Colorado security guard license lookup

Colorado has no statewide security guard license. Here is what to check instead.

No state guard license in Colorado

Colorado has no statewide security guard license, so there is no state record to look up.

Local rules: Denver licenses guards through its Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection and requires 16 hours of training from an eligible provider, with an 8-hour refresher at each yearly renewal; $25 to apply plus $25 for the license. Colorado Springs requires 8 hours with a 75% score through the City Clerk; $110 a year plus a $7 background check. Check the city that covers your job site.

Denver Business Licensing (the largest Colorado guard-licensing jurisdiction): https://denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Business-Licensing/Business-licenses/Security-services, Denver 311 (720-913-1311). For confirmation that no state credential exists, DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations lookup is at https://apps2.colorado.gov/dora/licensing/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx

What to check instead in ColoradoExact steps to verify an officer with the regulator4 steps

Do not look for a Colorado state guard license, there is none. Instead, ask which city the guard will actually be working in, because that city's rules are the only ones that apply.
For work inside Denver, ask the guard for their Denver security guard license and ask the company for its Denver private security employer license, then verify both through Denver Business Licensing (denvergov.org → Business Licensing → Security services). Denver licenses expire annually.
For work in another Colorado municipality, call that city's clerk or business-licensing office and ask whether security guards are licensed there and how to verify one; several front-range cities license guards and many do not.
Because there is no state floor to fall back on, ask the company in writing for the guard's background-check date, training records and proof of liability insurance, and confirm any municipal license you are given is current and its expiry date is in the future.

Why there is no link to click: Colorado has no statewide guard license and no state security regulator, so there is no state record to search. Ignore anything you read about this changing: HB25-1262 would have created a State Board of Private Security Services and required individual licenses from 1 August 2026, but it was postponed indefinitely by the House Finance Committee on 7 April 2025 and never took effect. Articles written before that date are still circulating. Licensing is municipal, Denver licenses individual guards and reports roughly 7,000 of them, with separate armed, plainclothes and canine endorsements, and Colorado Springs licenses Private Security Officers through the City Clerk. Aurora and most other cities do not.

How to check the security company in ColoradoColorado does not license security companies at the state agency levelNo state agency license

Colorado has no state license for guard companies, its published list of all 344 state license types contains no security, guard or patrol category, and the private investigator license sunset in 2020. Denver and Colorado Springs license guard employers municipally; Denver publishes 308 of them as open data.

With no agency license to check, verify the guard credentials above, insurance, workers’ compensation, and Secretary of State business standing.

Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyHow to verify commercial general liability and workers' compensationCOI checklist

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.

Colorado license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits3 questions

How do I look up a security guard license in Colorado?

Colorado has no statewide security guard license, so there is no state record to look up. Denver licenses guards through its Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection and requires 16 hours of training from an eligible provider, with an 8-hour refresher at each yearly renewal; $25 to apply plus $25 for the license. Colorado Springs requires 8 hours with a 75% score through the City Clerk; $110 a year plus a $7 background check. Check the city that covers your job site.

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

Colorado does not license security companies at the state level, so there is no company license to check. Ask for insurance, workers’ compensation, and a business registration in good standing instead.

Is tessura part of the state licensing agency?

No. tessura is not affiliated with any state licensing agency. Every lookup on this page belongs to the agency that runs it, and the agency’s record is the one that counts.

Official sources & more for ColoradoRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)6 sources

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