Before the season · the nonlead rule
Anything taken with a firearm in California has to be taken with certified nonlead ammunition, and has since 2019.
The rule in one paragraph
Nonlead. Statewide. Any Firearm, Any Wildlife.
Not a condor-zone rule, and not the waterfowl rule. Both exist, and both are older.
The short version
Since 1 July 2019 it has been unlawful to use — or to possess with a firearm capable of firing — any projectile not certified as nonlead when taking any wildlife for any purpose in California.
Three things people get wrong. It is not limited to the condor range. It is not limited to public land. And a projectile means shot, slugs and pellets too, so shotguns and muzzleloaders are in.
General information, not legal advice. Reviewed — verify with CDFW before you hunt.
How it arrived
- 1 July 2015
- Nelson bighorn sheep; all wildlife in a wildlife area or ecological reserve.
- 1 July 2016
- Most shotgun take — upland birds, small game, nongame, fur-bearers, depredation. Dove, quail and snipe excepted.
- 1 July 2019
- Any wildlife, any purpose, any firearm, statewide.
Phase dates: 14 CCR 250.1(d). Only the last line still bites.
The actual standard
Certified Nonlead Means One Percent, Certified
A number in a regulation, and a list to check against.
The statute says nonlead means no lead content, excluding trace amounts. The regulation puts the number on it: a nonlead projectile shall contain no more than one percent lead by weight, as certified.
Certification is an application: a maker sends CDFW the composition and percent lead for a specific product, and CDFW publishes and updates the list. Shotgun ammunition has a second route — pellets of a material the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approves as nontoxic are certified here automatically.
What to look at on the box
- Construction, not brand. Rifle: solid copper, monolithic or copper alloy. Shotgun: steel, bismuth or a tungsten alloy.
- The load, not the company. Certification is per product — a maker on the list has certified specific projectiles, not its catalogue.
- Keep the packaging. CDFW encourages carrying the box in the field, and says wardens may inspect ammunition and seize a round for analysis.
- Re-zero before you hunt with it. Nonlead does not shoot where your old load did.
Why last season's boxes do not count
Four Boxes That Look Lead-Free and Are Not
Look for what is in your cabinet.
Copper-jacketed is not a copper bullet
The mix-up we hear most, by a distance.
A soft point, ballistic tip or FMJ is a lead core in a thin copper jacket. The copper is the wrapper; the mass is lead. A qualifying bullet is copper throughout.
Bonded and premium are still lead
Paying more does not change composition.
Bonding welds the core to the jacket so it holds together. Better bullet than cup-and-core, still lead. Composition is the test, not price.
Copper-plated rimfire is lead with a wash
The one that catches small game hunters.
Most .22 LR anywhere, ours included, is plain or copper-plated lead, and the plating is microns thick. Lead-free rimfire is a specialty item.
Slugs, buckshot and birdshot are projectiles
The definition is deliberately wide.
The rule covers any bullet, ball, sabot, slug, buckshot, shot or pellet fired through a barrel — shotguns and muzzleloaders included.
The test, every time
What is the projectile made of, and is that load certified.
The distinction people get wrong
Hunting Is Regulated. Target Shooting Is Not.
Target shooting is not covered
CDFW is plain about it: nonlead is not required when target shooting, and lead is legal there unless the agency managing the land decides otherwise.
It reaches possession, while hunting
It is unlawful to possess a projectile over the threshold together with a firearm capable of firing it while taking or attempting to take wildlife. Without that firearm, possession alone is not a violation.
Personal protection is excepted
The section allows a concealable firearm with lead ammunition, provided it is carried for personal protection and not used to take wildlife.
Pellet rifles are outside it
CDFW: pellet rifles are not firearms, so lead pellets in them are not prohibited. Air rifles are barred for big game and limited to small game.
Private land and depredation are in
CDFW states the regulations apply to public and private land alike, and that certified nonlead is required for depredation statewide.
How that applies to the boxes in your truck is a question for CDFW, not a retail counter.
Stock & deal questions
Ask before the season, not the night before
Tell us the caliber, the bullet weight and what you are hunting, and we will tell you what we can get.
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- Ask if your caliber is in stock today, and what it runs.
- Ask what the in-store Deal of the Week is before you drive out.
- Ask what to bring for the California eligibility check.
- Ask anything about a load, a caliber, or your gun. No pressure, no attitude.
- Phone
- immediate during business hours
- Text
- anytime — immediate during business hours, forwarded after hours
- Hours
- Mon – Fri 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Sat – Sun 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Two rules, not one
The Waterfowl Rule Is Federal, and 28 Years Older
If you shoot ducks you already buy nontoxic shot. That rule is not California's.
Federal regulation has made the whole country a nontoxic shot zone since 1 September 1991: you may not possess shotshells or loose muzzleloading shot other than the approved types while hunting ducks, geese, swans and coots.
The two ask different questions. California asks about a number: one percent lead by weight or less, certified. The federal rule asks about the material — steel, bismuth-tin, tungsten alloys, corrosion-inhibited copper and the rest of a list.
How they fit together
One direction only. Shotgun ammunition whose pellets are a federally approved nontoxic material counts as certified in California — so a lawful duck load is already fine by CDFW.
California keeps its own waterfowl provision, and refuges add conditions of their own. Check the property as well as the state.
At the counter in Kearny Mesa
What We Keep, and What We Have to Bring In
The honest version, because a wasted drive is the worst outcome.
Ammunition and accessories only — no firearms, no range at this location. The rifle case is where hunting loads live: .223 and 5.56 are staples, with .308 Winchester, 7.62x39 and .300 Blackout behind them. Hunting loads here are seasonal, and nothing on this hand-updated site is live inventory.
Several makers on our brand list also appear on CDFW's certified list — Barnes, Federal, Hornady, Winchester, Browning, Norma, Remington, CCI/Speer and Sellier & Bellot. Those companies have certified products. That is not a promise the load you want is certified, or in the case today.
If we do not keep it, ask — anything brought in for you is a special order and final sale, per our store policies. The purchase still runs face to face with the state eligibility check. Se habla español.
Common questions
Nonlead Questions We Get Before Season
Answered the way we answer them in person.
What do I buy for deer in California?
A certified nonlead centerfire rifle load — a monolithic copper or copper-alloy bullet, not a lead core in a copper jacket. Check that exact load on CDFW's list, and buy enough to re-zero as well as hunt.
Is copper-jacketed ammunition lead-free?
No, and it is the misunderstanding we hear most. A jacketed bullet is a lead core wrapped in thin copper, so nearly all its weight is lead. The threshold here is one percent by weight or less.
Can I still shoot lead ammunition at the range?
Yes. CDFW states the regulations do not require nonlead when target shooting, and that lead is legal there unless the agency managing the land has determined otherwise.
Does the nonlead rule only apply in the condor zone?
No, not since 1 July 2019. The condor range came first, but the statewide rule replaced it: an uncertified projectile may not be used, or possessed with a firearm that can fire it, when taking wildlife anywhere in California.
Is the federal waterfowl rule the same as California's?
No — separate rules, and the federal one is far older. Federal regulation has made the whole country a nontoxic shot zone for ducks, geese, swans and coots since 1 September 1991, working by approved shot type rather than by threshold. They connect one way: federally approved nontoxic shotgun ammunition counts as certified here.
Seasons, tags and zones are CDFW's. What happens at our counter is on the ammo catalog.
Last Reviewed and Legal Disclaimer
Last reviewed:
General information, not legal advice. This page describes California's nonlead hunting requirement and the separate federal shot rule as we understand them.
Hunting rules change more often than purchase law does. CDFW revises the certified list and can remove a product from it, and the statute allows a narrow temporary suspension for a specific season and caliber — check rather than assume. Seasons, tags, zones and the land you hunt are outside this page. A violation is an infraction under Fish and Game Code 3004.5, with a fine set at subdivision (f). Verify what matters with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife before you hunt. Buying the ammunition is a separate matter, governed by the California DOJ — Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program. Where this page and an official source disagree, the official source wins.
Official sources
- CDFW — Nonlead Ammunition in California
- CDFW — the certified nonlead ammunition list
- 14 CCR 250.1 — the prohibition and the threshold
- Fish and Game Code 3004.5 — the statute and its penalty
- 14 CCR 507.1 — California's nontoxic shot rule for waterfowl
- 50 CFR 20.21(j) — the federal approved shot types
- 50 CFR 20.108 — nontoxic shot zones, nationwide since 1991
- 50 CFR 32.2(k) — nontoxic shot on refuge land
- California DOJ — Ammunition Purchase Authorization Program
Kearny Mesa, San Diego
Sort the Ammunition Before the Season Starts
Nobody here will make you feel stupid for asking.
Where We Are
LAX Ammo San Diego4411 Mercury St, Suite 103San Diego, CA 92111
Kearny Mesa, San DiegoOpen in Google Maps
Hours
- Mon – Fri
- 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sat – Sun
- 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Call or Text
858-987-0509Calls only
310-499-3499Text only
Text anytime. Anytime — immediate during business hours, forwarded after hours.
Before You Visit
- Bring your California ID — every ammo purchase needs an eligibility check.
- Purchases happen at the counter. No online checkout, and we don't ship ammo.
- Ammunition and accessories only. No firearms, no range at this location.
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How California's ammo law works