How to become a security guard in Wisconsin

Every Wisconsin credential

All 4 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. Get hired by a licensed Wisconsin private detective or security agency; it completes Form 3038 for your application.
2. Apply and pay online through LicensE: $27 plus the $8 background check, and $10 more if you want a 30-day temporary permit.
3. Upload Form 2687 with a recent photo (and Form 2254 if you have convictions or pending charges), then get fingerprinted electronically when DSPS sends instructions.
4. Do not work until DSPS issues your temporary or regular permit, and carry it on duty.
5. Renew by August 31 of every even-numbered year while employed by a licensed agency ($27, or $52 late).

Private Security Person Permit: Required for employees of licensed private detective and security agencies; guards employed directly by a business that controls their work, withholds taxes and carries workers' compensation do not need it (DSPS form 2271). Age 18+ (SPS 35.01(16)). An unpardoned felony conviction anywhere bars the permit, with no exceptions (Wis. Stat. 440.26(5m)); misdemeanors are reviewed under Wisconsin's fair employment law. Apply online through LicensE with the agency's Form 3038, Form 2687 with a recent photo, electronic fingerprints, and Form 2254 if you have convictions or pending charges. Filing does not allow work. The optional temporary permit is issued only if the state Department of Justice record check shows no criminal history; it lasts 30 days, cannot be renewed, ends when the regular permit is granted or denied, and allows no dangerous weapons (440.26(5r)). Renewal requires current employment with a licensed agency. Report a new employer within 5 days (Form 2323) and any conviction within 48 hours. Carry the permit on duty.

Private Detective License: Individual license issued by DSPS under Wis. Stat. 440.26 — the same statute, agency and forms (3038, 3076, 2254) as the Private Security Person permit; private security companies are licensed as Private Detective Agencies. Requires employment by a licensed agency (AGY), criminal background check, and a bond (form 1483). Fixed renewal date 08/31 of even-numbered years. To carry a firearm a private detective also needs the DSPS Firearms Permit (36-hour course).

Working armed in Wisconsin

Armed guards need a DSPS firearms permit tied to their agency: a 36-hour course with an approved firearms proficiency certifier, then a 6-hour refresher every year, while holding a regular (not temporary) permit. Concealed carry on duty is not allowed except for concealed carry licensees and qualified current or former officers.

Firearms Permit (Armed Private Security): Issued to the employing agency for a named employee and valid only while working for that agency; a new employer needs a new permit (SPS 34.015). Requires an unexpired regular Private Security Person permit (never a temporary one) and a notarized certificate of proficiency (Form 467) from a DSPS-approved firearms proficiency certifier after a 36-hour course covering firearm safety, the state law enforcement firearms training guide, legal use of firearms, ethics, lawful detention and liability (SPS 34.03). The agency must show a substantial need, a written client agreement for armed service, a firearms policy on file and liability insurance (SPS 34.01, 34.05). The permit expires 1 year after the last firearms training; renew with a 6-hour refresher. More than 5 years without a certificate means the full 36 hours again. Those authorized to carry on duty as an officer, guard or private detective elsewhere in the past 5 years, with 30+ hours of equivalent training, take only the 6-hour course. No concealed carry on duty, except that Wisconsin concealed carry licensees and qualified current or former law enforcement officers may carry without the DSPS permit (SPS 34.01(5) to (8)). A misdemeanor conviction can bar armed work, subject to fair employment law. Electric weapons on duty require the firearms permit or one of those exemptions (SPS 34.065). Any discharge outside training must be reported immediately to local police and a supervisor.

Firearms Proficiency Certifier (Approved Firearms Instructor): DSPS-approved individual who conducts the 36-hour initial and 6-hour refresher firearms courses and certifies proficiency for Private Security Persons and Private Detectives (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 34.04). Approval expires December 31 of each even-numbered year unless renewed.

Keep your Wisconsin credential alive

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