Arizona registers every security guard through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Licensing Unit under A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 26. The registration, usually called a guard card, lasts four years.
Who needs a guard card
- Anyone working as a security guard. You must be registered and working for a licensed security agency. Regularly commissioned peace officers are the only exception (32-2621). Working without registration is a class 1 misdemeanor (32-2637).
- Proprietary armed guards, meaning a business's own armed employees, must meet the same firearms training requirements (DPS armed lesson plan).
- No transfers. A registration from another state does not carry over. You must meet Arizona's requirements before you work here.
Requirements
- At least 18 years old, and a U.S. citizen or legal resident authorized to work.
- No felony conviction and no pending felony indictment.
- No misdemeanor conviction in the past 5 years involving violence or threats, weapons misconduct, dishonesty or fraud, arson, theft, domestic violence, drug offenses or sexual misconduct.
- Not on parole or another form of release, not on probation for a violent or domestic violence offense, no outstanding warrant, and not a registered sex offender (32-2622(A)).
- If DPS denies you, you may be able to seek a good cause exception through the Arizona Private Investigator and Security Guard Hearing Board, depending on the offense.
Training: 8 hours before you apply
- Your agency arranges 8 hours of pre-assignment training from a DPS-certified instructor, using the DPS syllabus (32-2632(A)). Lunch does not count toward the 8 hours, and videos alone are not allowed.
- The course covers the guard's legal authority, justification and use of force under Title 13, Chapter 4, arrest by a private person (including the duty to call police afterward), search and seizure, recognizing crimes, uniforms, report writing and communication, levels of force, restraints and non-lethal weapons, crime scene preservation and emergency response, ethics, sexual harassment and post procedures.
Apply, then wait for the card
- The instructor and your agency sign your application and training verification form, and you submit fingerprints for state and FBI checks.
- Cost: $50 plus $22 for fingerprint processing. Fees are non-refundable.
- Do not work on a pending application. The DPS syllabus says guards may not work a post until they physically hold a valid guard card and wear the approved uniform where one applies. It also says that working under a pending application violates state law.
- Once you are approved, the card is usually printed and mailed within two business days. Allow up to 14 business days for delivery.
- Employers should check your status in the DPS Public Services Portal. A photocopy of a card is not proof that the registration is valid.
- Recent veterans: before background checks finish, DPS may issue a 45-day certificate to an honorably discharged veteran who left the service within the past 3 years. That veteran may work only for an agency that provides the pre-assignment training (32-2624(A)).
Armed guards
- Eligibility. Also 18 or older. You must not be a prohibited possessor under state or federal law, must have no domestic violence conviction and must not have been discharged from the armed services under other than honorable conditions (32-2622(B)).
- Training. The 8-hour unarmed course, then 16 hours of initial firearms training, then 8 hours of firearms training every year, all from a DPS-certified firearms safety instructor and all completed before an armed post (32-2632(D)).
- Testing. The DPS lesson plan requires at least 4 hours on the law and deadly force, a written test (70% on the first try, then retesting on missed questions until you reach 100%) and a qualification of at least 50 live rounds scored at 70% or better. Shotguns need separate training of at least 8 hours.
- Tied to your employer. The application needs your employer's written authorization, you need a separate armed registration for each employer, and your card names the authorizing employer. You may carry on duty only while registered as armed and authorized by your employer (32-2623, 32-2624).
- Cost: $100 new or renewal, or a $50 one-time upgrade from unarmed, $10 for each additional armed employer, plus $22 for fingerprints.
Renewal
- Registrations last 4 years (32-2624(A)).
- Complete an 8-hour refresher with a DPS-certified instructor within 90 days before you submit your renewal (32-2632(B)).
- DPS accepts renewals up to 180 days before expiration and returns earlier applications.
- Report a name or address change within 15 days (32-2624(D)). A replacement card costs $10.
How tessura helps
Four years is long enough to forget a renewal date, and the refresher has to fall inside a 90-day window before you apply. Armed guards also have yearly firearms training. tessura is free for guards: keep your guard card and training records in the credential wallet, and add their dates to get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each expires.
tessura is not affiliated with the Arizona Department of Public Safety or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with the DPS Licensing Unit.