tessura
MD

Maryland security guard license lookup (MDSP)

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

No online guard lookup in Maryland

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

MDSP Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit (Security Guard Section): msp.professionallicensing@maryland.gov, (410) 653-4500, 1111 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville MD 21208. MDSP headquarters: 1201 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville MD 21208, (410) 486-3101.

Maryland State Police, Licensing Division →
Step-by-step: how to look up a guard in MarylandExact steps to verify an officer with MDSP6 steps
  1. Ask the guard to show their Security Guard Certification card. Business Occupations and Professions Article § 19-406 requires a certified guard to carry it whenever providing security guard services, and § 19-405 requires the card to state that the holder is certified and the date the certification expires, reject a card whose expiry date has passed.
  2. Ask which licensed security guard agency or security guard employer they work for. Under § 19-401 an agency or employer may use only a certified guard, except while it has submitted the guard's application, fingerprints and fee to the Secretary and the application has not been disapproved, or where the individual currently holds police officer certification from the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission.
  3. If the guard says an application is pending, ask the employer for proof of submission and confirmation that MDSP has not disapproved it, § 19-403(b) requires MDSP to send written notice of a denial to the agency that submitted the application, so the agency will know.
  4. For an armed post, also ask to see the guard's Maryland handgun (wear and carry) permit. COMAR 29.04.01.12(D) says security guards may not be armed without a valid handgun permit, and 29.04.01.12(B) requires the agency to keep a photocopy of it in the guard's personnel file.
  5. Ask the employer for the guard's training certificates. Since 1 January 2025 an initial certification requires 12 hours of approved initial security training (or police employment in the 3 years before applying) and each renewal requires 8 hours of approved continuing training. The MPCTC's approved lists are lists of training programs, not of certified guards.
  6. There is no public search, so email the MDSP Security Guard Section with the guard's full name and certification details and ask it to confirm the certification is current before the guard starts. MDSP does not publish whether it answers third-party verification requests.

Why there is no link to click: Maryland certifies individual guards but publishes no public search of them. MDSP's own FAQ answers 'How do I find out about my Security Guard status?' with 'Log into your Licensing Portal account', which only the guard can do. MDSP does host a 'Security and Private Detective Agency Listings' PDF (https://mdsp.maryland.gov/media/519; the copy checked was last modified May 2026), but it lists agencies and their license numbers, not guards. Two other traps: the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission only approves training programs, so its provider lists are not certified-guard lists; and some roles need no certification at all, marine guards and ship watchmen, special police officers, and unarmed employees of bars, taverns or restaurants.

What credentials a guard should hold in MarylandMaryland issues portable credentials directly to the officer2 credentials
Every guard working a postSecurity Guard Certification12 hrs of training · renews every 3 years
If they carry a firearmWear & Carry Handgun Permit (armed security / employment sponsorship)16 hrs of training · renews every 2 years

Armed work: Guards may not be armed without a valid Maryland Wear & Carry (handgun) permit: 21+ (or active military), a 16-hour course from a Qualified Handgun Instructor, and an 8-hour course at each renewal. A guard may carry only a weapon they have qualified with and filed, with the score, with the State Police Handgun Permit Section (COMAR 29.04.01.12).

How to check the security company in MarylandThe Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit licenses the firm itself (Security Guard Agency License)Agency license
What the firm must holdSecurity Guard Agency LicenseIssued by the Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit
  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Security Guard Agency License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing 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 Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit before signing.
Open the Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyMaryland requires liability coverage by statute — what to ask for on the COIRequired by law
Maryland requires it by law

Commercial general liability including errors and omissions and completed operations: $1,000,000 total aggregate for an agency employing five or more guards, $500,000 for fewer than five. Since 2023 any agency employing even one guard must file proof.

If it lapses: Automatic. §19-504(d): the license "is suspended automatically" on failure to maintain the insurance and stays suspended until the agency complies.

Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §19-504, as amended by Ch. 763 (2023), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2023RS/chapters_noln/Ch_763_sb0760E.pdf

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.

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

Maryland publishes no public online lookup for individual guards. Note the guard’s full name and any registration number they give you, and ask MDSP to confirm it. MDSP Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit (Security Guard Section): msp.professionallicensing@maryland.gov, (410) 653-4500, 1111 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville MD 21208. MDSP headquarters: 1201 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville MD 21208, (410) 486-3101.

What is a security guard license called in Maryland?

The Maryland State Police, Licensing Division issues the Security Guard Certification (certification card). For armed work: No armed certification, an armed guard also needs a separate MDSP handgun (wear and carry) permit; COMAR 29.04.01.12(D) bars a guard from being armed without one.

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

Companies need their own license from the Maryland State Police, Licensing Division, Professional Licensing Unit: Security Guard Agency License. Search the company’s exact legal name at mdsp.maryland.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 MarylandRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)7 sources
Hiring or working security in Maryland?Send one staffing request to reach licensed companies covering Maryland.
Request security staffingFree guard wallet