Connecticut publishes no processing times. Neither do the 169 towns that issue pistol permits. So the wait is whatever the applicant in front of you says it was — which is what this site collects and shows. This page explains what each number means and how far to trust it.
One thing, counted one way: calendar days from the day an application was handed in to the day the permit was in hand. Not business days. Weekends, holidays and the week it sat in an out-tray all count, because they all count to the person waiting.
The median of every approved pistol-permit entry statewide — the middle value, so one nine-month outlier can’t drag it.
The average of that town’s entries, shown with its entry count. Read a 3-entry town as a rumour and a 30-entry town as a pattern.
Connecticut law gives a permit-issuing authority eight weeks — 56 calendar days from a completed application to approve or deny it. That is a deadline, not a target, and it is widely missed without consequence.
Six weeks. Our own threshold, not the law’s. Past it, a file is unlikely to make the statutory deadline.
Eight weeks, set in statute. Anything past this was late by law, whatever the reason given.
A temporary state pistol permit is issued by your town — which is why the map exists, and why two neighbours can wait a month apart. Eligibility certificates come from the state, in one queue for everyone.
Filed with your local police department or first selectman. This is the figure the map shades.
Pistol/revolver, long gun and ammunition certificates, plus non-resident permits — all processed by DESPP in Middletown.
Every figure started as one resident entering two dates. No account, no email, no login — a captcha keeps out bulk submissions.
Permit type, town, submitted date, in-hand date.
hCaptcha proves you are a person. Nothing about who.
The entry joins its town’s average and the statewide median immediately — there is no waiting queue.
We store the permit type, the town and the two dates — no names, emails or IP addresses. That is also why we cannot verify an entry against official records.
Towns are shaded by how far their average sits from the 42-day line — not by raw days — so the colour answers one question: is this town keeping pace?
Open the Connecticut pistol permit wait time map to compare your town with its neighbours.
No town, agency or department supplies or endorses these figures. Treat them as a forecast, not a record.
Anonymity is the trade: entries are not checked against paperwork or reviewed by a person before counting.
People who wait a long time are likelier to report it. Read the figures as a warning, not a mean.
If your application is past 56 days, talk to your issuing authority or a lawyer — not to a chart.
Across reported entries the statewide median is about seven weeks. Town averages run from under three weeks to more than four months, so your town matters more than the statewide figure.
Eight weeks — 56 calendar days — from a completed application, to approve or deny. Missing it is common and carries no automatic penalty.
Because temporary permits are issued locally. Staffing, backlog and interview scheduling all vary. State-processed certificates have one queue and no local variation.
Neither. It is submitted anonymously by residents and counted right away, with no manual review.
Ask your issuing authority for a written status update and speak to an attorney. Then log your wait when it resolves.
If your town is unshaded, you are the first — two dates is the whole contribution.