. Renewals are required every two years. The city's own application fee is $1,078 for a first permit, half due when a resident applies and half after approval, and $826 for a renewal. The first time fee stood at $100 in the previous fiscal year, according to the department.

What applicants must pay and do

On top of the city fee, applicants must pay for a psychological evaluation that costs about $500, a 16 hour training course and range qualification priced between $300 and $435, and fingerprinting fees. The department's release puts the full first permit cost between $1,971 and $2,106.

The complaint lists 15 steps in the process, including three reference checks, an interview and a review of an applicant's public social media posts. Prosecutors say Glendale also keeps a discretionary system that lets officials decide who qualifies instead of applying fixed, objective standards.

The legal claim

The suit brings one claim under a federal pattern or practice law, 34 U.S.C. Section 12601, which lets the attorney general sue police agencies over conduct that deprives people of constitutional rights. The department argues the fees and the lack of standards conflict with the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which recognized a right to carry a handgun in public and allowed licensing systems only within limits.

The department asked the court to declare the scheme unlawful, to bar the city from enforcing it, and to order notice to people denied licenses under the challenged rules, along with the return or destruction of psychological examination and social media review materials. Those are requests in a new complaint. No judge has ruled on the merits.

A warning came first

The Civil Rights Division warned Glendale on Oct. 28 that a suit was coming. In a letter to the mayor, the police chief and the city attorney, the division called the fee system one of the most expensive concealed carry application schemes in the nation and gave the city until Nov. 4 to ask for settlement talks. The complaint followed on Nov. 9.

As of Tuesday morning, the court docket showed only the government's opening filings, and the city had not filed a response. The case is United States v. City of Glendale, No. 2:26-cv-13098, in the Central District of California.