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A Guide to Understanding FFL Numbers and Data

A Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a license issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that enables individuals or businesses to engage in the business of manufacturing or importing firearms and ammunition, or the interstate and intrastate sale of firearms. Understanding the data associated with an FFL can seem cryptic at first, but it’s broken down into a logical system.

Here’s a detailed guide on what each part of an FFL number and its associated data means.

The FFL Number Itself

The FFL number is a long, structured code that contains specific information about the license holder. It typically looks something like this: 1-59-043-07-5C-12345. Let’s break it down piece by piece.

• Section 1 (Region):1
  • This first digit identifies the ATF region where the license was issued.
• Section 2 (District):59
  • These two digits specify the ATF district within that region.
• Section 3 (County Code):043
  • These three digits represent the county where the licensee’s premises are located.
• Section 4 (License Type):07
  • This is one of the most important parts. These two digits identify the type of license the holder has, which dictates what kind of business they can legally conduct.
• Section 5 (Expiration Date Code):5C
  • This two-character code indicates when the license expires. The first character is the last digit of the expiration year, and the second is a letter representing the month.
• Section 6 (Unique Identifier):12345
  • These last five digits are a unique serial number assigned to the specific licensee.

Decoding the License Type (Section 4)

The two-digit type code tells you exactly what the license holder is authorized to do. Based on the list you’re using, here are the common types:

• 01: Dealer in Firearms (including Gunsmiths)
• 02: Pawnbroker in Firearms
• 03: Collector of Curios and Relics
• 06: Manufacturer of Ammunition
• 07: Manufacturer of Firearms
• 08: Importer of Firearms
• 09: Dealer in Destructive Devices
• 10: Manufacturer of Destructive Devices
• 11: Importer of Destructive Devices

Decoding the Expiration Date (Section 5)

The expiration date code is a compact way to represent the month and year of expiration.

The Year Digit

The first character is the last digit of the expiration year. For example, if the current year is 2025, a 7 would mean the license expires in 2027. A 3 would mean it expires in 2023. The system assumes the closest possible year.

The Month Letter

The second character is a letter from A to M (skipping “I”) that corresponds to the month.

• A – January
• B – February
• C – March
• D – April
• E – May
• F – June
• G – July
• H – August
• J – September
• K – October
• L – November
• M – December

Example: A code of 8K would mean the license expires in October 2028.

Other Common Data Fields

When you look at FFL data, like in your wppk_lic_holders table, you’ll see other important fields that provide more context about the licensee:

• LICENSE_NAME: The legal name of the individual or company that holds the license.
• BUSINESS_NAME: The “Doing Business As” (DBA) name, which is the trade name the public sees. This can often be different from the legal license name.
• PREMISE_STREET, PREMISE_CITY, PREMISE_STATE, PREMISE_ZIP_CODE: This is the physical address where the licensed business is conducted. All firearm transactions and record-keeping must happen at this specific location.