Maine doesn't license individual security guards. The Maine State Police license contract security companies under 32 MRSA chapter 93, and a guard who works for a licensed company doesn't need a license of their own (32 MRSA § 9404). Guards on a company's own in-house security staff are exempt too. The one case where a guard needs a license is working solo for clients: then you are the contract security company and must hold that license yourself.
That doesn't mean there are no rules for guards. The law sets who a company may hire, what it has to report, and what a guard may not do.
Who can be hired
A licensed company can't employ you as a guard unless you meet all of these (§ 9410-A):
- You are 18 or older and a U.S. citizen or resident alien.
- No conviction ever for a crime punishable by a year or more in prison. No conviction in the last 5 years for any of the security-guard crimes in § 9412, and fewer than 3 convictions in the last 5 years for crimes punishable by less than a year. The same rules apply to juvenile offenses.
- No dishonorable discharge from the military in the last 5 years.
- You aren't a fugitive, a drug user or a person with a substance use disorder, or dangerous to yourself or others because of a mental disorder, and you don't have a court-appointed guardian or conservator.
Lying about any of this when you apply for a guard job is a Class D crime (§ 9412).
What your employer has to do
1. Before your first shift: report you to the Commissioner of Public Safety with your full name, your addresses for the last 5 years, and your date and place of birth and physical description (§ 9410-A(2)). 2. Within 60 days of your start date: finish looking into your record and file a signed statement that you meet every requirement above (§ 9410-A(4)). 3. Before you carry a firearm or work a strike: that statement has to be on file first. For strike sites, the company must finish the investigation before you're even reported.
Maine sets no statewide training hours for guards. Any training comes from your employer or the client.
Rules on the job
- Equipment: return any uniform, badge or equipment immediately when asked, or within 7 days after you leave the job. Failing to is a Class D crime (§ 9412).
- No police look: you can't say or suggest that you are a sworn officer, wear a badge or patch that says "police" or looks like a police agency's, or drive a vehicle marked "police" or "law enforcement officer."
- Strikes and labor disputes: no guard may carry a dangerous weapon at the site of a strike, and a concealed handgun permit doesn't change that. You also have to stay on property the client owns, leases or rents (§ 9412).
Arrests and shoplifters
A guard has only a private person's arrest powers. You can arrest someone you have probable cause to believe committed murder or any Class A, B or C crime. For misdemeanors, the power covers only listed offenses, such as assault, criminal threatening, reckless conduct and disorderly conduct, and only when they are happening in your presence in a public place (17-A MRSA § 16). Misdemeanor theft isn't on that list.
Stores get a separate rule. A store owner, manager or their designee, which can include a guard, may detain a person on the premises when there is probable cause to believe they are concealing or stealing merchandise. The detention must be reasonable and last no more than 30 minutes. It can only be used to get and verify ID, call the police and hand the person over, hold the merchandise, or hand a minor over to police or a parent (17 MRSA § 3521).
Armed guards
Maine has no separate armed guard license. Before you carry on duty, your employer's statement that you meet the hiring requirements must be on file with the Commissioner (§ 9410-A(4)).
- Maine lets adults 21 and older carry a concealed handgun without a permit if they aren't otherwise barred (25 MRSA § 2001-A). Your employer's policy decides whether and how you carry on a post.
- Guards on armored car or valuables runs may carry a loaded weapon in the vehicle, as long as it isn't concealed (§ 9416).
- No weapons at a strike site, with or without a permit.
Pay
Maine's minimum wage is $15.10 an hour in 2026. On September 18, 2026, the Maine Department of Labor announced it rises to $15.70 on January 1, 2027. Portland sets its own: $16.75 now, $17.75 in 2027 and $19.00 in 2028.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,930 security guards in Maine in May 2025, at a median of $18.80 an hour, 52 cents above the national guard median. A quarter of Maine guards earned $16.71 or less, only $1.01 above the 2027 state minimum. Portland's 2028 minimum is higher than the statewide guard median from that survey.
Starting a security company
- Application: $121 with the application ($100 plus $21 for the record check) and $300 more once you are approved. Processing takes about 6 to 8 weeks (§ 9407).
- Renewal: the license lasts 1 year and renews for $221. If it lapses for more than 60 days, you start over as a new applicant (§§ 9407, 9408).
- Who qualifies: age, citizenship, conviction and military-record rules like those for guards, plus good moral character, judged on the last 5 years of government records. For a corporation, an agent who runs the business must qualify; for a partnership, every partner (§ 9405).
- Bond: $10,000 if you are a Maine resident or corporation, $50,000 if not (§ 9409).
- Paperwork: list every guard on your application, report new guards before they start, post the license in your main Maine office within 72 hours, and report changes in your agent, officers or key details within 30 days (§§ 9410-A, 9412, 9413).
- Losing it: the District Court can suspend or revoke a license, and after a revocation or refused renewal you wait 5 years to reapply (§ 9411-A).
The Weapons and Professional Licensing Unit is at 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta, (207) 624-7210.
How tessura helps
Maine doesn't give guards a license to renew, but the credentials employers and clients ask for still expire: firearms qualifications, first aid and CPR, and any other state's guard license you hold. tessura is free for guards: keep them in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each one expires. If you run a company, your license renews every year.
tessura is not affiliated with the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with the Maine State Police Weapons and Professional Licensing Unit.