Kentucky security guard license lookup
Kentucky has no statewide security guard license. Here is what to check instead.
Kentucky has no statewide security guard license, so there is no state record to look up.
Local rules: Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control licenses armed guards under Metro Code chapter 124. Some other cities, such as Elizabethtown, permit the security business rather than the guard. Check the city where you'll work.
Louisville Metro Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Office of Specialty Permits & Licenses, 444 S. 5th Street, Suite 200, Louisville KY 40202: (502) 574-3591 (option 1 for licensing), ABCLicensing@LouisvilleKY.gov; staff by appointment only. Complaints: Metro311, (502) 574-5000. Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators (to rule out a mislabelled PI credential): (502) 892-4257, PI@ky.gov.
What to check instead in KentuckyExact steps to verify an officer with the regulator7 steps
- Establish whether the guard will be armed and whether the post is in Louisville Metro. Kentucky issues no guard license of any kind; the only individual credential is Louisville Metro's armed security officer's license.
- For an armed post in Louisville, ask the guard for their Louisville Metro armed security license number (it looks like LIC-ASEL-26-00147). Kentucky residents must also hold a Kentucky CCDW license under KRS 237.110 for as long as they are licensed, so ask to see that too.
- Open the Louisville Metro Business Portal license search, leave the search type on "General Search", type the number into "License Number:" and click Search, a single match opens the record directly.
- On the record, confirm it reads "Armed Security Employee License", that "Record Status:" is Active and "Expiration Date:" is in the future, and that the name matches the guard. If the guard cannot give a number, set "License Type:" to Armed Security Employee License with an issue-date range and scan the "DBA Name" column, which holds the officer's name.
- Ask the employer for its Louisville Metro armed security agency license or company registration, §§ 124.03 and 124.04 require it to be displayed conspicuously at its principal Louisville Metro office within 72 hours of receipt, and look it up in the same search under License Type "Armed Security Business License".
- Confirm both before the guard starts: Louisville Metro states it is unlawful for any person or company to employ an armed security agency or armed security officer that is not in compliance with ch. 124, so the duty falls on the client too.
- For unarmed work, or anywhere outside Louisville Metro, accept that no license exists and vet on the employer's own background check, training records and insurance instead.
Why there is no link to click: Kentucky has no state security guard license, armed or unarmed, and therefore no state database of guards. Watch for the wrong database: the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators (kpi.ky.gov) is the obvious hit for 'Kentucky security license', but KRS 329A.010 defines its field as obtaining or furnishing information, investigation, not guarding, so a legitimate guard will never be there. The Louisville Metro search covers only armed officers licensed by Louisville Metro: an unarmed guard, a guard elsewhere in Kentucky, and a sworn local police officer with at least 400 hours of certified basic training (exempt under § 124.05(H)) will all legitimately return nothing. Whether ch. 124 reaches the small separately incorporated cities inside Jefferson County was not confirmed, and other Kentucky cities may set their own rules.
How to check the security company in KentuckyKentucky does not license security companies at the state agency levelNo state agency license
Kentucky licenses private investigators and investigative companies only, the board's own license-type list contains exactly three types and none covers guards or guard agencies. Armed security firms in Louisville need a metro license, but there is no state credential or registry.
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
tessura does not verify anyone’s insurance and has no access to insurers’ records. This is guidance for doing it yourself, not legal advice.
Kentucky license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits3 questions
How do I look up a security guard license in Kentucky?
Kentucky has no statewide security guard license, so there is no state record to look up. Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control licenses armed guards under Metro Code chapter 124. Some other cities, such as Elizabethtown, permit the security business rather than the guard. Check the city where you'll work.
How do I check a security company’s license in Kentucky?
Kentucky 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.