Wife and I put in for our original CCL's the last week of January (2013) and were told to give it 4 weeks for notification of acceptance. Wife received hers in about a week and mine came a few days later. 20 minutes spent at the courthouse and we were good to go. Never heard from our references as to whether or not they were contacted. They were quick on both ends so maybe it was their slow time of year or they have just gotten more efficient.