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TX

Checking a guard or a security company in Texas

This page is for whoever is doing the checking — a client, a property manager, a company vetting a subcontractor. It tells you what a guard and a guard company are supposed to hold in Texas, and walks you to Texas Dept. of Public Safety, Private Security Program’s own records to confirm it.

tessura is not a Texas agency and issues nothing. Every link below goes to the regulator, and the regulator’s answer is the one that counts.

Getting licensed yourself instead? The Texas requirements, training hours, and application steps →

Check the guard

Texas issues a credential to the guard, so you can check the person in front of you.

What they should hold

Every guard working a postNon-Commissioned Security Officer6 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 2 years
If they carry a firearmCommissioned Security Officer (Level III)45 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 2 years
If they do close or executive protectionPersonal Protection Officer (Level IV)15 hrs of training · state exam · renews every 2 years

Armed work: Commissioned officers (21+) complete the 45-hour Level III course at a licensed school, qualify with their firearm within 90 days of application and each renewal, and complete 6 hours of continuing education per cycle.

Ask for the number

One letter followed by 7 digits, e.g. C1234567

The live TOPS search page’s own example hint on the Individual filter: "ex. John Smith 78701 C1234567".

How to check it

  1. Ask the guard for the full legal name and registration number on their DPS pocket card, and whether the card says commissioned (armed) or non-commissioned (unarmed).
  2. Open tops.portal.texas.gov/psp-self-service/search/index and untick "Businesses" and "Training" so only "Individuals" remains. All three are ticked by default, which mixes people and companies into one result list.
  3. Type the registration number into the Search Criteria box, or the name plus ZIP if you have no number, then solve the CAPTCHA and click Search.
  4. If the results area reads "Captcha is required.", that is a failed search, not an empty one. The page keeps showing "Results appear here" underneath, so this is easy to misread as "this guard has no record".
  5. Narrow a crowded name search by adding terms to the same box — DPS’s hint allows registration number, first name, state, ZIP and licence type — or widen it with an asterisk, as in "York*".
  6. Open the matching person and confirm the licence type matches the card (Non-Commissioned versus Commissioned Security Officer), the status is active, and the expiration date is in the future.
Open the Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) public search →

Shows licence status · shows the expiry date · expects you to pass a “verify you are human” check.

If the lookup finds nothing: Use the Contact link on the TOPS portal for the Texas DPS Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program.

Check the company

Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program licenses the firm itself here. This is the check most people skip, and it is usually the more important of the two.

What the firm must holdSecurity Services Contractor (Guard sub-type)Issued by Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program

How to check it

  1. Ask the company for the exact legal name on its licence and its Security Services Contractor (Guard sub-type) number. A company that cannot produce a number for a licence it claims to hold has told you something.
  2. Open the Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program 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 licence still returns a result.
  5. If nothing comes up, ask which entity holds the licence and in which state, then check that name. If the answer does not resolve, treat the licence as unconfirmed and call Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program before signing.
Open the Texas Department of Public Safety, Regulatory Services Division, Private Security Program lookup →

Ask for insurance properly

A licence says the state let them operate. Insurance is what stands between you and a claim, and it is the easier of the two to fake — a certificate is only true on the day it was printed.

Texas requires it by law

$100,000 per occurrence for bodily injury and property damage, $50,000 per occurrence for personal injury, and $200,000 total aggregate — strikingly low. Insurance binders are not accepted; a permanent policy must be in force.

The certificate is filed with DPS on form PSP-05 and stays effective until the insurer terminates future liability by giving the Private Security Program at least 10 days’ notice — so DPS hears from the carrier, not the company.

If it lapses: Cover sufficient for all the company’s private-security activities must be maintained continuously; the licence is not in good standing without it.

Tex. Occ. Code §1702.124 — https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/occupations-code/occ-sect-1702-124/

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 a statement about any company on this site. It is also not legal advice — for a contract of any size, have your own counsel or broker set the limits.

Where this comes from

Texas requirements last reviewed August 28, 2026. Rules change — the regulator’s page is authoritative if it disagrees with ours.

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