Oakley Police Department to charge $500 for concealed carry weapons permits

OAKLEY – Oakley residents will need to fork out $500 to apply for a concealed carry weapons permit beginning Nov. 9.

The fee will cover the cost of processing the permit, according to the Oakley Police Department.

Lt. Logan Cartwright of the department said that in April, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office notified Police Chief Paul Beard that they would no longer be issuing permits for Oakley residents.

The department was then given time to set up its own concealed carry weapons permit process.

Cartwright said based on research, the police department determined that it would take approximately four to six hours of staff time to manage the application process, which includes interviews, background checks, character checks, live scan processing, interacting with the applicant, third-party training providers, and concealed carry weapons processing.

“Staff time is considered to be approximately about $100 an hour,” said Cartwright at the Oakley City Council meeting last Tuesday. He said the $500 fee was comparable to those charged by agencies in neighboring cities.

Applicants will have to pay half of the fee up front, while the other half is due upon the issuance of the permit, said Cartwright.

According to Oakley’s master fee schedule, the permit fee for all three categories —standard; judicial, which is for judges and commissioners; and reserve and custodial, which is for reserve peace and custodial officers— will be the same.

However, there will also be a Department of Justice fee, which varies according to category and needs to be paid along with the application.

The renewal for the concealed carry weapons permit will be $238 plus Department of Justice fees for each category.

Previously, Oakley residents were required to apply to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and demonstrate “proper cause” to obtain a concealed carry weapons permit.

However, that changed in late June of 2022, after the Supreme Court struck down a New York gun law that gave law enforcement agencies broad discretion in determining who could carry a concealed weapon.

Following the decision by the Supreme Court, Senate Bill 2 replaced California’s “good cause” and “good moral character” requirements in the Penal Code.

The bill also noted that a licensing authority such as a county sheriff or municipal police chief “shall issue or renew” a license if the authorities determine the applicant is not disqualified “under certain defined and objective criteria and meets other specified requirements.” SB2 also increased requirements for age and training.