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CT

Connecticut security guard license lookup (DESPP)

Connecticut has no public online search for individual guards. Here is how to confirm one with DESPP instead, and how to check the company.

No online guard lookup in Connecticut

Connecticut publishes no public online lookup for individual guards, so you confirm a guard directly with DESPP.

DESPP Special Licensing and Firearms Unit: (860) 685-8046 or DESPP.SLFU@ct.gov, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown CT. Reference page: https://portal.ct.gov/despp/knowledge-base/articles/frequently-asked-questions/slfu/security-officers

CT Dept. of Emergency Services & Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit →
Step-by-step: how to look up a guard in ConnecticutExact steps to verify an officer with DESPP5 steps
  1. Ask the guard to show the physical Security Officer Training Certification Identification Card issued by DESPP SLFU, and note the name and card number. These cards run five years unless suspended or revoked.
  2. Ask the security company for its Connecticut private security company license number, and ask it to confirm the guard is registered to that license with SLFU, under C.G.S. 29-161q the employer is legally responsible for making sure the officer holds a card before registering them.
  3. If the guard will be armed, ask separately for the Security Officer Firearms Permit ('blue card'); the training certification card alone does not cover a firearm.
  4. Email DESPP.SLFU@ct.gov or call (860) 685-8046 with the guard's name and card number and ask SLFU to confirm the card is current and not suspended or revoked, do not use the state's eLicense site, which does not carry these records.
  5. Confirm with SLFU that the card's expiry is in the future and that the guard's registration under this particular employer is active, since registration is employer-specific even though the card is not.

Why there is no link to click: Connecticut does certify and register individual security officers through DESPP SLFU, but there is no public online lookup for them. I loaded the state's eLicense License Lookup (elicense.ct.gov/lookup/licenselookup.aspx) and searched its full credential-type dropdown: there is no Security Officer, Security Guard, Private Security or Private Detective entry (the only close match in the list is 'State Marshal'). eLicense covers Consumer Protection, Public Health, Agriculture and similar agencies, not DESPP special licensing. Verification is therefore by phone or email to SLFU.

What credentials a guard should hold in ConnecticutConnecticut issues portable credentials directly to the officer2 credentials
Every guard working a postSecurity Officer Identification Card (Guard Card)8 hrs of training · renews every 5 years
If they carry a firearmArmed Security Officer Firearms Endorsement (Blue Card)8 hrs of training · renews every 5 years

Armed work: Armed officers (21+) need a Connecticut State Pistol Permit plus a $62 security officer special permit (the blue card), which takes an 8-hour approved firearms course and a refresher every year and expires with the pistol permit.

How to check the security company in ConnecticutThe Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit licenses the firm itself (Security Service Agency License)Agency license
What the firm must holdSecurity Service Agency LicenseIssued by the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit
  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Security Service Agency License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms 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 Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit before signing.
Open the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyConnecticut requires liability coverage by statute — what to ask for on the COIRequired by law
Connecticut requires it by law

General liability of at least $300,000, filed before the license issues and again at every two-year renewal.

Bond: $10,000 surety bond in favour of the state, posted with the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection and verified at each renewal.

If it lapses: Failing to notify the Commissioner within 30 days is itself a violation, but in practice detection is renewal-driven on a two-year cycle.

Conn. Gen. Stat. §29-161l(b), https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/pub/chap_534.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.

Connecticut license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits4 questions
How do I look up a security guard license in Connecticut?

Connecticut publishes no public online lookup for individual guards. Note the guard’s full name and any registration number they give you, and ask DESPP to confirm it. DESPP Special Licensing and Firearms Unit: (860) 685-8046 or DESPP.SLFU@ct.gov, 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown CT. Reference page: https://portal.ct.gov/despp/knowledge-base/articles/frequently-asked-questions/slfu/security-officers.

What is a security guard license called in Connecticut?

The CT Dept. of Emergency Services & Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit issues the Security Officer Training Certification Identification Card. For armed work: Security Officer Firearms Permit ('blue card').

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

Companies need their own license from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Special Licensing and Firearms Unit: Security Service Agency License. Search the company’s exact legal name at portal.ct.gov and read the status and expiry date on the record.

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 ConnecticutRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)3 sources
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