Nevada security guard work card: exam, cost, armed rules and renewal (2026)

• Anyone working security for a licensed company. It is unlawful for a licensee to let an unregistered employee do regulated work, and the company must tell the Board within 3 days after you start.
• In-house security can be different. Chapter 648 generally does not apply to a guard employed directly by a business to protect that business's own affairs (NRS 648.018). If you would work in-house at a casino, resort or store, ask the employer what it requires.
• Public employees need an exemption first. Peace officers, law enforcement employees and anyone paying into a public employees' retirement system need a Board exemption before working for a licensee (NAC 648.338).

• At least 18 years old.
• No felony, no crime involving moral turpitude and no conviction for illegal use or possession of a dangerous weapon. A plea of nolo contendere counts the same as a conviction.
• Fingerprints, checked by Nevada and the FBI.
• Two forms of ID from the PILB list, which has options for U.S. citizens and non-citizens, plus a 2x2 color passport photo.
• Your full lifetime arrest history on the application: every arrest, citation and charge, including sealed, expunged or dismissed ones and ones from other states. Leaving one out can get the application denied.

• There are no required training hours for an unarmed card. Instead, anyone using the card for security passes a 30-question exam on NRS and NAC 648 with a score of 100%.
• It covers the kinds of work the Board licenses, who can get a card, citizen's arrest, trespassing, impersonating an officer and the rules for armed cards. The PILB publishes a free study guide and the exam itself.
• The licensed employer gives the exam or verifies that you passed it. A pass counts for 60 months, so a new employer can accept one you passed within the last 5 years (NAC 648.341).

• $85 regular application, with a provisional document in about 1 to 2 weeks.
• $129 expedited, with the provisional in a few business days.
• Fingerprints and photos are paid separately to the vendor. A paper fingerprint card instead of an electronic receipt adds $10, and the Board says not to send one unless staff ask.
• No cash and no refunds. The PILB takes debit and credit cards, money orders and cashier's checks.
• Missing documents are due within 30 days, or the application is withdrawn and you pay again to restart.

• The provisional document arrives by email from a no-reply address, so check your junk folder. Once you have it, you can work for a licensed company. Carry it at all times on duty.
• A provisional registration lasts 90 days unless the Board extends it. The permanent plastic card is mailed after your fingerprint results come back, which can take 30 to 90 days.
• Changing jobs: a change of employment notice is due within 5 business days of starting with the new employer. Filing it puts you in provisional status for 90 days and does not change your card's expiration date.
• A reprint of an active card is $25.

• Permanent card first. Only a holder of the permanent plastic work card can take the firearms course. Provisional status is not enough.
• Employer sponsorship. A licensed employer must add you to its online roster and give you a signed Verification of Employment Armed Security (VEAS) form to take to a Certified Firearm Instructor.
• The course: 8 hours of classroom instruction with a written exam (75% to pass), plus at least 5 hours on a range, qualifying with the same type and caliber you will carry. The course of fire is at least 30 rounds at 75%. Everything must be finished within 14 days, with no more than 9 contact hours a day.
• The card: the instructor reports your results within 5 days, and the PILB mails a new plastic card that replaces your unarmed one. The Board's record lists each type and caliber you are certified for.
• Requalify every 6 months in your designated qualification months, set by the month of your first course. A January course means January and July, for example, and the months never change. Miss one and you cannot carry until you requalify. Miss 2 in a row and you repeat the whole course.
• Deployed service members who miss qualifications because of full-time active duty can send a written request, with deployment papers, asking to skip repeating the course. The Board decides case by case.
• Chapter 648 sets no separate age for armed work beyond the card's 18.

• The work card expires 5 years after it is issued. Renew on or before the expiration date with a renewal application, a photo, fingerprints and the renewal fee, which the statute caps at $135.
• The armed certification card is also good for 5 years, as long as you keep requalifying on schedule.

Nevada has two clocks: a 5-year work card and, for armed guards, qualification months that come around twice a year and never move. Miss two in a row and you retake the full course. tessura is free for guards: keep your work card and firearms card in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each deadline.

tessura is not affiliated with the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with the PILB.