The official license-lookup link for every state, plus the regulator and company license to confirm — so you can check that a security company is licensed and in good standing before you sign.
Hiring a security company means putting strangers in charge of your people, your property, and your liability. Before you sign anything, you need to confirm the company actually holds a valid, current license in the state where they will work — and that the officers who show up on your site are credentialed too. A logo on a proposal, a framed certificate in a lobby, or a listing on a third-party directory proves nothing. The only thing that counts is the record on the state regulator's own system. This page shows you where to look for every state and how to read what you find.
Verify a security company on its state regulator's official license lookup — never a logo, certificate, or third-party directory. Confirm the record is active, unexpired, matches the exact legal business name and address, and shows no disciplinary action. Then verify the individual officers assigned to your site: a company license does not guarantee every guard is credentialed. In a few states there is no public self-service tool, so you request confirmation directly from the licensing authority. Use the table below to find your state's official source.
Why verifying a security license matters
This is not a compliance box to tick — it is direct exposure for your business. If an unlicensed or improperly credentialed guard causes harm on your premises, you can be named in a negligent-hiring or negligent-security claim for retaining a contractor you failed to vet. Courts and insurers both ask a simple question after an incident: did you take reasonable steps to confirm the provider was licensed? A screenshot of an active state record is the cleanest evidence that you did.
Licensing also underpins accountability. A licensed company is registered with a regulator that can receive complaints, investigate, and suspend or revoke the license. An unlicensed operator answers to no one — and often carries no real insurance, which means that when something goes wrong, the financial risk lands on you. Your own general-liability carrier may also require that any security contractor you use be properly licensed; skip the check and you risk a coverage dispute at the worst possible moment. Verification is the cheapest risk control in the entire procurement process. For the full workflow, see our guide on how to verify a security company license.
How to read a license record
Finding a record is only half the job — you have to read it correctly. A good, trustworthy record shows four things clearly, and you should confirm each one before you rely on the company.
Status
Look for an explicit "active," "current," or "in good standing" status. Anything else — pending, lapsed, expired, suspended, revoked, or inactive — means the company is not cleared to work today, regardless of what their sales rep says.
Dates
Check the issue and expiration dates. A license that expired last month is not valid this month. Some records also show a renewal history, which tells you whether the company keeps its credential continuously current or lets it lapse and scrambles to renew.
Exact legal name and address
The record must match the exact legal business name and address on your contract — not a "doing business as" brand, not a parent company, not a similarly named firm. Mismatches are one of the most common ways an unlicensed entity hides behind a licensed affiliate.
Disciplinary history
Many state systems surface disciplinary actions, complaints, or consent orders on the license record. A clean history is what you want. A pattern of actions is a reason to keep shopping. One important nuance: some tools show only active licenses — Illinois IDFPR is a well-known example — so a "no result" can mean a lapsed or revoked license rather than a typo. If you expected a record and got nothing, treat that as a flag to investigate, not a dead end.
The official license lookup for every state
Security licensing in the US is regulated at the state level, so there is no single national registry. Each state names its own regulator and runs its own lookup tool. The table below lists the regulator and the official license-lookup source for each state, so you can go straight to the authoritative record instead of a marketing page. Requirements vary widely from state to state, so once you find your state, follow its dedicated guide for the specifics.
| State | Regulator | Official license lookup | Company license |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Arizona DPS | Arizona DPS — SGPI Licensing | Security Guard Agency License |
| California | California BSIS | California DCA — License Search (BSIS) | Private Patrol Operator (PPO) license |
| Colorado | municipal (for example, Denver Excise & Licenses) | your city's licensing office (for example, Denver Excise & Licenses) | a municipal license where required (there is no statewide company license) |
| Florida | FDACS | Florida FDACS — Division of Licensing | Class “B” Security Agency license |
| Georgia | Georgia Board / Secretary of State | Georgia Secretary of State — GOALS Licensee Search | Security Agency (company) license |
| Illinois | Illinois IDFPR | Illinois IDFPR — License Lookup | Private Security Contractor Agency license |
| Indiana | Indiana PLA | Indiana PLA — License Verification | Security Guard Agency license |
| Maryland | Maryland State Police | Maryland State Police — Licensing Division | a Security Guard Agency License |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts State Police | Massachusetts State Police — Certification Unit | Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency license |
| Michigan | Michigan LARA | Michigan LARA — Verify a Licensed Professional or Business | Private Security Guard Agency license |
| Minnesota | Minnesota PDB | Minnesota PDB — License Holders | Protective Agent Services license |
| Missouri | municipal (St. Louis MPD, Kansas City) | your city's police licensing section (for example, St. Louis MPD Private Security) | a municipal license (St. Louis and Kansas City license security under state-authorized city rules); there is no statewide company license |
| New Jersey | New Jersey State Police | New Jersey State Police — Private Detective Unit | Security Officer Company license (SORA) |
| New York | NY DOS | New York DOS — Licensee Search | Watch, Guard or Patrol Agency license |
| North Carolina | NC PPSB | North Carolina PPSB | Security Guard and Patrol license |
| Ohio | Ohio PISGS | Ohio Homeland Security — PISGS licensed-company & registrant search | a PISGS Provider License |
| Pennsylvania | county courts / Pennsylvania State Police | Pennsylvania State Police — Act 235 | a county Private Detective license under the Private Detective Act of 1953 (there is no statewide company license) |
| Tennessee | Tennessee PPS | Tennessee — License Verification (verify.tn.gov) | Contract Security Company license |
| Texas | Texas DPS | Texas DPS — Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) | Class B Security Contractor license |
| Virginia | Virginia DCJS | Virginia DCJS — External Verification Tool | Private Security Services Business license |
| Washington | Washington DOL | Washington DOL — Security Guard Company | Private Security Guard Company license |
| Washington, D.C. | DC DLCP and MPD | DC DLCP — Security Program | a Security Agency Business license |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin DSPS | Wisconsin DSPS — License Lookup | Private Detective/Security Agency license |
Two related checks depend on state rules as well: armed security guard requirements by state and training requirements by state. If your site needs armed coverage or a specific training standard, confirm those alongside the license itself.
States with no public online lookup — and how to verify there
A handful of states do not offer a public self-service lookup you can search on your own. In these states, the license is real and the regulator is active — there just isn't a searchable database facing the public. Right now the notable examples are:
- New Jersey — regulated by the State Police Private Detective Unit.
- Maryland — regulated by the State Police Licensing Division.
- Massachusetts — regulated by the State Police Certification Unit.
When there is no online tool, you verify by going to the source directly. Ask the company for its license number and legal name, then contact the relevant State Police unit to confirm the license is valid, current, and in good standing. Put the request in writing and keep the response on file. It takes an extra step, but the standard is the same everywhere: confirmation from the regulator, not from the vendor's own paperwork.
Verify the company — then verify the officers
A company license and an individual officer credential are two different things, and you need both. The company license authorizes the business to provide security services in the state. It does not certify that every person the company sends to your property is individually registered, trained, and cleared to work as a security officer. Many states require each guard to hold their own registration or license, often tied to a background check.
So confirm the company first, then verify the specific individuals assigned to your site. Ask for the names and credential numbers of the officers who will actually work your account, and check them against the state's individual lookup where one exists. This matters most with armed posts, where an additional firearm permit is typically required on top of the base guard credential. A company can be perfectly licensed and still staff your site with an unqualified or unregistered guard — the company check does not catch that.
Red flags to watch for
- Expired or suspended, presented as current. A vendor waves a certificate or an old approval letter while the live state record says expired, suspended, or revoked. The state record wins, always.
- Mismatched legal name. The license is under a different entity than the one on your contract or invoice. Never accept a license that belongs to a "related" company you aren't actually hiring.
- A business license standing in for a security license. A general business license, LLC registration, or tax certificate is not a security license. They authorize a company to exist and operate generally — not to provide licensed security services.
- Undisclosed subcontracting. The licensed firm you vetted quietly staffs your site with guards from an unlicensed subcontractor. Require in your contract that all officers be the prime's own licensed personnel, or that any subcontractor be separately licensed and disclosed.
- Unlicensed operators and evasive answers. A provider that can't produce a license number, points you to a third-party directory instead of the state source, or gets defensive when you ask to verify is telling you something. Walk away.
Buyer guidance and next steps
Build verification into your procurement so it happens every time, not just when something feels off. Before you sign: pull the company's record from the state's official lookup in the table above, confirm active status, unexpired dates, exact legal name and address, and a clean disciplinary history. Then verify the individual officers assigned to your site. Save a dated screenshot of each record with your contract file — it is your proof of due diligence if a claim ever arises. Re-check at renewal, since licenses expire and disciplinary actions accrue over time.
When you're comparing providers, start with vetted, licensed companies rather than cold-calling names off a search page. You can browse licensed security companies by location, and when you're ready to hire, request quotes from providers whose licenses you can verify. A few minutes on the official state source is the difference between a contractor you can defend hiring and a liability you didn't see coming.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I officially check if a security company is licensed?+
What if my state has no public license lookup?+
Does a company license mean every guard is credentialed?+
Why did the state tool return no result for a company I know exists?+
Is a business license the same as a security license?+
Share this guide
