Bravo Store Systems · Free Startup Kit
The Home-Based FFL Startup Kit
Everything you need to launch a home-based federal firearms license the right way: choose your license type, budget the real costs, work the application in order, and be inspection-ready from your first transaction.
Home-based FFL
First-time dealers
Print & file
A home-based license is held to the same standard as a storefront. This kit takes you from "I am thinking about it" to "I am open and compliant" in three phases, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Step 1: Pick the right license type
License chooser
Type 01 vs Type 03
If you want to build a business, you need a Type 01 dealer license. A Type 03 is for a personal collection only, not for dealing.
| | Type 01 (Dealer) | Type 03 (Collector of Curios & Relics) |
|---|
| Lets you | Buy and sell modern firearms for profit | Acquire C&R-eligible firearms across state lines for a personal collection |
| Run a business? | Yes | No, not engaged in the business of dealing |
| A&D book + 4473 | Required from day one | Bound record of C&R acquisitions only |
| ATF inspections | Yes, of your premises | Limited |
Step 2: Budget the real cost
Cost snapshot
One-time and ongoing
- One-time: ATF Form 7 application fee, fingerprint cards, passport-style photo.The Type 01 fee covers a three-year license term.
- One-time: any state dealer license, sales tax permit, or business registration.Varies widely by state and locality. Confirm yours before you apply.
- One-time: secure storage (safe or locked room) sized to your inventory.
- Ongoing: license renewal every three years, plus liability insurance.
- Ongoing: point of sale and electronic 4473 software, plus distributor accounts.The right platform is cheaper than a single compliance finding.
Step 3: Clear zoning and local law first
Before you spend a dollar on the application
- Local zoning permits a firearms business at your address, confirmed in writing.Zoning is the leading cause of denied home-based applications.
- HOA covenants and any lease or landlord rules checked and cleared.
- State requirements identified (state FFL, business license, sales tax).
Step 4: Work the application in order
Application sequence
- Confirm you are 21+ and legally able to possess firearms.
- File ATF Form 7 with fingerprint cards, photo, and fee.
- Notify your local chief law enforcement officer as required.
- Prepare for the in-person premises interview.Treat it as your first compliance review, not a formality.
- Show genuine business intent: a plan, sourcing relationships, and a sales channel.
Step 5: Your first 90 days
Open and compliant
- Stand up your A&D book and electronic 4473 before your first transaction.Validation at entry stops the small errors that become violations.
- Secure inventory separately from any personal collection.
- Set a weekly 30-minute self-audit: reconcile the A&D book to physical inventory.
- Pick your sales channels: transfers, drop shipping, used firearms, gun shows.
- Keep records accessible at the premises during your stated hours.
Reality check: the most common home-based stumble is treating the license casually because the premises is a home. Inspectors do not. Run your records exactly as a storefront would, and the rest of the business is straightforward.