To get a guard card, you apply through your state’s private security licensing authority: confirm you meet the age and background requirements, complete the state’s pre-assignment training, submit fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal history check, and file the application with the required fees. Every state runs its own program, so the exact hours, dollar amounts, and forms depend on where you plan to work, but the sequence is the same almost everywhere.
Confirm You Meet the Basic Eligibility Rules
Before you spend a dollar on training or fingerprinting, make sure you qualify. For an unarmed guard card you generally must be at least 18. Armed positions raise the floor to 21 in most states. You need to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and you must be able to pass a fingerprint-based criminal history check.
Drug testing is not typically part of the state licensing process, though individual employers often require it as a hiring condition. A small number of states require a psychological evaluation for armed applicants specifically. Oklahoma, for instance, requires armed guard applicants to complete a standardized psychological evaluation at their own expense, with a psychologist certifying the applicant’s judgment and self-control before the license issues.
Criminal History That Disqualifies You
States set their own disqualification lists, but federal regulations establish a floor for states that have not adopted their own standards. Under those rules, an applicant fails the background check if they have been convicted of a felony, convicted of a misdemeanor involving dishonesty or false statements within the past ten years, convicted of a misdemeanor involving physical force or attempted physical force within the past ten years, or charged with a felony in the past 365 days without resolution.1eCFR. 28 CFR Part 105 Subpart C – Private Security Officer Employment
Many states go further. Convictions for theft, drug offenses, domestic violence, and sex crimes commonly trigger automatic disqualification regardless of how much time has passed. A felony conviction is nearly always a permanent bar. Some states will consider older, less serious convictions case by case, but you should check your specific state’s disqualification list before paying any application fees.
Complete the Required Pre-Assignment Training
Training is the area where states diverge most. Pre-assignment training, meaning the instruction you must finish before you can legally start working, ranges from as little as four hours in some states to 40 hours or more in others. It almost always covers a security guard’s legal authority (specifically the power to make a citizen’s arrest) and rules on the appropriate use of force.
Most states then require additional on-the-job training during the first six months of employment, covering topics like public relations, observation and documentation, communication, and legal liability. Combined initial and follow-up training for unarmed guards commonly falls between 16 and 40 hours, though some states land below that.
The point most new applicants miss: in most states you cannot start work until the pre-assignment portion is done. An employer who lets you begin before then is violating state law, and both of you can face penalties.
Get Fingerprinted and Pass the Background Check
The background check is the most consequential step in the whole process. Federal regulations require that private security officer background checks be fingerprint-based, submitted through the state’s central criminal record repository, and forwarded to the FBI for a national criminal history search.1eCFR. 28 CFR Part 105 Subpart C – Private Security Officer Employment That two-tier process catches records at both levels and avoids the false positives that plague name-only searches.2Federal Bureau of Investigation. National Fingerprint Based Background Checks Steps for Success
In practice, you will complete a Live Scan (electronic fingerprinting) session or submit a traditional ink fingerprint card. Prints go to the state repository first, then to the FBI, and results come back to the state licensing agency, which applies its qualification standards to decide whether you pass.
Fingerprinting carries its own fees separate from the license application. You typically pay a government processing fee to the state’s Department of Justice and the FBI, plus a service fee to the Live Scan provider. Combined, these usually run between $20 and $55, though some states charge more. The FBI’s portion is set at a standard noncriminal-justice rate periodically published in the Federal Register.1eCFR. 28 CFR Part 105 Subpart C – Private Security Officer Employment
Submit the Application
In many states, the employer plays a significant role. Some states require the employer to co-sign the application, verify the applicant’s statements, and submit the paperwork on the guard’s behalf. Others allow individuals to apply on their own, but the employer must still be named. Either way, have a job offer or employer relationship in place before you file, because a guard card without an employer is useless in states that tie registration to employment.
The application asks for standard identification: full legal name, Social Security number, residential address, and date of birth. You attach training completion certificates, your fingerprint receipt, and the application fee. Most states now accept online submission through a licensing portal, which is faster than a mailed paper packet. If you do mail it, use a method that provides tracking.
Accuracy matters more than speed. A misspelled name, a mismatched Social Security number, or a missing certificate number will bounce the application back and add weeks. Double-check every field before you submit.
What It Costs and How Long It Takes
Total out-of-pocket costs for a new guard card include the application fee, fingerprinting, and training. Application fees alone generally range from $36 to over $100 depending on the state. Fingerprinting adds another $20 to $55. Training costs vary widely with the required hours, and coverage depends on the employer; some pay everything, others expect the guard to cover it.
Processing after submission runs from two to six weeks in most states, with the background check being the variable that controls the timeline. States with electronic fingerprint submission and no backlog finish faster. States that still require a paper fingerprint card mailed to the FBI push you toward the longer end. You can usually track your application through the state licensing authority’s online registry.
If You Want to Carry a Firearm
A standard guard card covers unarmed work only. Carrying a firearm on duty requires a separate armed endorsement, and the additional requirements are substantial.
- Armed guards must typically be at least 21 rather than 18.
- You must complete a dedicated firearms course, ranging from roughly 24 hours in some states to 47 hours in others, covering safe handling, marksmanship qualification, legal standards for lethal force, and a written exam.
- Armed guards in most states must pass a firearms qualification test every year to keep the endorsement, on top of the standard two-year guard card renewal cycle.
- A minority of states require a psychological evaluation specifically for armed applicants. The applicant pays for it, and a negative finding typically bars reapplication for at least a year.
- Employers providing armed security need specialized liability coverage. Standard general liability policies frequently exclude assault, battery, and firearm-related incidents.
Starting unarmed is cheaper and faster. You can add the armed endorsement later once you have experience and decide the additional cost and training are worthwhile.
Waivers for Law Enforcement and Military Backgrounds
Most states offer training waivers for applicants with prior law enforcement or military police experience. The pattern is that active and former police officers can skip pre-assignment training on arrest authority and use of force, since they have already received far more extensive instruction. Federal law enforcement officers who completed basic training at an agency academy or the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center often qualify for the same waiver.
Waivers are not automatic. Common restrictions include time limits: if you separated from law enforcement more than ten years ago, most states will not grant one. Officers who were decertified, or who only completed part-time training courses, are typically ineligible. Military police with qualifying specialties may need to apply through a separate veterans’ experience program rather than the standard waiver. If you fit any of these categories, contact your state’s licensing authority before paying for training you may not need.
After the Card Issues
Some states allow new applicants to work on a temporary registration card while the full application is processed. Where this exists, the employer issues the temporary card after verifying that the application is submitted and the fingerprints are in the system. Temporary authorization expires after a set period, usually 90 to 120 days, and converts to full registration once the background check clears. Not every state offers this, so ask your employer or check your state’s licensing authority before assuming you can start immediately.
Guard cards typically expire after two years. Renewal requires a new application and fee before the expiration date. Letting the card lapse is a serious problem: in many states an expired registration means starting over with a new background check and fresh training, not simply paying a late fee. Between renewals, you generally have to report address changes within about 30 days and report any new arrests or convictions, which may trigger a review of your registration.
Moving to Another State
There is no national guard card. Each state issues its own license, and relocating means going through the new state’s full application process: new background check, new training (or proof your existing training meets the new state’s standards), and new fees. A handful of states have statutory frameworks for limited reciprocity, but these are designed for security companies operating across state lines and typically cap out-of-state work at 30 days per calendar year, with the guard holding a valid registration from a state with substantially similar laws and the company licensed in both states.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-2610 – Reciprocal Agreements; Recognition For an individual moving households, plan on applying fresh.