Virginia County Lowers Concealed Handgun Permit Fee

The Board of Supervisors in Roanoke County, Va., voted Sept. 24 to lower the fee for concealed handgun permits.

The fee for a five-year permit was lowered to $40 from $50 by a 3-2 vote. The change will take effect on July 1, 2020 as the next fiscal year begins. The current fee of $50 is the maximum allowed by the state of Virginia.

However, the two dissenting board members believed that the $50 fee should be lowered further to $25 instead. The resolution, originally introduced to lower the fee to $25, was amended to $40 by the chairman and ultimately passed in a split vote.

The Roanoke County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office issues approximately 2,000 concealed handgun permits annually for Roanoke County citizens only, according to Rebecca Owens, Assistant County Administrator. Other counties in the region that have adopted a $40 fee include Montgomery County and Bedford County, with Bedford county having recently reduced their fee to $15 on a one-year trial basis.

The cities of Salem and Roanoke along with Franklin County are other municipalities in the region that currently charge the maximum $50 for a permit.