All Forms of License to Carry (LTC)

Firearms Licensing

To apply/upgrade/renew for License to Carry/Firearms Identification Card, you must contact the Firearms Record Bureau at 978-674-1879 between the hours of 7am-3pm M-F to schedule an interview. 


LTC Unrestricted 


  1. New applicants/renewal must be at least 21 years of age, a resident of the City of Lowell, and a citizen or Permanent Resident Alien.
  2. All applicants for a LTC must successfully complete, with certification, a Massachusetts State Police-approved Firearms safety course.
  3. There is a $100 application fee for a Firearm ID (FID) or a LTC. Only Money Orders or Personal checks are accepted as payment; no cash or credits are accepted, and all fees are non-refundable. Fees may be waived for applicants over the age of 70. All payments are due at the time of your interview.
  4. Please bring the following to the interview:
    1. A completed application form (obtainable from Mass.gov)
    2. A copy of your Birth Certificate (if you are a citizen by birth), a U.S. passport, Naturalization Papers, or Permanent Resident Card, whichever is applicable
    3. Copies of the certificates you have received from applicable training course(s)

Applicants for an unrestricted LTC should also provide any additional documentation they may have that will assist the Superintendent in assessing suitability. Applicants are encouraged to submit as much such documentation as possible. Examples of such documentation include, but are not limited to:

  • Current or prior service in the military;
  • Current or prior service in law enforcement;
  • Prior receipt of an unrestricted LTC from another community or state, with no record of any violation of any term or condition of the LTC;
  • Prior receipt of a restricted LTC from Lowell or from another community or state, with no record of any violation of any term or condition of the LTC (the receipt of such from Lowell will carry greater weight than the receipt of such license from elsewhere
  • Prior receipt of a Firearms Identification Card (FID) from Lowell or from another community or state, with no record of any violation of any term or condition of the FID (the receipt of such from Lowell will carry greater weight than the receipt of such license from elsewhere); and
  • Prior receipt of a hunter safety training and/or experience hunting.

ATTENTION ACTIVE LICENSE HOLDERS: Any restrictions appearing on any license holder’s present License to Carry (“LTC”)—limiting the license holder to carrying a firearm only for such activities as hunting, target shooting, employment, etc.—are no longer enforceable due to a recent Supreme Court decision. You do NOT need to update your existing license in the interim. When you reapply for an LTC in the future, you will be provided with a new LTC without any restrictions listed.