Delaware licenses security guards through the Delaware State Police Professional Licensing Section under Title 24, chapter 13 of the Delaware Code, with rules set by the Board of Examiners of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies (24 DE Admin. Code 1300). An unarmed guard holds a Yellow Card. An armed guard also holds a Red Card, a firearms endorsement on the Yellow Card.
Who can get a license
Under 24 Del. C. § 1314, you must:
- Be 18 or older (21 for the Red Card, § 1315).
- Have no felony conviction.
- Have no misdemeanor conviction for a theft-related offense, a drug offense or moral turpitude in the last 7 years, no more than 2 such misdemeanors in your lifetime, and none that happened during or because of security work.
- If you were adjudicated delinquent as a juvenile for conduct that would be a felony for an adult, wait until your 21st birthday.
- If you served in the armed forces, not have been dishonorably discharged.
- Not be a member or employee of a law enforcement organization.
The Board adds more (24 DE Admin. Code 1300, section 6): no Assault III conviction in the last 3 years and no pending charges for a listed crime. The Section may also deny or revoke a license for a listed misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, such as shoplifting, forgery, criminal impersonation, falsely reporting an incident or endangering the welfare of a child. Leaving criminal history off the application can get it rejected without a refund (section 7.1).
How to get the Yellow Card
1. Take the training at a Board-approved training facility or at the Class B or C security agency that plans to hire you. The State Police list Delaware Technical & Community College (DTCC), Defencify, The Protection Academy, Delaware Tactical Defense Training Academy and Polytech Adult Education. The course covers rules and regulations, legal limits, use of force, ethics, emergency services, diversity, communication, asset protection and terrorism, and it must be finished no more than 1 year before you apply (sections 4.1.1 and 4.4). 2. Pass the state test with 75% or better. It is given only at a DTCC campus: Stanton (Newark), Dover or Georgetown. Cheating bars you from further tests (section 4.1.2). 3. Get fingerprinted and photographed at IdentoGO. Book at uenroll.identogo.com with service code 27RVNN. IdentoGO sends your background results to the State Police; it does not take applications or test certificates. 4. Email the application. Send the Security Guard Application and your DTCC exam certification to dsp_plapplicant@delaware.gov, with the subject line "last name, first name-Security Guard Application". 5. Start work on the approval email. When you are approved, the email lets you begin work as a licensed guard and serves as your ID for 15 days. Pick the card up at the Dover SBI office, have it mailed, or let your agency collect it with your written permission. Denials come by mail.
The Yellow Card is valid for 5 years and expires on your birthday (24 Del. C. § 1324). Renewal repeats the training and the 75% test, and both certifications go in with the renewal application (section 4.4).
On the job
- Carry your card whenever you work, and show it when asked (§§ 1325, 1326).
- Report an arrest within 5 days, not counting weekends and holidays, if it could lead to a misdemeanor or felony conviction. Report a change of address within 14 days (§ 1310). Your agency must also report arrests (section 7.2.2).
- Batons, sprays and handcuffs only after the manufacturer's training with a certified instructor, and you must keep that certification current. No other weapon or item without the Director's approval (section 3.1).
- Uniforms, patches and badges need Board approval. "Officer" or "patrol" must follow the word "security", and nothing may carry a state or local seal. Patrol vehicles can't look like police cars, auxiliary lights must be amber or clear, and sirens are banned (section 10).
Armed work: the Red Card
- 21 or older and qualified as a security guard (§ 1315). You can apply for the Red Card together with a new Yellow Card once your firearms training is done.
- 40-hour firearms course with a Professional Licensing-approved instructor, including a daylight and a low-light qualification shoot. The Section may waive the 40 hours based on credentials, training or experience such as prior law enforcement; you still shoot the day and low-light qualification (section 1.2).
- Three qualifying shoots every calendar year: on at least 2 separate days, at least 60 days between day shoots, and one in low light (section 1.3). Your first Red Card runs to the end of that calendar year; a third shoot (a day shoot, 60 days after the first) by December 31 keeps it valid for the next year. Missing shoots can get the firearms license suspended, and after 36 months suspended you repeat the 40-hour course. Military service and approved leave can qualify for a temporary waiver.
- Carry only the gun you qualified with, in plain view, in a uniform with your company's patch, and only on duty or traveling directly to and from your post (§ 1321(e)). Concealed carry needs a separate concealed deadly weapons permit (§ 1321(a)). Changing guns after September needs the Director's approval.
- Nobody sends reminders. Your instructor files the shoot forms, your agency sends proof of every armed guard's shoots by January 15 for the year before (section 1.11), and the State Police say Professional Licensing does not send reminders for qualification dates.
Checking a Delaware license
Delaware has no public online lookup for guard licenses. Employers confirm a card with the Professional Licensing Section at (302) 739-5991 or dsp-prolicense@delaware.gov.
Starting your own agency
- License holder: 25 or older, with 4 years as a manager at a licensed security agency, 5 years of investigative experience, or police experience after a certified academy (§ 1318). The Board counts at least 3 years of law enforcement, not including the academy (section 9.2). The same criminal history rules apply.
- Class B (private security agency) license: $300 in state or $500 out of state, a $10,000 surety bond and $1,000,000 of liability insurance per occurrence. Licenses last 2 years (section 13).
- Paperwork: a personnel roster and job-site list to the Section by the 10th of every month (section 11.1), and a record book at your office with each guard's card, weapons qualifications and training certificates (section 12.1).
How tessura helps
The Red Card depends on three shoots a year, and the State Police do not send reminders. tessura is free for guards: keep your Yellow Card, Red Card, training and shoot certificates in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each one expires.
tessura is not affiliated with the Delaware State Police, the Board of Examiners or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with the Professional Licensing Section.