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Texas security guard licensing, explained
The Texas Department of Public Safety, not State Patrol Services, licenses security companies and officers. Here is what that covers and how to check it.
Texas security licenses are issued and checked by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Use the DPS license search for a company's current status and the DPS contact page for questions or complaints. State Patrol Services is a private company, not a government agency, a police department or part of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Licensed security guards are private employees, not police officers. We cannot confirm a license for you.
Who licenses security guards in Texas
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Private Security Program regulates the private security profession in Texas. DPS says it protects the public by conducting fingerprint-based background checks on applicants and by investigating and resolving complaints. The rules sit in Chapter 1702 of the Texas Occupations Code, known as the Private Security Act, with administrative rules alongside it.
For a Houston buyer the practical result is simple. The guard company and the individual officer each hold something from DPS, and you can look both kinds of record up before you sign.
Company licenses and individual licenses
Under Section 1702.102, a person who operates as a guard company or offers guard services must hold a security services contractor license. DPS organizes its licensing pages around company and school license types, individual license types, and two registrations for organizations that employ their own security staff: governmental and political subdivision with internal security, and private business with internal security.
Section 1702.221 adds the individual layer. To perform a regulated activity, an individual must hold the proper individual license and be employed by a company license holder. A noncommissioned security officer is one of the roles that needs an individual license. Section 1702.222 describes who acts as a security officer: an individual employed by a security services contractor or by the security department of a private business, in duties such as security guard, security watchman or security patrolman.
Commissions, firearms and training levels
A commission is the permission to carry a firearm on duty. Section 1702.161 provides that an individual may not carry a firearm as a security officer unless the individual holds a security officer commission, and that an employer may not hire an individual to carry a firearm without one. The DPS handgun page states that the Act limits the carrying of firearms to commissioned security officers and personal protection officers, and that non-commissioned security officers are prohibited from carrying a firearm while on duty.
Training is tiered. DPS says Level II training is required of all non-commissioned security officers, commissioned security officers and personal protection officers. Level III training, a minimum of 45 hours with a test that includes a course of fire, is required for commissioned security officers and personal protection officers. The firearm proficiency demonstration must be completed within 90 days of the application date, and commissioned officers and personal protection officers complete six hours of continuing education. Check the DPS training page for the current wording, because DPS revises these requirements.
What a Houston buyer can ask for
Ask the company for its DPS license name and search it in TOPS. Ask whether each officer on your post is employed by that company. For an armed post, ask whether the officers hold a commission, since the license of the company alone does not answer that. You can also ask how the company confirms current license status for officers before it schedules them.
Texas law also limits how licensed companies present themselves. Section 1702.130 bars company license holders and their employees from using a title, insignia, identification card, uniform or statement meant to suggest a connection with a government, and from using the designation police on a title, insignia, identification card or uniform. The private security and the police guide explains why that matters to a property owner.
The concern behind the license check
The risk of skipping the check is simple: an unlicensed company or officer may not have passed the fingerprint-based background check that DPS requires of applicants, and you may have no recourse if something goes wrong. A two minute search in TOPS answers the basic question and shows you whether the name on the quote matches a record.
Questions Houston buyers ask
Where do I look up a Texas security company?
DPS runs the Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) portal. Search the company name as it appears on the quote. For a question the search cannot answer, use the DPS Private Security Program contact page.
What is the difference between a commissioned and a non-commissioned officer?
A commissioned security officer holds a commission that allows carrying a firearm on duty. A non-commissioned officer may not carry a firearm while on duty, according to DPS.
Does an unarmed guard still need a license?
Yes. A noncommissioned security officer needs an individual license, and the officer must be employed by a company that holds a license under the Private Security Act.
Who handles complaints about a guard company?
DPS investigates and resolves complaints through the Private Security Program. Its contact page states that you can contact it to file a complaint.
Is a business that guards only its own property regulated too?
DPS lists a private business with internal security as a registration category, and a governmental or political subdivision with internal security as another. Ask DPS how the category applies to your situation.