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Pennsylvania security guard license lookup

How to check a Pennsylvania Act 235 lethal weapons certification in the official lookup, what the result means, and what to do if the guard is not there.

Official guard lookuptacs.pa.gov
PA State Police TACS, Lethal Weapon Verification
Open the official lookup →Shows license status · no expiration date shown
Step-by-step: how to look up a guard in PennsylvaniaExact steps to verify an officer with the Pennsylvania State Police7 steps
  1. Work out first whether the guard will be armed. Pennsylvania has no statewide license for an unarmed guard, so for unarmed work there is no individual state credential to check, but for anyone carrying a lethal weapon there is, and it is checkable.
  2. Ask the armed officer for their surname as it appears on their Act 235 card and their Act 235 certification number.
  3. Open tacs.pa.gov/tacs/siteminder and find the 'Lethal Weapon Verification' panel. Do not sign in, that panel sits on the sign-in page and works without an account.
  4. Enter the Last Name and Certification Number and press Search. The page returns a 'Current Certification Status' for that person.
  5. Confirm the status reads as current. Act 235 certification runs five years, and TACS shows status rather than an expiry date, so also read the expiry printed on the physical card.
  6. Do not treat Act 235 as permission to carry a gun. The Superior Court held in Commonwealth v. Anderson (2017) that it is not a substitute for a license to carry, and the regulations at 37 Pa. Code § 21.26(d) say the card does not grant any right to carry or own a firearm. Ask for the officer's separate firearm authority as well.
  7. Check the company separately: Pennsylvania licenses security firms county by county through the Court of Common Pleas, not through a statewide registry, so ask which county issued the company's license and confirm it with that county's clerk.
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 the Pennsylvania State Police.
  • License type. For armed work: Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Certification. 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 the Pennsylvania State Police.

PA State Police Lethal Weapons Certification Unit, 8002 Bretz Drive, Harrisburg PA 17112-9748: (717) 346-4087, mpolethalweapcert@pa.gov.

What credentials a guard should hold in PennsylvaniaState credential classes and armed endorsements1 credential
If they carry a firearmAct 235 Lethal Weapons Certification40 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 5 years

Armed work: Armed guards need Act 235 certification: State Police approval (with physical, vision and psychological exams), then a 40-hour course at a certified school within 6 months, renewed every 5 years with an 8-hour course. Act 235 is not a license to carry, so off-duty carry, travel to and from work and concealed carry on duty call for a Pennsylvania license to carry as well.

How to check the security company in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania does not license security companies at the state agency levelNo state agency license

A license is required statewide but Pennsylvania has no state security regulator and no state registry. The Private Detective Act of 1953 assigns licensing to a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the firm's principal office sits, so any roster would have to be assembled from 67 county clerks.

With no agency license to check, verify the guard credentials above, insurance, workers’ compensation, and Secretary of State business standing.

Ask for company insurance & bonding properlyHow to verify commercial general liability and workers' compensationCOI checklist
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.

Pennsylvania license lookup: common questionsQuick answers on lookup timing, missing records, and armed permits5 questions
How do I look up an Act 235 lethal weapons certification in Pennsylvania?

Open the PA State Police TACS, Lethal Weapon Verification at tacs.pa.gov and search for the guard. The record shows the license status but not clearly an expiration date, so confirm that with the Pennsylvania State Police.

What is a security guard license called in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania issues no unarmed guard credential. For armed work: Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Certification.

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 the Pennsylvania State Police. PA State Police Lethal Weapons Certification Unit, 8002 Bretz Drive, Harrisburg PA 17112-9748: (717) 346-4087, mpolethalweapcert@pa.gov.

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

Pennsylvania does not license security companies at the state level, so there is no company license to check. Ask for insurance, workers’ compensation, and a business registration in good standing instead.

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 PennsylvaniaRegulator links, licensing guides, and open jobs (last reviewed September 27, 2026)12 sources
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