How to become a security guard in Arizona

Every Arizona credential

All 6 individual credentials this regulator issues to security workers, from the entry-level card to specialty and instructor registrations. Rows marked ◇ are drafted from the regulator’s pages and await our reviewer’s sign-off.

Steps to get started

1. Complete the 8-hour DPS pre-assignment course with a DPS-certified instructor.
2. Submit fingerprints for state and FBI criminal history checks.
3. Apply to the DPS Licensing Unit with the $50 fee (plus $22 fingerprint processing).
4. Wait for the card: guards may not work a post on a pending application.
5. Within 90 days before renewing (every 4 years), complete the 8-hour refresher.

Security Guard Registration (Guard Card): 18+, a U.S. citizen or legal resident authorized to work; no felony conviction or pending felony indictment; no misdemeanor in the past 5 years involving violence or threats, weapons misconduct, dishonesty or fraud, arson, theft, domestic violence, drug offenses or sexual misconduct; not a registered sex offender (A.R.S. 32-2622(A)). The 8-hour course comes before the application, and guards may not work a post until they physically hold a valid card (DPS 8-hour syllabus). Valid 4 years (32-2624(A)); the 8-hour refresher must be completed within 90 days before the renewal application (32-2632(B)), and DPS accepts renewals up to 180 days before expiration. Other states' registrations do not transfer. DPS may issue a 45-day certificate to a veteran discharged within the past 3 years while background checks finish (32-2624(A)).

Private Investigator Employee Registration: Individual registration issued by the same DPS Licensing Unit that regulates security guards; a person may only act as a PI while employed by a licensed PI agency (A.R.S. §32-2401 et seq.). Fingerprints required for new and renewal applications. Valid four years.

Security Guard Training Instructor Registration: DPS registration required before teaching the mandatory 8-hour unarmed pre-assignment class or signing Training Verification Forms; the agency Qualifying Party must designate instructors in writing. Out-of-state instructors are not recognized. All DPS licenses/registrations are valid four years (A.R.S. Title 32 ch. 26).

Firearms-Safety Training Instructor Registration: DPS registration required to conduct the 16-hour initial armed security guard class and the annual 8-hour armed refresher, and to sign Armed Security Guard Training Verification Forms. Valid four years.

Security Guard Agency Resident Manager: Individual registration for the in-state resident manager of a security guard agency (the agency license itself is issued to the Qualifying Party). Listed on the DPS fee schedule under Security Guard Agency Certificate Fees. Four-year validity per the DPS FAQ.

Working armed in Arizona

Armed guards must be at least 18, the same minimum as unarmed (A.R.S. 32-2622), must not be a prohibited possessor, and need 16 hours of DPS firearms training on top of the unarmed course, then 8 hours of firearms training every year. The armed registration is tied to the employer that authorizes it.

Armed Security Guard Registration: 8-hour unarmed course plus 16 hours of initial firearms training, then 8 hours of continuing firearms training every year, all from a DPS-certified firearms-safety instructor and completed before an armed post (A.R.S. 32-2632(D)). The DPS lesson plan requires at least 4 hours on the law, a written test (70% on the first attempt, then retesting to 100%) and a 50-round qualification at 70%; shotguns need at least 8 more hours. Must be 18+, not a prohibited possessor, without a domestic violence conviction and not discharged from the armed services under other than honorable conditions (32-2622(B)). The application needs the employer's written authorization, and a separate armed registration is required for each sponsoring employer (32-2623(B), 32-2624(B)).

Keep your Arizona credential alive

The free wallet computes your renewal deadline from Arizona's rules and reminds you at 60, 30, and 7 days. Exam prep for Arizona follows.