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Massachusetts security guard license lookup

Massachusetts licenses security companies, not individual guards. Here is what to check instead.

No state guard license in Massachusetts

Massachusetts licenses security companies, not individual guards, so there is no guard record to look up. Check the company’s license instead.

Massachusetts State Police Certification Unit, 485 Maple Street, Danvers MA 01923: (978) 538-6128 (business hours, Monday–Friday), fax (978) 538-6021, PI-WG-Admin@massmail.state.ma.us. Special State Police Officer questions: SSPO-Admin@massmail.state.ma.us.

What to check instead in MassachusettsExact steps to verify an officer with the Massachusetts State Police, Certification Unit (Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency)6 steps
  1. Do not ask for a Massachusetts guard license, none exists. Ask which licensed watch, guard or patrol agency employs the guard, and for that agency's name and State Police license number.
  2. Open the State Police Certification Unit page (https://www.mass.gov/certification-unit), open "Active Watchguards" and find the agency. The list is a dated PDF snapshot, the May 18, 2026 edition gives Business/Facility Name, Licensee Name, License No., Eff. Date and Exp. Date, so check its date and confirm the agency's Exp. Date is in the future.
  3. Check the license certificate itself: M.G.L. c. 147 § 25 says the license runs for one year, states the name under which the business is conducted and its principal office address, and must be posted conspicuously in that office. The name on it must match the company invoicing you.
  4. Ask the agency to confirm the named guard has completed the electronic employee affidavit the Certification Unit requires of all employees of licensed private investigator and watch guard agencies, and that it holds the sworn statement M.G.L. c. 147 § 28 requires before anyone is employed, full name, date of birth, residence, three-year work history and a declaration of no felony or moral-turpitude conviction.
  5. Do not treat a Special State Police Officer (SSPO) or "patrol" certification as the agency license or as a guard license, the Certification Unit handles those through a separate application and a separate email address.
  6. If the agency is missing from the list or the list is out of date, email the Certification Unit to confirm the license is current before the guard starts; the Colonel may revoke a license for cause after notice and a hearing, so an old certificate proves nothing about today.

Why there is no link to click: Massachusetts licenses the watch, guard or patrol AGENCY, not the guard. M.G.L. c. 147 § 23 expressly exempts 'an agent, employee or assistant of a licensee' from the license requirement, and clause 3 of the same section exempts in-house guards whose services are not let out to others for profit, so an individual guard holds nothing. The State Police do publish a dated PDF list of licensed watch guard agencies ('Active Watchguards' on the Certification Unit page), but it names companies and their licensee of record, never the guards they employ, and the Certification Licensing System is a sign-in applicant portal, not a public search. Watch for the wrong database: the Division of Occupational Licensure (called the Division of Professional Licensure until 2021) runs many boards with a public license search, but its FY2025 annual report lists no security board, so searching there will always come back empty.

How to check the security company in MassachusettsThe Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification Unit licenses the firm itself (Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency License)Agency license
What the firm must holdWatch, Guard or Patrol Agency LicenseIssued by the Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification Unit
  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification 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 Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification Unit before signing.
Open the Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification Unit lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyHow to verify commercial general liability and workers' compensationCOI checklist
Massachusetts does not require it

Massachusetts sets no liability insurance minimum for a watch, guard or patrol agency. A $5,000 bond is the whole financial-responsibility regime. Any insurance a Massachusetts guard company carries is there because a client asked for it.

Bond: $5,000 surety bond under M.G.L. c.147 §26, filed as an original notarised instrument with the State Police and required to stay active the whole time the license is held. Premium is roughly $100 a year.

If it lapses: The license is revocable by the colonel of the State Police, but nothing automatic attaches to a bond lapse.

M.G.L. c.147 §§22–30 (no insurance provision), https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-or-renew-a-private-investigator-or-watch-guard-license

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.

Massachusetts license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits3 questions
How do I look up a security guard license in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts does not license individual security guards, so there is no guard record to look up. The license that exists belongs to the company, so check that instead.

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

Companies need their own license from the Massachusetts Department of State Police, Certification Unit: Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency License. Search the company’s exact legal name at mass.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 MassachusettsRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)9 sources
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