How to become a security guard in Tennessee

Every Tennessee credential

All 7 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 4 hours of training with a state-certified trainer (16 for armed) and pass the trainer's exam.
2. Complete the fingerprint background check through IdentoGO.
3. Apply online through CORE ($95 unarmed / $130 armed). Unarmed guards may work on a complete, paid application; armed guards wait for the card.
4. Add any required classifications: bar and venue training within 15 days, school active shooter training before the first shift.
5. Renew every 2 years ($70 unarmed / $85 armed) with 2 hours of refresher training, or 4 hours plus requalification for armed.

Unarmed Security Guard Registration: Applicants must be 18+ and a U.S. citizen or resident alien. A felony, or a misdemeanor involving shooting a weapon, shoplifting, violence, drug sales, or theft of property or services, disqualifies until 5 years after the sentence or probation ends. Training is 4 hours (orientation, legal powers and limitations, emergency procedures, general duties) with an exam given by the certified trainer (Rule 0780-05-02-.09). An unarmed applicant may work once a complete application is filed and paid for, keeping a copy of it on duty; work stops if the state flags the application incomplete, and a denial for criminal record bars reapplying for 6 months (Rule 0780-05-02-.08). Training finished more than a year before the application may be refused. Guards at places that serve alcohol on premises need de-escalation, safe restraint, first aid and CPR training (at least 1 hour each), added to the card as classifications within 15 days of assignment; the state calls this Dallas's Law. Renewal needs 2 hours of refresher training; after the 90-day grace period the guard must reinstate with everything an initial application requires.

Baton Training Card: Rule 0780-05-02-.15(2)-(3): a guard may carry a baton only after a minimum 4 hours of training from a Commissioner-certified trainer, while carrying a card signed by that trainer, and with employer authorization. The card is trainer-issued, not a DCI-issued registration; no renewal cycle is stated in the rule.

Chemical Spray Training Card: Rule 0780-05-02-.15(4): minimum 4 hours of chemical-spray training from a certified trainer; guard must carry the trainer-signed card and have employer authorization. Trainer-issued card, not a DCI registration.

Stun Gun Training Card: Rule 0780-05-02-.15(5): minimum 4 hours of stun-gun training from a certified trainer; guard must carry the trainer-signed card and have employer authorization. No other weapon types are permitted (.15(6)).

Certified Trainer (Security Guard/Officer): Anyone training guards to meet the Act (unarmed, armed/firearms, baton, chemical spray, stun gun, de-escalation, restraint, first aid/CPR, active shooter) must be certified by the Commissioner under T.C.A. 62-35-126. Age 21+, meet registration-card qualifications, one year supervisory experience (proposed 2025 rule adds 5 years subject experience), fingerprints, resume and instructor credentials (POST, military/LE, NRA, Red Cross, etc.). Firearms classroom, silhouette-course and active-shooter training must be in person. Trainers may appoint supervised instructors. Renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education.

Working armed in Tennessee

Armed guards (21+) complete 16 hours of training with at least 70% on an approved silhouette course and must have the card before working; a handgun carry permit does not cover guard work. Renewal needs requalification and 4 hours of refresher training. School posts add 8 hours of active shooter training, and since January 1, 2026 a rifle or shotgun requires the separate enhanced armed guard registration.

Armed Security Guard Registration: Applicants must be 21+, with the same citizenship and conviction rules as unarmed guards. Training is the 4-hour unarmed course, 8 classroom hours on the legal limits of firearm use, handling, safety and maintenance, and 4 hours of marksmanship with at least 70% on an approved silhouette course, all firearms work in person. Armed guards must wait for the registration card before working. Guards qualify on each firearm they carry, from the approved handgun calibers in Rule 0780-05-02-.15; a handgun carry permit does not allow carrying on duty. Since January 1, 2026, a rifle or shotgun requires the enhanced armed guard registration (2025 Pub. Ch. 344). School posts need 8 hours of active shooter training before the first shift. Renewal needs firearms requalification at 70% and 4 hours of refresher training. Switching between armed and unarmed takes a new application and fees.

Enhanced Armed Guard Certification (Rifle/Shotgun): Created by 2025 Public Chapter 344 (HB 683/SB 1384, T.C.A. 62-35-144), effective Jan. 1, 2026: no one may carry a rifle or shotgun while providing security services without this registration, and the rifle or shotgun stays securely stored unless a threat is perceived to exist or be imminent. Applicants must hold a current armed guard registration in good standing and have either 5+ years as a full-time law enforcement officer in good standing, or 4+ years full-time in the U.S. armed forces in a combat arms specialty (honorable discharge if separated). They also need a fingerprint background check, a psychological evaluation, a written exam and a 16-hour in-person course that covers when a rifle or shotgun may be deployed and how it is stored; military or police rifle and shotgun training can count toward it. The registration lasts 1 year; renewal needs a background check and an 8-hour requalification course with at least 6 hours on the range. The December 2025 proposed rule sets the written exam at 75%, range scores at 70% and a separate card that goes inactive if the armed registration lapses.

Keep your Tennessee credential alive

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