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Checking a guard or a security company in Louisiana

This page is for whoever is doing the checking — a client, a property manager, a company vetting a subcontractor. It tells you what a guard and a guard company are supposed to hold in Louisiana, and walks you to Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners (LSBPSE)’s own records to confirm it.

tessura is not a Louisiana agency and issues nothing. Every link below goes to the regulator, and the regulator’s answer is the one that counts.

Getting licensed yourself instead? The Louisiana requirements, training hours, and application steps →

Check the guard

Louisiana issues a credential to the guard, so you can check the person in front of you.

What they should hold

Every guard working a postSecurity Officer Registration16 more hrs within 2 months of being issued · renews every 2 years
If they carry a firearmArmed Security Officer Registration16 more hrs within 2 months of being issued · renews every 2 years
If they carry a baton, OC spray, or a taserSecurity Officer Registration - Baton Classification (Straight Baton / PR-24)state exam · renews every 2 years
If they work with a dogSecurity / Detector Canine Handler Certification (new, 2026)

Armed work: Armed guards must be 21+, hold a diploma or GED, complete a state-approved firearms course on top of basic training, and requalify annually.

Ask for the number

PSE-YY-NNNNN, where YY is the year of first registration, e.g. PSE-20-04875

Live Personnel search on the LSBPSE public lookup, whose "Registration No." column returned PSE-20-04875, PSE-24-02666 and PSE-19-03573. Some rows legitimately show "None", so a blank number is not by itself a red flag.

How to check it

  1. Ask the guard for their full legal name as printed on the registration card, their PSE registration number, and their date of birth — the lookup accepts date of birth, which is the cleanest way to separate common surnames.
  2. Open the LSBPSE Public Lookup at lsbpselicense.com/lms/public/portal#/lookup and make sure the "Type:" menu is set to Personnel rather than Companies.
  3. Enter the PSE number in "Registration Number:", or the surname in "Last Name:" together with "Birth Date:", then click Search.
  4. Confirm the "Registration Level" column matches the work you are buying — UNARMED, PROVISIONAL UNARMED, or ARMED. Never accept PROVISIONAL UNARMED for an armed post: it means the required training is not yet complete.
  5. Confirm "User Status" reads "User Active" and the expiration date is a real future date rather than "None".
  6. Click the arrow beside the name to expand the record and check the company affiliation and training entries — Louisiana exposes both, so you can confirm the guard actually works for the firm that sent them.
Open the LSBPSE eLicensure Portal — public Lookup →

Shows licence status · shows the expiry date · expects you to pass a “verify you are human” check.

If the lookup finds nothing: Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners: (225) 272-2310, privatesecurityboard@la.gov.

Check the company

Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners licenses the firm itself here. This is the check most people skip, and it is usually the more important of the two.

What the firm must holdSecurity Company LicenseIssued by Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners

How to check it

  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its licence and its Security Company License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a licence it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners 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 licence still returns a result.
  5. If nothing comes up, ask which entity holds the licence and in which state, then check that name. If the answer does not resolve, treat the licence as unconfirmed and call Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners before signing.
Open the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners lookup →

Ask for insurance properly

A licence says the state let them operate. Insurance is what stands between you and a claim, and it is the easier of the two to fake — a certificate is only true on the day it was printed.

Louisiana requires it by law

$500,000 general liability with the State of Louisiana named as an additional insured. The policy must carry coverage for hiring, training and retention; errors and omissions; firearms; and care, custody and control.

Unusually, the board takes a copy of the ENTIRE policy, not just a certificate, on issuance and on every renewal, and its investigators may examine the financial health of the insurers. A fresh certificate showing no lapse is due on or before each expiry. No insurer-side duty to report a mid-term cancellation.

If it lapses: Failure to maintain the cover breaches the qualifications for licensure and is grounds for board discipline. Not automatic.

La. R.S. 37:3276(E); La. Admin. Code 46:LIX-203(A)(10) — https://www.lsbpse.com/faq-company-owners

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 a statement about any company on this site. It is also not legal advice — for a contract of any size, have your own counsel or broker set the limits.

Where this comes from

Louisiana requirements last reviewed August 28, 2026. Some details on this state are still pending a second check against the primary source. Rules change — the regulator’s page is authoritative if it disagrees with ours.

Hiring guards in Louisiana?

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