tessura
NV

Nevada security guard license lookup (PILB)

How to check a Nevada security guard license in the official lookup, what the result means, and what to do if the guard is not there.

Official guard lookuppilbonbaseweb.nv.gov
Nevada PILB Public Access, Verify a License, Work Card or CFI
Open the official lookup →Shows license status · no expiration date shown · requires CAPTCHA check
Step-by-step: how to look up a guard in NevadaExact steps to verify an officer with PILB5 steps
  1. Ask the guard for the name and registration number on their PILB work card, and the name of the licensed agency that employs them.
  2. Open pilb.nv.gov/Public_Access/Public_Access/ and click "Verify a License, Work Card or CFI" to reach the PILB Public Document Search.
  3. Read the on-page "Searching Instructions" before typing, because this search will not work the way you expect: it requires wildcards. Enter at least three letters followed by an asterisk, John Smith is entered as First Name "Joh*" and Last Name "Smi*", and license number 2501 as "250*". A full exact name often returns nothing.
  4. Search the guard’s name, then search the employing company separately to confirm the firm holds a Private Patrol Officer license. The company license and the individual work card are two different checks and one does not imply the other.
  5. Confirm the work card is current with a future expiry, and for an armed post confirm a separate current firearms certification card. A civilian CCW permit is not a substitute for it.
Reading the lookup result & if they don't show upHow to interpret status, expiration dates, and pending applicationsResult guide
  • Status. It should read active or current. Expired, inactive, suspended and revoked licenses still come back as results, so finding a record is not the same as a valid license.
  • Expiration date. This lookup does not show one. Read it off the card and confirm it with PILB.
  • License type. The standard credential is the Registered employee registration, the work card or pocket card, NRS 648.1493. For armed work: Firearms certification card, NAC 648.350. Make sure the type on the record matches the post, especially if they will carry a weapon.
If they don't show up

Search the surname alone, in case the record uses a different spelling or a middle name. If there is still nothing, that is not proof either way: ask the guard for the exact name and number on their card, then contact PILB.

Nevada PILB, pilbinfo@pilb.nv.gov for work card enquiries; contact and complaint details at pilb.nv.gov/Public_Access/Public_Access/.

What credentials a guard should hold in NevadaNevada issues portable credentials directly to the officer3 credentials
Every guard working a postPILB Registration Work Cardstate exam · renews every 5 years
If they carry a firearmArmed Security Guard Work Card13 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 5 years
If they work with a dogDog Handler Licensestate exam · renews yearly

Armed work: Armed guards must hold the permanent plastic work card (not a provisional), be sponsored by a licensed employer through a VEAS form, pass an 8-hour classroom course and at least 5 hours of range training with a Certified Firearm Instructor, and requalify every 6 months in fixed qualification months. NRS and NAC chapter 648 set no separate age for armed work.

How to check the security company in NevadaThe Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board licenses the firm itself (Private Patrol Officer License)Agency license
What the firm must holdPrivate Patrol Officer LicenseIssued by the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board
  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its license and its Private Patrol Officer License number. A company that cannot produce a number for a license it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board 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 Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board before signing.
Open the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board lookup →
Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyNevada requires liability coverage by statute — what to ask for on the COIRequired by law
Nevada requires it by law

$200,000 minimum third-party liability from a Nevada-authorised insurer, or proof of sufficient means to self-insure, which the board may accept instead.

If it lapses: Automatic, on a short clock: the license "is automatically suspended 10 days after receipt by the licensee of notice from the board that the required insurance is not in effect" unless proof arrives inside that window.

NRS 648.135, https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-648.html

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.

Nevada license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits5 questions
How do I look up a security guard license in Nevada?

Open the Nevada PILB Public Access, Verify a License, Work Card or CFI at pilbonbaseweb.nv.gov and search for the guard. The record shows the license status but not clearly an expiration date, so confirm that with PILB. Expect a “verify you are human” check before the results load.

What is a security guard license called in Nevada?

The Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board (PILB) issues the Registered employee registration, the work card or pocket card, NRS 648.1493. For armed work: Firearms certification card, NAC 648.350.

What if the guard does not show up in the search?

Search the surname alone, in case the record uses a different spelling or a middle name. If there is still nothing, that is not proof either way: ask the guard for the exact name and number on their card, then contact PILB. Nevada PILB, pilbinfo@pilb.nv.gov for work card enquiries; contact and complaint details at pilb.nv.gov/Public_Access/Public_Access/.

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

Companies need their own license from the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board: Private Patrol Officer License. Search the company’s exact legal name at pilb.nv.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 NevadaRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)8 sources
Hiring or working security in Nevada?Send one staffing request to reach licensed companies covering Nevada.
Request security staffingFree guard wallet