Pen. Code, § 27555 · Article 1. Crimes Relating to Sale, Lease, or Transfer of Firearms
Pen. Code, § 27555
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) (1) Commencing July 1, 2008, a person who is licensed pursuant to Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code may not sell, deliver, or transfer a firearm to a person in California who is licensed pursuant to Chapter 44 (commencing with Section 921) of Title 18 of the United States Code unless, prior to delivery, the person intending to sell, deliver, or transfer the firearm obtains a verification number via the Internet for the intended sale, delivery, or transfer, from the Department of Justice.
(2) If Internet service is unavailable to either the department or the licensee due to a technical or other malfunction, or a federal firearms licensee who is located outside of California does not possess a computer or have Internet access, alternate means of communication, including facsimile or telephone, shall be made available for a licensee to obtain a verification number in order to comply with this section.
(b) For every verification number request received pursuant to this section, the department shall determine whether the intended recipient is on the centralized list of firearms dealers pursuant to Section 26715, or the centralized list of exempted federal firearms licensees pursuant to Section 28450, or the centralized list of firearms manufacturers pursuant to Section 29060.
(c) (1) If the department finds after the reviews specified in subdivision (b) that the intended recipient is authorized to receive the firearm shipment, the department shall issue to the inquiring party, a unique verification number for the intended sale, delivery, or transfer. One verification number shall be issued for each sale, delivery, or transfer, which may involve multiple firearms.
(2) In addition to the unique verification number, the department may provide to the inquiring party information necessary for determining the eligibility of the intended recipient to receive the firearm.
(3) The person intending to sell, deliver, or transfer the firearm shall provide the unique verification number to the recipient along with the firearm upon delivery, in a manner to be determined by the department.
(d) If the department finds after the reviews specified in subdivision (b) that the intended recipient is not authorized to receive the firearm shipment, the department shall notify the inquiring party that the intended recipient is ineligible to receive the shipment.
(e) The department shall prescribe the manner in which the verification numbers may be requested via the Internet, or by alternate means of communication, such as by facsimile or telephone, including all required enrollment information and procedures.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 711, Sec. 6. (SB 1080) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative January 1, 2012, by Sec. 10 of Ch. 711.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=27555.
- Text hash
- sha256 4146ba1fcb24b47bf51a86b3bb5221ecc27dd0e142417c73d842b83a82f4042e
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 22 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Pen. Code, § 27555. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Penal Code
- Pen. Code, § 16520Printed as Sections 27555 to 27585, inclusive
- Pen. Code, § 17090Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 26830Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 26960Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27125Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27660Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27725Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27805Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27810Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27815Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27820Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27825Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27830Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 27835Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28100Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28235Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28460Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28470Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28480Printed as Section 27555
- Pen. Code, § 28490Printed as Sections 27555 to 27570, inclusive
- Pen. Code, § 30510Printed as Sections 16780, 17000, 27555, 27560, 27565, 27875, 27920, 27966, and 28000
- Pen. Code, § 31790Printed as Section 27555
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.