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How to become a security guard in Indiana

Indiana licenses security guard agencies, not individual guards (IC 25-30-1.3). 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). Your employer sets the hiring bar and training.

The path

  1. NoneState licenseThe state licenses companies, not individual guards.
  2. LocalCheck city and county rules
  3. WorkEmployer sets the standard

Steps to get started

  1. Apply to a licensed security guard agency, or to a company that hires its own in-house guards (industrial plants and retail stores guarding their own property are outside the agency law, IC 25-30-1.3-6).
  2. Expect the agency to take your photo and a full set of fingerprints of both hands within your first 30 days (IC 25-30-1.3-13).
  3. Complete the employer's own training; the agency law (IC 25-30-1.3) sets no training hours for guards.
  4. For an armed post, confirm you are not prohibited from carrying a handgun under state or federal law and meet the employer's firearms requirements.
  5. To start your own agency, apply to the Indiana PLA: 21 or older, $300, background checks from each city, county and state lived in for 7 years, fingerprints, $100,000 liability insurance, and 4,000 hours of W-2 experience or a criminal justice degree.

Working armed in Indiana

An agency license does not authorize carrying a weapon (IC 25-30-1.3-20), and there is no armed guard license. Carrying falls under Indiana's general handgun law: an adult 18 or older who is not prohibited under state or federal law needs no state license to carry a handgun, and an optional license is available for carrying in states with reciprocity (IC 35-47-2-3). Whether a post is armed is the employer's and client's decision.

What guards earn in Indiana

A median of $17.54 an hour across 19,930 security guards, from official BLS wage data.

Security guard pay in Indiana →

Hiring a guard rather than becoming one?

The same rules read from the other side: what to ask a guard and a security company for in Indiana, and the steps to confirm it in the regulator's own records.

How to check a licence in Indiana →

Sources

tessura is an independent study and career tool, not affiliated with any state agency. Rules change; always confirm current requirements with the regulator before relying on them.

Keep your Indiana credential alive

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

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