As of October 2026. Not legal advice. Ammunition laws change through new legislation and court rulings, and retailers set their own shipping lists on top of the law. This page describes published statutes and agency guidance and links to each one. The retailer's shipping-restrictions page and your state's own agencies are the authority for any particular order.
Can ammo be shipped to your state?
In most U.S. states, yes: federal law does not require ammunition to go through a federally licensed dealer, and a retailer can ship an online order by ground carrier to a home address. A minority of states add their own rules — a permit or ID card the buyer must hold, a background check at the point of sale, or a requirement that the transfer happen in person through a licensed seller. Depending on the state and the retailer, an online order to those states is delivered to a licensed in-state vendor for in-person pickup, ships only after the buyer's credential is checked, or is not shipped at all. California and New York require the in-person step by statute; Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia tie purchase or possession to a state-issued credential.
The rest of this page sets out the federal baseline, the carrier rules, and each state's rule with a link to the statute or agency page it comes from.
What does federal law require?
No federal license to buy, and none to sell. The ATF states that a license is not required for a dealer in ammunition only; a license is required to manufacture or import it (ATF FAQ). Federal law has no counterpart to the FFL transfer that a firearm purchase needs, so an ammunition order can ship directly to the buyer where state law allows it.
Age limits for licensed sellers. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1), a federal firearms licensee may not sell ammunition to a person it knows or has reason to believe is under 18, and may not sell ammunition other than shotgun or rifle ammunition to a person under 21. In practice that is 18 for rifle and shotgun ammunition and 21 for handgun ammunition. Several states set their own age rules on top of these, as noted below.
The Postal Service does not carry it. USPS Publication 52 classifies ammunition as a Class 1 explosive and states that ammunition "designed to be fired from a pistol, revolver, rifle, or shotgun, as well as associated primers and blank cartridges … and propellant powder for use in any firearm, is prohibited from mailing" (USPS Pub. 52, § 341.22). A retailer that ships ammunition does so through a commercial carrier.
How do carriers ship ammunition?
UPS publishes guidance for "Cartridges, small arms" shipped as a Limited Quantity. Under that guidance, ammunition can only be shipped by UPS Ground within the 48 contiguous states, plus UPS Ground Intra-Oahu and Intra-Alaska service, and no shipping contract is needed for those Limited Quantity shipments; other ammunition shipments are handled as fully regulated hazardous materials under contract (UPS — How to ship ammunition).
Two practical consequences follow from that guidance:
- Ground only. Ammunition orders move at ground transit times, so delivery depends on the distance from the retailer's warehouse.
- Alaska and Hawaii. The Limited Quantity ground service covers the contiguous states and service within Oahu and within Alaska. A ground shipment from a warehouse in the lower 48 to an address in Hawaii or Alaska falls outside that service.
Other carriers publish their own hazardous-materials terms, and a retailer may use whichever carrier it has an agreement with.
Which states restrict ammo shipping?
The table summarizes the jurisdictions whose own law changes how an online ammunition order can be delivered. Each row links to the statute or agency page it is drawn from; the sections below quote the operative language.
| Jurisdiction | What state law requires | Effect on an online order | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | All ammunition sales conducted by or processed through a licensed ammunition vendor, face to face; DOJ eligibility check | Ships to a California licensed ammunition vendor, not to a home | Penal Code § 30312, CA DOJ FAQ |
| New York | Ammunition sellers register with the State Police; a background check before each transfer; transfers must occur in person | Delivered through a licensed dealer or registered seller, in person | Penal Law § 400.03 |
| Illinois | FOID card (or Illinois concealed carry license) to acquire or possess ammunition | Seller must see a valid FOID card or CCL | Illinois FOID, 430 ILCS 65/3 |
| Massachusetts | FID card or License to Carry to purchase and possess ammunition | Massachusetts licensees may not fill mail or internet orders without in-person presentation of the license | M.G.L. c. 140 § 123, § 129B |
| New Jersey | Firearms purchaser ID card or handgun permit for handgun ammunition; 21+ for handgun ammunition | Handgun-ammunition sales require the credential to be exhibited to the seller | N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3.3 (P.L. 2007, c. 318) |
| Connecticut | Ammunition certificate, long gun eligibility certificate, pistol permit, or eligibility certificate to purchase ammunition; certificate available at 18+ | Buyer must hold one of the listed credentials | CT DEEP — Hunting and Connecticut Gun Laws |
| District of Columbia | Possession of ammunition limited to listed categories, including holders of a valid firearm registration certificate | Buyer must fall within a listed category | D.C. Code § 7-2506.01 |
| Hawaii, Alaska | No state ammunition-purchase rule covered here; carrier service limits apply | See the carrier section above | UPS guidance |
A state that is not in the table is not thereby free of rules: local ordinances, possession rules and retailer policies can still apply. The table covers only state-level rules that this page could verify against an official source.
California
California Penal Code § 30312(a) provides that "the sale of ammunition by any party shall be conducted by or processed through a licensed ammunition vendor," and § 30312(b) requires the sale, delivery or transfer of ownership to occur in a face-to-face transaction. Remote purchases are permitted when a licensed ammunition vendor first receives the ammunition and processes the transaction (Penal Code § 30312). An online order is therefore shipped to a California licensed ammunition vendor, where the buyer completes the transaction in person.
The California Department of Justice's FAQ describes the eligibility check run at that point — a Certificate of Eligibility verification, a Standard check against the Automated Firearms System, or a Basic check that "may take days to complete" — and states that it is unlawful for a California resident to bring ammunition acquired outside the state into California unless it is first delivered to a licensed California ammunition vendor, unless exempt (CA DOJ FAQ).
Litigation note. The background-check requirement is the subject of a federal challenge, Rhode v. Bonta (9th Cir. No. 24-542). A three-judge panel held it unconstitutional in July 2025; on December 1, 2025 the Ninth Circuit ordered the case reheard en banc and stated that "the three-judge panel opinion is vacated" (order). This page does not report the outcome of the en banc proceeding; the case's current status can change what is enforced.
New York
New York Penal Law § 400.03 requires sellers of ammunition to register with the superintendent of state police, to record every ammunition transaction, and to contact the state database before transferring ammunition to anyone who is not a dealer or registered seller. Subdivision 7 provides: "No commercial transfer of ammunition shall take place unless a licensed dealer in firearms or registered seller of ammunition acts as an intermediary between the transferor and the ultimate transferee … Such transfer between the dealer or seller, and transferee must occur in person" (Penal Law § 400.03). An online order to a New York buyer is therefore completed through an in-state dealer or registered seller rather than delivered to a home.
Illinois
Illinois ties ammunition to the Firearm Owner's Identification card. The state's FOID page says that "to legally possess firearms or ammunition, Illinois residents must have a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card" (Illinois FOID). Under 430 ILCS 65/3(a), no person may knowingly transfer firearm ammunition to a person within the state unless the transferee displays a currently valid FOID card or Illinois concealed carry license (430 ILCS 65/3).
Massachusetts
A Massachusetts firearm identification card entitles the holder to "purchase, transfer, possess and carry rifles and shotguns that are not large capacity or semi-automatic, and the ammunition therefore" (M.G.L. c. 140 § 129B); a License to Carry covers a broader set. For Massachusetts-licensed dealers, § 123 provides that "no licensee shall fill an order for any firearm or ammunition received by mail, facsimile, telephone, internet or other telecommunication unless such transaction includes the in-person presentation of the required license, card, permit or documentation," and that no transfer of ammunition may be made to a person without the required license, card or permit (M.G.L. c. 140 § 123).
New Jersey
New Jersey's rule is specific to handgun ammunition — ammunition designed to be used only in a handgun. The statute bars selling or acquiring it unless the purchaser holds and exhibits a firearms purchaser identification card, a permit to purchase a handgun, or a permit to carry a handgun, and bars selling it to anyone under 21 (P.L. 2007, c. 318, codified at N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3.3). Rifle and shotgun ammunition is outside that section.
Connecticut
Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection summarizes the rule: "all purchasers of ammunition must now have either a new 'ammunition certificate', a long gun eligibility certificate, a pistol permit, or an eligibility certificate," with the ammunition certificate available to applicants 18 and older after a background check (CT DEEP). The same page notes that reloading components were not covered by the restriction.
District of Columbia
D.C. Code § 7-2506.01(a) provides that no person shall possess ammunition in the District unless the person falls within a listed category: a licensed dealer, a government official acting in an official capacity, the holder of a valid firearm registration certificate, a pre-1976 ammunition collector, or a participant in a certified firearms-training class (D.C. Code § 7-2506.01).
What about cities and counties?
Some cities and counties have ammunition ordinances of their own, separate from state law. A retailer's restriction list can therefore name individual cities or ZIP codes inside a state that otherwise appears unrestricted. This page does not list local ordinances; they appear in the municipality's own code and in each retailer's shipping terms.
How do retailers handle state restrictions?
Retailers publish their own shipping-restrictions lists and apply them at checkout. The lists are not uniform: each retailer decides how it complies with a given state's law and which carriers it uses, so one retailer may ship to an address that another declines. A state's law sets the floor; the retailer's list is what decides a specific order.
For how the rest of an online ammunition purchase works — cost per round, shipping thresholds, and comparing listings — see how to buy ammo online. Shipping cost changes the per-round arithmetic, which is covered in same ammo, different prices. Tracked prices for a specific caliber are on each caliber page, for example 9mm and .22 LR.
Related articles
- How to buy ammo online
- Same ammo, different prices
- Ammo storage and shelf life
- Ammo search engines compared
Sources
- 18 U.S.C. § 922 (Cornell LII) — federal age limits for licensed sellers
- ATF — Is a license required to engage in the business of selling small arms ammunition?
- USPS Publication 52, § 341 — Explosives
- UPS — How to ship ammunition
- California Penal Code § 30312 and California DOJ ammunition FAQ
- Rhode v. Bonta, No. 24-542, order granting rehearing en banc (9th Cir. Dec. 1, 2025)
- New York Penal Law § 400.03
- Illinois — Apply for a FOID card and 430 ILCS 65/3
- Massachusetts General Laws c. 140 § 123 and § 129B
- New Jersey P.L. 2007, c. 318 (N.J.S.A. 2C:58-3.3)
- Connecticut DEEP — Hunting and Connecticut Gun Laws
- D.C. Code § 7-2506.01