In 20 states, an unarmed security guard doesn't get a license of their own from the state. That doesn't mean there are no rules. In most of those states a city licenses you, the state licenses your company and sets who it may hire, or your employer registers you with the state. Armed work is regulated in nearly all of them.
This guide sorts the 20 states into those groups, with the rule behind each one. Every state also has its own full tessura guide.
No state license, but some cities license you
These nine states have no statewide license for unarmed guards. Check the city where the post is before you start.
- Colorado. A 2025 bill to create a state license (HB25-1262) died in committee. Denver licenses guards and requires 16 hours of training from an eligible provider, with an 8-hour refresher at each yearly renewal. Colorado Springs requires 8 hours of training and a license from the City Clerk.
- Idaho. Boise, Nampa, Pocatello and Twin Falls require a city license for guards who work for a security company, with fingerprints and a state and FBI record check. Idaho Falls repealed its guard license in 2021.
- Kansas. The Attorney General licenses private detectives, and a private patrol operator working on the property it protects is exempt (K.S.A. 75-7b03). Wichita, Kansas City (KCK) and Topeka each require a city permit for guards who work for a security company. In-house guards on their employer's property are exempt in all three.
- Kentucky. No state license, armed or unarmed. Louisville Metro licenses armed security officers and the agencies and companies that employ them (Metro Code ch. 124). Unarmed guards need no Metro license.
- Mississippi. No state license for unarmed guards. Biloxi licenses every private security guard working in the city ($25 a year), Jackson requires an 8-hour police orientation course for nightclub security staff, and casino security officers need a Mississippi Gaming Commission work permit.
- Missouri. Police license guards locally. The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners (17 CSR 10-2), the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Charles County Police Department each issue one-year licenses tied to a specific employer, after a fingerprint check and a test.
- Nebraska. No license for uniformed guards, and Omaha and Lincoln don't license them either. Plainclothes work is different: the Secretary of State's rules count non-uniformed security as private detective work, so each person working out of uniform needs a plain clothes investigator license.
- South Dakota. Rapid City licenses every guard, including bar door staff who check IDs or collect cover charges: $75, then $50 every 24 months (Municipal Code ch. 5.52). Sioux Falls licenses only airport authority security officers.
- Wyoming. Cheyenne licenses guard businesses: $140 a year, $100,000/$200,000 liability insurance and a $10,000 bond, and every employee must have no felony or moral-turpitude misdemeanor (Municipal Code ch. 5.48). Cheyenne repealed its individual guard ID cards in 2019.
The state licenses your company, not you
In these seven states the company needs a state license, and state law sets who it may hire. You don't apply to the state yourself.
- Georgia. Unarmed officers aren't registered with the state board (O.C.G.A. 43-38-7.1). The licensed company keeps each officer's registration and training records, runs fingerprints through the GBI and FBI, and must provide the board's 24-hour classroom course before the officer works.
- Indiana. An agency may employ unlicensed guards, but it is civilly responsible for their conduct on duty and must keep a photo taken within 30 days of hire and a full set of fingerprints for each one (IC 25-30-1.3-13).
- Maine. A guard employed by a licensed company or an in-house security department needs no license. Guards must be 18 or older and meet the conviction limits in 32 MRSA § 9410-A, and the employer reports each guard to the Commissioner of Public Safety before the first shift. A guard working solo for clients needs the company license.
- Massachusetts. Before starting, a guard gives the agency a sworn statement and submits the State Police electronic employee affidavit. Anyone convicted of a felony or of an offense on the State Police moral turpitude list can't be employed (M.G.L. c.147 § 28).
- Michigan. A guard working for an agency must be 18 or older, hold a high school diploma or GED, have no felony conviction and none of the listed misdemeanors in the last 5 years, and be fingerprinted by the agency before starting (MCL 338.1067, 338.1068).
- Minnesota. No individual license, but every guard must finish 12 hours of board-certified pre-assignment training within 21 days of hire and 6 hours of refresher training every year (Minn. R. 7506.2600).
- Pennsylvania. County courts license watch, guard and patrol agencies under the Private Detective Act, and each guard signs an employee's statement and gives fingerprints that the company files with the court.
Your employer registers you with the state
In these four states you don't hold a license, but the state keeps a record of you through your employer.
- Iowa. Every agency employee doing security work must carry a Department of Public Safety employee ID card tied to that agency (Iowa Code 80A.7). Employees must be 18 or older with no felony or aggravated misdemeanor, and give fingerprints for a state and FBI check (80A.4).
- Ohio. Licensed security companies register each employee with the state within 7 days of hire: a $40 ID card, a BCI fingerprint check and a $25 yearly renewal (R.C. 4749.06). Ohio's Rapback system watches registered guards for new arrests.
- Rhode Island. Every employee of a licensed security company must be registered through a $45 fingerprint check before starting work. A felony conviction bars you from working for a licensed company in any job (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-5.1-18).
- West Virginia. Your firm keeps your photo and fingerprints on file, reports you to the Secretary of State and must train you. You must be 18 or older and free of felony and listed disqualifying convictions (W. Va. Code 30-18).
Armed work is a different story
Even where unarmed work needs nothing from the state, carrying a gun on duty often does:
- Mississippi. A Department of Public Safety security guard permit: 21 or older, no felony, fingerprints and $132, renewed every 4 years for $82 (Miss. Code § 97-37-7).
- Pennsylvania. Act 235 certification from the State Police, with a 40-hour course at a certified school, renewed every 5 years with an 8-hour course. Act 235 is not a license to carry.
- Georgia. Armed officers register with the state board and need a board weapon permit, which requires a Georgia weapons carry license.
- Kentucky. In Louisville Metro, a Metro armed security officer license: 21 or older, an approved course with a written exam and range qualification, and a job with a licensed agency or registered company.
- Minnesota. A 6-hour initial armed course before working armed, then 6 hours of armed training a year.
- Colorado. Denver's firearm endorsement takes age 21, an employer request, 5 classroom and 3 live-fire hours and 80% on the range.
Where there is no armed guard rule, state carry law and your employer's policy decide whether you carry on duty. Check the state guide first.
In-house guards are exempt in many licensing states
Some states that do license guards only cover guards who work for a security company. If a business hires you directly to protect its own property, you may not need the license:
- Alabama. In-house guards are exempt from the state license.
- Alaska. An employer's own unarmed plant security staff are exempt (AS 18.65.460).
- New Hampshire. In-house unarmed guards are exempt.
- Wisconsin. Guards employed directly by a business don't need the Private Security Person permit.
Exemptions are narrow. If a security company employs you and sends you to a client's site, you are not in-house.
How tessura helps
No state card doesn't mean nothing to track. A city license, an employer ID card, a firearm permit and a CPR certificate each have their own expiry date. tessura is free for guards: store every one in the credential wallet and get reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each one expires.
tessura is not affiliated with any state or city agency. Rules change, so confirm with the state or city agency where you'll work before you start.