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MI

Michigan security guard license lookup

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

No state guard license in Michigan

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

LARA Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, Licensing Division: (517) 241-9221, csclonline@michigan.gov.

What to check instead in MichiganExact steps to verify an officer with the Michigan Dept. of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Security Guard Agencies5 steps
  1. Do not ask the guard for a Michigan guard card, LARA does not issue individual guard licenses. Ask which licensed security guard agency employs them and for the agency's 10-digit license number beginning 3801.
  2. Open the MiCLEAR Licensee Search, pick 'Security Guard Agency' (or 'Security Guard Agency Branch' for a local office) from the license type list, and search by Business Name or License Number.
  3. Confirm the agency record comes back as licensed and in good standing, and that the business name matches the company that invoiced you. If MiCLEAR shows no expiry, click into the record and check the status wording before relying on it.
  4. Ask the guard for the agency-issued photo ID card and ask the agency to confirm the person appears on the quarterly Employee Roster it files with LARA, and that they meet the MCL 338.1067(2) employee requirements (18 or over, high school diploma or GED, no disqualifying convictions).
  5. If the agency will not confirm, phone LARA's Licensing Division, the rosters are filed with the state even though they are not published, so LARA is the only route to an independent answer.

Why there is no link to click: Watch for the wrong database. MiCLEAR's license type dropdown contains an entry literally called 'Security Guard', and the same form takes First Name and Last Name, so it looks exactly like a guard card search. It is not. LARA states plainly that 'the Department issues either a Security Guard Agency license or a Security Alarm Contractor Agency license and does not issue an individual Security Guard or Security Alarm System Contractor license', and that the 'Security Guard' type exists only for a person licensing themselves as a sole proprietorship or DBA business. An employer who searches a guard's name there and finds nothing has learned nothing. Individual guards are registered with the state only by appearing on their agency's quarterly Employee Roster (MCL 338.1067(3)), which is filed with LARA but not published. Note also that Michigan State Police, not LARA, administers the Act for private security police and private college security forces.

How to check the security company in MichiganThe Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau licenses the firm itself (Security Guard Agency License)Agency license
What the firm must holdSecurity Guard Agency LicenseIssued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau
  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 Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing 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 Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau before signing.
Open the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyHow to verify commercial general liability and workers' compensationCOI checklist
Michigan does not require it

Insurance is an alternative to the bond, not a mandate. In place of a $25,000 bond a company may file a policy naming itself and the State of Michigan as coinsureds at $25,000 property damage, $100,000 one person and $200,000 more than one person.

Bond: $25,000 surety bond conditioned on faithful and honest conduct, payable for the benefit of the people of the state. Either the bond or the qualifying policy must be on file, LARA "shall not issue a license" without one.

If it lapses: Discretionary: LARA may suspend for non-compliance and must reinstate once the company complies. There is also a 30-day renewal grace window.

MCL 338.1059(4), https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/cscl/licensing/prof/guards

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.

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

Michigan 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 Michigan?

Companies need their own license from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau: Security Guard Agency License. Search the company’s exact legal name at aca-prod.accela.com 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 MichiganRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)7 sources
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