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Arizona security guard license lookup (DPS)

How to check an Arizona security guard license in the official lookup, what the result means, and what to do if the guard is not there.

Official guard lookuppsp.azdps.gov
AZDPS Public Services Portal (PSP), Security Guard License Status
Open the official lookup →Shows license status · no expiration date shown
Step-by-step: how to look up a guard in ArizonaExactly 7 digits, numbers only, no letter prefix (e.g. 1234567)6 steps
  1. Ask the guard for their full legal name and the seven-digit number on their Arizona DPS guard card.
  2. Open psp.azdps.gov/securityLicense/securityStatus. The older webapps.azdps.gov address that search engines still surface now returns 404, and DPS has said the portal is mid-migration.
  3. Choose "Security Guard, PI, or Agency License Number" from the "Search by" menu, or "Security Guard or PI Name" if you only have a name, then fill the fields and click Search. You do not need to log in despite the Login and Sign up links.
  4. In the results table read the "Employee Type" column: "SG TAN" is the unarmed card and "SG GOLD" is the armed one, so an armed post needs a current SG GOLD row for that person.
  5. Confirm the Expiry Date is in the future. This is the decisive field, not the status word, DPS warns in its own notes that a record can read "Issued" while the license has already expired, and an expired guard may not lawfully work.
  6. Watch out for volume: a common name returns many rows, most of them long expired. Match on the number or on name plus expiry rather than on the name alone.
Ask for the license number

Exactly 7 digits, numbers only, no letter prefix (e.g. 1234567)

The live PSP status form's own field definition and validator: the 'Security Guard, PI, or Agency License Number' input is bound to a digits-only pattern with the error message 'only 7 digits'. No agency search results page was retrieved, so this is the form's rule rather than a sample number.

Reading the lookup result & if they don't show upHow to interpret status, expiration dates, and pending applicationsResult guide
  • Status. It should read active or current. Expired, inactive, suspended and revoked licenses still come back as results, so finding a record is not the same as a valid license.
  • Expiration date. This lookup does not show one. Read it off the card and confirm it with DPS.
  • License type. The standard credential is the Unarmed Security Guard Registration. For armed work: Armed Security Guard Registration. Make sure the type on the record matches the post, especially if they will carry a weapon.
If they don't show up

Search the surname alone, in case the record uses a different spelling or a middle name. If there is still nothing, that is not proof either way: ask the guard for the exact name and number on their card, then contact DPS.

AZDPS PSP support: (602) 223-2999, option 8, or psphelpdesk@azdps.gov. SGPI Licensing Unit information: https://www.azdps.gov/services/public-services-center/licensing

What credentials a guard should hold in ArizonaArizona issues portable credentials directly to the officer2 credentials
Every guard working a postSecurity Guard Registration (Guard Card)8 hrs of training · renews every 4 years
If they carry a firearmArmed Security Guard Registration24 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 4 years

Armed work: 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.

How to check the security company in ArizonaThe Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit licenses the firm itself (Security Guard Agency License)Agency license
What the firm must holdSecurity Guard Agency LicenseIssued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit
  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Security Guard Agency License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit lookup and search for that name.
  3. Search the legal name, not the name on the uniform or the invoice. Brand names, DBAs, and the name on the truck are often not the licensed entity.
  4. Read the status and the expiry date, not just the presence of a record. An expired or suspended license still returns a result.
  5. If nothing comes up, ask which entity holds the license and in which state, then check that name. If the answer does not resolve, treat the license as unconfirmed and call Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit before signing.
Open the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyArizona requires liability coverage by statute — what to ask for on the COIRequired by law
Arizona requires it by law

General liability of at least $100,000 per person and per occurrence with a $300,000 aggregate, from an insurer authorised in Arizona. Workers’ compensation is separately required whenever the agency has employees.

If it lapses: Cover must remain in force at all times as a condition of issuance and renewal; DPS is warned by the carrier before a cancellation takes effect.

A.R.S. §32-2613(C)(2)–(3); AAC R13-6-202, https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/02613.htm

A certificate of insurance (COI) that names your business as an additional insured, not just the certificate holderCertificate holder means you were mailed a copy. Additional insured means their policy actually answers for you if you are pulled into a claim.
General liability, and workers’ compensation at your state’s statutory limitsIf a guard is hurt on your property and the company carries no workers’ comp, the claim tends to land on you. Ask for commercial auto too if they run patrol vehicles.
The policy number and the effective and expiry dates, on a certificate dated within the last monthAn undated or months-old certificate is the single most common tell. The dates let you ask the insurer about the right policy.
The name, agency, and direct phone number of the broker who issued it, then call themThe broker can confirm the policy is in force today. The certificate PDF cannot, and a forged or stale one looks identical to a real one.
A contract term requiring written notice to you before the policy is cancelled or non-renewedStandard certificates promise notice to the insured, not to you. Putting the duty on the company in the contract is what makes a mid-term cancellation a breach.
A fresh certificate part-way through the term, not only at signingRe-asking at 60 or 90 days costs you an email and defeats the whole get-the-COI-then-drop-it pattern.

tessura does not verify anyone’s insurance and has no access to insurers’ records. This is guidance for doing it yourself, not legal advice.

Arizona license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits5 questions
How do I look up a security guard license in Arizona?

Open the AZDPS Public Services Portal (PSP), Security Guard License Status at psp.azdps.gov and search for the guard. The record shows the license status but not clearly an expiration date, so confirm that with DPS.

What is a security guard license called in Arizona?

The Arizona Department of Public Safety, Licensing Unit issues the Unarmed Security Guard Registration. For armed work: Armed Security Guard Registration.

What does an Arizona security guard license number look like?

Exactly 7 digits, numbers only, no letter prefix (e.g. 1234567).

What if the guard does not show up in the search?

Search the surname alone, in case the record uses a different spelling or a middle name. If there is still nothing, that is not proof either way: ask the guard for the exact name and number on their card, then contact DPS. AZDPS PSP support: (602) 223-2999, option 8, or psphelpdesk@azdps.gov. SGPI Licensing Unit information: https://www.azdps.gov/services/public-services-center/licensing.

How do I check a security company’s license in Arizona?

Companies need their own license from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Security Guard and Private Investigator Licensing Unit: Security Guard Agency License. Search the company’s exact legal name at psp.azdps.gov and read the status and expiry date on the record.

Official sources & more for ArizonaRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)8 sources
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