Radio license renewal 2027–2030: dates and checklist

Broadcast licenses run for eight years (47 CFR 73.1020). The next radio renewal cycle starts with licenses in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, which expire on October 1, 2027, and moves through the country two months at a time until August 1, 2030. TV licenses in each group expire a year after radio.

Expiration and filing dates by state

Under 47 CFR 73.3539(a), a renewal application is due no later than the first day of the fourth full calendar month before the license expires. For a license expiring October 1, 2027, that’s June 1, 2027; for August 1, 2029, it’s April 1, 2029, which is a Sunday, so the rule’s next-business-day provision gives Monday, April 2. Confirm these dates with your counsel.

Radio license expiration dates, 2027–2030 cycle, and renewal application due dates (confirm with counsel)
Licenses expire	States and territories	Renewal application due
October 1, 2027	District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia	Tuesday, June 1, 2027
December 1, 2027	North Carolina, South Carolina	Monday, August 2, 2027
February 1, 2028	Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands	Friday, October 1, 2027
April 1, 2028	Alabama, Georgia	Wednesday, December 1, 2027
June 1, 2028	Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi	Tuesday, February 1, 2028
August 1, 2028	Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee	Monday, April 3, 2028
October 1, 2028	Michigan, Ohio	Thursday, June 1, 2028
December 1, 2028	Illinois, Wisconsin	Tuesday, August 1, 2028
February 1, 2029	Iowa, Missouri	Monday, October 2, 2028
April 1, 2029	Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota	Friday, December 1, 2028
June 1, 2029	Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma	Thursday, February 1, 2029
August 1, 2029	Texas	Monday, April 2, 2029
October 1, 2029	Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming	Friday, June 1, 2029
December 1, 2029	California	Wednesday, August 1, 2029
February 1, 2030	Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Washington	Monday, October 1, 2029
April 1, 2030	Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont	Monday, December 3, 2029
June 1, 2030	New Jersey, New York	Friday, February 1, 2030
August 1, 2030	Delaware, Pennsylvania	Monday, April 1, 2030

The FCC’s dates page doesn’t list New Hampshire, American Samoa or the Mariana Islands; rule 73.1020 puts New Hampshire in the April 1, 2030 group and American Samoa and the Mariana Islands in the February 1, 2030 group.

Before you file

Quarterly Issues/Programs Lists for the whole term. The renewal application asks the licensee to certify that required public file documents were uploaded on time. Look at every quarter of the term before answering. Our free check lists them quarter by quarter.
Ownership reports. Biennial ownership reports are due by December 1 in odd-numbered years, current as of October 1 (47 CFR 73.3615).
EEO public file reports, for station employment units with five or more full-time employees: due each year on the anniversary of the station’s renewal filing date, in the public file and on the station’s website if it has one (47 CFR 73.2080).
Local public notice. After the FCC accepts the application, full-service stations broadcast announcements about it, and place a certification with the dates and times in the public file within seven days of the last one (47 CFR 73.3580).
Anything missing or late: talk to your communications counsel before you certify. Recent cases are in our guide to public file fines.

Each state page has its own dates and the quarters its stations’ current term covers: see all renewal pages.

Sources

StationClerk is independent software. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Communications Commission, and nothing it shows or produces is legal advice. Each station is responsible for its own public inspection file and quarterly lists.