Iowa security guard license lookup

1. Ask the guard to show the state-issued employee identification card that Iowa DPS issued through their agency, and note the agency name printed on it. Iowa Code ch. 80A requires every contracted security employee to hold one, and a guard who works for two agencies must hold a card from each.
2. Verify the EMPLOYER at https://iowadps.imagetrendlicense.com/lms/public/portal#/lookup, the public search there covers agencies, and lets you search by Agency Name, Agency Number or Agency City.
3. Confirm the agency record's license status is active before you rely on it, and check the address and phone shown match the company that is actually staffing your site.
4. Because the individual card is not in the public search, email or phone the Program Services Bureau with the guard's full name, date of birth and employing agency and ask them to confirm a current employee ID card is on file.
5. Do not accept a card that names an agency other than the one that invoiced you, and check the card's own expiry date against today.

Why there is no link to click: Iowa DOES require the individual credential, but you cannot look it up. Watch for the wrong database: the well-indexed Iowa DPS portal at iowadps.imagetrendlicense.com is an agency-only search. Iowa DPS's own FAQ frames it as the answer to 'how do I find out if someone is licensed as a private investigative, private security or bail enforcement AGENCY'. I confirmed this against the portal's own configuration: the individual ('user') public-lookup filter set is empty, while the agency ('service') filter set is configured with Agency Name, Agency Number and Agency City. Searching a guard's personal name there will always return nothing, no matter how valid their card is.

Ask the company for the guard’s registration on its own letterhead, and check the company’s license below.

Armed work: Armed security work uses Iowa's professional permit to carry weapons, issued by your county sheriff for $50 and valid 12 months, only while working and traveling to and from work (Iowa Code 724.6, 724.11). You must be 18 or older and not disqualified under 724.8, and show firearm safety training by any route in 724.9, including a DPS-approved security guard course or military small arms training; no hour minimum is set and the sheriff may not add training conditions.

1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Private Security Agency License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
2. Open the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Program Services Bureau 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 Iowa Department of Public Safety, Program Services Bureau before signing.

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

• Iowa DPS, Private Investigative and Security Businesses
• Iowa Code ch. 80A, Private Investigative Agencies and Security Agents
• 661 IAC ch. 121, Bail Enforcement, Private Investigation, and Private Security Businesses
• Iowa Code ch. 724, Weapons (724.6 professional permit, 724.9 firearm safety training, 724.11 issuance)