Ohio does not issue a license to individual guards. It licenses security companies (class A, B and C licensees), and each licensed company must register its security guard employees with the Ohio Department of Public Safety under Chapter 4749 of the Revised Code. The unit that handles it is Private Investigator Security Guard Services (PISGS), part of Ohio Homeland Security, which counts more than 800 licensed providers and nearly 24,000 registered employees.
How registration works
- Get hired by a licensed company. Your employer files the registration online no sooner than 3 days and no later than 7 calendar days after your hire date (R.C. 4749.06(A) and OAC 4501:7-1-09).
- Fingerprints go to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) for a criminal records check, and must be taken no more than 30 days before the application is filed. If you will carry a firearm, say so: BCI then also runs an FBI check.
- The ID card is issued if you have no disqualifying offense (as defined in R.C. 4776.10) in the last three years.
- The fee is $40 for the registration ID card (OAC 4501:7-1-17), plus the BCI fingerprint fee.
Ohio law sets no training requirement for unarmed guards; training is up to the employer, and PISGS offers free online training for guards. The registration statute and rule also set no minimum age for guard employees, so the hiring age is the employer's call.
Working before your card arrives
Until your ID card is issued, the company may put you on a job only if the client receiving the security services signs a waiver acknowledging that your registration is not complete and agreeing to your employment (R.C. 4749.06(C)).
Veterans and military spouses go first
The registration application asks whether you are a veteran or the spouse of a veteran. With a copy of a military ID card or a DD 214, and once everything else is in order, applications from service members, veterans and their spouses are processed ahead of other applications (OAC 4501:7-1-09(C)).
Armed guards: the firearm-bearer notation
- Complete a basic firearm training program at a school approved by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission: 20 hours of handgun training, plus 5 hours if you will use any firearm other than a handgun. Former peace officers who completed commission-approved firearms training also qualify.
- Apply for the firearm-bearer notation with your certificate, a statement from your employer of the duties you will perform while armed, and a $15 fee.
- Carry your ID card, with the firearm-bearer notation on it, whenever you are armed on duty.
- Requalify every 12 months on a commission-certified range or with a commission-certified instructor. The first requalification is due 18 months after your basic course, and you must carry the current requalification certificate (R.C. 4749.10).
Renewal and changing jobs
- Your registration expires every year on the anniversary of the date it was issued. The renewal fee is $25.
- There is no new background check at renewal. Registered guards are enrolled in Ohio's Rapback system, which notifies PISGS of an arrest, and you must report any disqualifying conviction to your employer and the state.
- Registration belongs to the job: when your employment ends, the company must terminate your registration online within 10 calendar days (OAC 4501:7-1-09(D)), and a new employer registers you again.
- A replacement for a lost or destroyed card is $5.
Commissioned peace officers working for a licensed company are exempt from registration.
How tessura helps
An Ohio registration renews every year, and armed guards also carry a requalification certificate that is good for 12 months. tessura is free for guards: add both to the credential wallet and you get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each date.
tessura is not affiliated with Ohio Homeland Security, the Ohio Department of Public Safety or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with PISGS.