Pennsylvania splits private security into two systems. Companies that supply guards are licensed by the county court of common pleas under the Private Detective Act of 1953. Individual guards need a state credential only if they carry a lethal weapon at work: Act 235 certification under the Lethal Weapons Training Act, run by the Pennsylvania State Police.
Unarmed guards: no state license
- No state license and no state training course. Pennsylvania does not license unarmed security officers or set a statewide course for them. Training is up to the employer.
- Employee's statement and fingerprints. Before a licensed agency hires you, you sign a verified employee's statement with your name, age, address, citizenship, the last three years of work history and a declaration that you have no disqualifying conviction. The company records two sets of your fingerprints, keeps one with your statement and files the other with the county court (Private Detective Act, section 13).
- Disqualifying convictions. A licensed agency may not knowingly employ anyone convicted of a felony or of offenses on the list, which include illegally carrying a weapon, receiving stolen property, unlawful entry, drug distribution, reckless endangerment, terroristic threats and simple assault, unless the person has been pardoned.
Who needs Act 235
- Anyone who carries a lethal weapon for work in Pennsylvania: watch guards, protective patrol officers, detectives and criminal investigators, wherever they or their employer are based (37 Pa. Code 21.2). A lethal weapon is any firearm, device, instrument or substance capable of causing great bodily harm or death, so this is not only about guns.
- Two classes. Firearms certification (academic and firearms modules) lets you carry a firearm. Non-firearms certification (academic module only) covers other lethal weapons, but never a firearm on duty (21.12).
- Penalties. Carrying a lethal weapon at work without certification is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine or both (Act 235, section 9). Employers must confirm your card is current before you work (21.4).
Eligibility
- At least 18 years old.
- A physical exam by a medical doctor, vision of at least 20/70 and 20/200 uncorrected and 20/20 and 20/40 corrected with normal color and depth perception, a hearing exam (hearing aids allowed) and a psychological exam by a licensed psychologist. The providers must be licensed in Pennsylvania, and you pay for the exams.
- No disqualifying offense under 18 Pa.C.S. 6105, no conviction of a first-degree misdemeanor or higher, no crime of violence, no active protection from abuse order and no prior involuntary mental health commitment.
How to apply
- Apply in TACS. Log in to the State Police Training and Certification System with a Keystone Login, choose Act 235 and the Basic Training Application, and pay the $50 fee by card.
- Fingerprints. IdentoGO emails you to book prints ($22.60). The results go straight to the State Police.
- Exams. The State Police email you the physical, vision and psychological exam forms. Your providers submit them electronically.
- Approval. When everything is in, you get an approval or denial by email. The approval is valid for 6 months (21.19), and booking a certified school is up to you.
- Certification fee. After you pass, pay the $30 certification fee in TACS. If you do not have a Pennsylvania driver's license or you live out of state, also mail two passport photos. The card is valid for 5 years (21.20).
The training
- 40 hours for firearms certification. Certified schools publish the course as a 26-hour academic module (legal authority, constitutional restrictions, principles of justification, the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, limited authority, incident reports, testifying in court, and armed and unarmed defense) and a 14-hour firearms module (handgun familiarization, combat shooting, qualification and shotgun familiarization). Non-firearms certification takes the 26-hour academic module only.
- Passing scores. You need 70% on the academic module and 75% on the firearms module. If you fail a module, you can retake that whole module while your approval is still valid. After the 6 months run out, you have to apply again (21.19).
- Not a beginner's course. Schools expect you to shoot safely already, and community colleges list the full course at about $275 to $400.
- No waiver for military or out-of-state experience. Every applicant completes the Pennsylvania training, whatever their military service or armed license from another state (State Police FAQ).
- Police officers. Active municipal officers trained under Act 120 who pass their department's firearms qualification every two years can get the training waived. A retired Pennsylvania officer with 20 years of full-time service who retired in good standing and starts private work within 3 years is certified without the training or exams (Act 235, sections 8.1 and 10.1).
Act 235 is not a license to carry
- The regulations say the card does not give you a right to carry a firearm contrary to the Uniform Firearms Act (21.26(d)). In Commonwealth v. Anderson (2017), the Superior Court ruled that Act 235 is not a substitute for a license to carry.
- The State Police suggest agents consider a Pennsylvania license to carry for off-duty carry, travel to and from work, concealed carry on duty and loaded carry in a vehicle. Ask your employer what your post requires.
- LEOSA does not replace Act 235. Carrying a firearm for work in Pennsylvania without Act 235 is a chargeable offense, even for active or retired officers.
- Carry your card on duty and while traveling to or from duty armed, and show it to police when asked (21.26).
Renewal
- Apply in TACS no earlier than 6 months before the expiration date on your card.
- After approval you have 6 months to finish renewal training: 8 hours of classroom and range for firearms certification, or 3 hours for non-firearms, with the same 70% and 75% passing scores (21.24).
- The certification fee is $30, and the new card arrives by mail once the school submits your grade.
- Do not let it expire. An expired certification cannot be renewed. You start over as a new applicant, exams and the 40-hour course included.
- Report an address change within 5 days (21.5).
How tessura helps
Act 235 runs on a 5-year clock, and missing the renewal means repeating the whole course. tessura is free for guards: keep your Act 235 card and license to carry in the credential wallet, and add their expiration dates to get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each expires. The renewal window opens 6 months out, so start early.
tessura is not affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Police or any state agency. Rules change, so confirm anything you rely on with the State Police Lethal Weapons Certification Unit.