The Oneida County Sheriff's Office does not issue Pistol Permits. You must start
your application process at the Oneida County Office
of Pistol Permit Licensing.
Visit the Oneida County Office of Pistol Permit Licensing in the County
Courthouse at 800 Park Avenue, Utica, or the office located in the County
Courthouse on North James Street, Rome. The
Office of Pistol Permit Licensing webpage indicates the days and hours
the two offices are open. When you have completed the application
process:
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If you live in the City of Rome or the City of Utica, your background
investigation and fingerprints will be handled by your city. The
Pistol Permit Office will provide specific information.
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If you live outside of Utica or Rome, you will be directed to contact the
Sheriff's Office to complete the background investigation and fingerprinting
procedures.
To schedule your fingerprint and background-check appointment, call the
Sheriff's Office ID Card Unit at (315) 765-2223 on Monday - Friday 8:00 am
to 4:00 pm. Pistol permit appointments are scheduled for Wednesdays and
Fridays only, at 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm. You can usually
be scheduled for an appointment within two weeks of your call.
When you arrive for your appointment, the clerk will take all the paperwork you
have brought. The paperwork will be checked, and if it is incomplete or
erroneous, you will be sent away, and you will have to reschedule an
appointment. If all is well with your paperwork, you will spend about 1/2
hour while we take your fingerprints. Your fingerprints are not
actually taken from you; we just make an ink transfer copy. There is
little chance of getting ink on your clothing and you do not need to wear old
clothing. We will supply you with a solution to remove the ink from your
fingers.
After you leave the Sheriff's Office, you will next be contacted by the Pistol
Permit Office. This can take two months, or it might take six
months.
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It takes the FBI two months to process your fingerprint cards.
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It can take as long as six months for your references to be returned from those
to whom you have directed they be sent.
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When the FBI response and your references have been returned to the Sheriff's
Office, they are forwarded to the Pistol Permit Office.
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If your references are not back within six months, your application is deemed
incomplete, and it is returned to the Pistol Permit Office.
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The Pistol Permit Office will contact you.
There is nothing the Sheriff's Office can do to expedite the Pistol
Permit process. We keep your paperwork only as long as necessary, and the
delays arise with the FBI and your references. You can help minimize
the turn-around time in the application process by using reliable persons as
your references.
Note* Sheriff's Office employees, both civilian and sworn, are
prohibited from acting as character references for pistol permits.