How to become a security guard in Iowa

Every Iowa credential

All 2 individual credentials this regulator issues to security workers, from the entry-level card to specialty and instructor registrations.

Steps to get started

1. Get hired by a licensed Iowa security agency; the agency files your identification card application (Form PD2) with DPS.
2. Provide two 1-inch color photos and two fingerprint cards for the state and FBI check; you must be 18 or older with no felony or aggravated misdemeanor (Iowa Code 80A.4).
3. Carry the 14-day temporary card from the application until DPS issues your permanent card, and carry the card whenever you work.
4. If you change agencies, the new agency files a new application; the old card goes back to DPS within 7 days.
5. For armed work, apply to your county sheriff for a professional permit to carry weapons and renew it every 12 months.

Private Security / Private Investigation Employee Identification Card: Every employee of a licensed agency who does regulated security work must carry a DPS identification card (Iowa Code 80A.7; 661 IAC 121.6). The agency files Form PD2 with two 1-inch color photos and two fingerprint cards; the form includes a temporary card valid for 14 days, and DPS needs 4 business days to process. The card must be in your possession whenever you work and shown on request (661 IAC 121.11). Clerical, dispatch, maintenance, ticket-taking and parking staff away from the job site are exempt. No state training or exam; the same standards apply as for licensees (80A.4(3)). The card stays DPS property and goes back within 7 days when you leave the agency.

Working armed in Iowa

Armed security work uses Iowa's professional permit to carry weapons, issued by your county sheriff for $50 and valid 12 months, only while working and traveling to and from work (Iowa Code 724.6, 724.11). You must be 18 or older and not disqualified under 724.8, and show firearm safety training by any route in 724.9, including a DPS-approved security guard course or military small arms training; no hour minimum is set and the sheriff may not add training conditions.

Professional Permit to Carry Weapons (Private Security / Investigation Employment): Iowa Code 724.6 allows a professional permit to carry weapons when employment in a chapter 80A security business, or as a security guard or bank messenger, reasonably justifies going armed. It authorizes carrying anywhere in the state only while working and going to and from work, and expires 12 months after issue. Apply to the sheriff of your county (nonresidents apply to the commissioner of public safety), 18 or older and not disqualified under 724.8; the sheriff must decide within 30 days (724.11). Initial applicants show firearm safety training by any 724.9 route: an NRA or DPS-approved handgun safety course, a DPS-approved security guard course, military small arms training, or a law enforcement course. No hour minimum is set, the issuing officer may not add training conditions, and renewals need no new training. Campus security guards who carry must also file the permit, training proof and an employer affidavit with the sheriff (80A.13).

Keep your Iowa credential alive

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