KANSAS SECURITY GUARD COMPANY LICENSING (LOCAL)

The license. No statewide license. Kansas does not license security guard agencies/contract security companies at state level; licensing is by municipalities (city or county) that choose to require it. Verified local licenses: City of Topeka - license 'to act as a private security firm' (Topeka Municipal Code ch. 5.90, Merchant or Private Police/Security), issued by the Chief of Police; Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS - 'Security Guard Service License' (Ordinance #65892) plus a separate occupation tax. State statute K.S.A. 12-1679 calls the business a 'merchants or security police force or agency'; the private detective act calls it a 'private patrol operator' but licenses only detectives. [6]

Who needs it. Determined by each municipality's ordinance. Topeka: any 'private security firm' - a person or company that conducts or is engaged in the business of providing protection and preserving the peace of one or more establishments - operating within city limits. Kansas City, KS: anyone operating a security guard service (license AND occupation tax both required). K.S.A. 12-1679(a)(2) defines the state-recognized category ('any person engaged for hire in the business of guarding, watching, patrolling or otherwise attempting to provide security for the real or personal property of another person') but the state itself issues no license. A guard company that also performs investigations ('detective business') needs an AG private detective agency license. [6]

Local licensing. Kansas has no state guard-company license; regulation is by city/county ordinance, subject to two state-law conditions in K.S.A. 12-1679: (b) a municipality that requires a license must collect applicants' fingerprints for a KBI/FBI check under K.S.A. 22-4714; (c) no municipality may license a merchants or security police force or agency unless every motor vehicle used in the business is properly registered. K.S.A. 75-7b18 bars cities from licensing private detectives/detective agencies only; it does not reach guard companies. Verified local regimes (primary sources): (1) City of Topeka - TMC ch. 5.90; company license via Topeka Police Department, $300 new / $100 renewal plus $57 KBI check per company representative; insurance per TMC 5.90.150 (Ord. 20463): bodily injury $200,000 each / $500,000 aggregate, property damage $100,000 per claimant / $300,000 aggregate; individual guard licenses $40 new / $30 renewal / $10 transfer + $57 KBI. (2) Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS - Ordinance #65892; Security Guard Service License $100 (1 year) plus annual occupation tax by guard count (2023 schedule $177-$1,604); $500,000 liability COI naming the UG; guard permits $50 each via KCK Police. Operators must check every city/county where guards will be posted. A guard company that also does investigations needs an AG private detective agency license (written exam + oral interview, $100,000 bond/insurance/deposit).

Your guards. No state guard card. Local only: Topeka employee (guard) license via TPD with KBI check ($40 new, $57 KBI); Kansas City, KS Private Security Officer Permit via KCK Police (form KCKPDSB #411, $50). The KCK permit expressly is not a license to operate a security company, and the permittee must be employed by a licensed company. [8]

Role

No designated qualifying agent/manager role in state law or in either verified local regime. KCK: the licensing standards apply to the applicant and, for an organization, to each of its officers, directors, partners or associates; a non-Kansas-resident applicant must list a resident agent. Topeka: KBI background check of all company officers, directors, principal stockholders or partners. [7]

Age & background

No state standard. KCK (applicant and each officer/director/partner/associate): at least 18; no felony or offense of moral turpitude; no conviction for carrying/possessing a dangerous weapon within 10 years; not previously refused a license under the ordinance or had a license revoked/suspended elsewhere; no conviction for impersonating a law enforcement officer; no active warrants; no permit denial/revocation/suspension in prior 5 years; no false information. Topeka: KBI background check, driver's license information and disclosure of felony and/or ordinance-violation convictions for all company officers, directors, principal stockholders or partners. [7]

• KCK: company may not employ any person as a security officer who lacks a current city permit. [7]
• KCK: application must include 2 photographs and thumbprint, articles/bylaws or partnership/joint-venture agreement, photo of guard uniforms, insurance certificate; non-Kansas-resident applicants must supply resident agent information. [7]
• Topeka: uniforms may not be the same color as or confusingly similar to Topeka Police or other Kansas law enforcement uniforms (TMC 5.90.020 as amended). [6]
• Topeka: TPD page lists 'A photocopy of certification from the Electronic Security Association (ESA)' among company application documents. [5]
• State condition on every municipal license: all motor vehicles used in the business must be properly registered (K.S.A. 12-1679(c)). [3]
• State condition: a municipality that requires a license must collect applicants' fingerprints for a criminal history check under K.S.A. 22-4714 (K.S.A. 12-1679(b)). [3]

Insurance

No state requirement for guard companies. Topeka (TMC 5.90.150 as amended by Ord. 20463, effective on publication Dec. 4, 2023): all private security firms other than State Agencies must carry bodily-injury coverage not less than $200,000 each bodily injury and $500,000 aggregate, and property-damage coverage not less than $100,000 per claimant and $300,000 aggregate; evidence to Chief of Police; firm or carrier must notify Chief of any lapse/cancellation within 10 days; failure is unlawful. Kansas City, KS: certificate of liability insurance minimum $500,000.00 filed with the license application, naming the Unified Government as 'additional named insured', with at least 10 days' prior written cancellation notice. [6]

Surety bond

None found for guard companies at state level or in Topeka/KCK sources. (The $100,000 surety bond / $100,000 liability insurance / $100,000 cash deposit in K.S.A. 75-7b11 applies only to AG private detective licensees.) Wichita bond unverified. [1]

• Topeka company license, new: $300 (payable to City of Topeka) plus $57 KBI background check for each company representative (payable to KBI, check/money order only). [5]
• Topeka company license, new: $300 City license fee. [5]
• Topeka company license renewal: $100 City license fee plus $57 KBI for each NEW company representative. [5]
• Topeka employee (guard) license: $40 new + $57 KBI; $30 renewal; $10 transfer. [5]
• Kansas City, KS Security Guard Service License: $100.00 (1-year license). [7]
• Kansas City, KS annual occupation tax (separate from license; expires Dec. 31), 2023 schedule: 01-02 guards $177.00; 03-10 $359.00; 11-20 $536.00; 21-40 $930.00; 41-60 $1,216.00; 61+ $1,604.00. [7]
• Kansas City, KS individual security guard permits: $50.00 each (processed by KCK Police after company license approval). [7]

1. Topeka: print and fill out the company application (also submitted online); provide uniform description/photo, ESA certification copy, driver's license copies for each officer/director/principal stockholder/partner, certificate of insurance per TMC 5.90.150; bring or mail to the Law Enforcement Center, 320 S Kansas, Suite 100: 2 sets of fingerprints (or TPD fingerprint appointment), KBI fee(s), license fee. Processing up to 6 weeks. [5]
2. Kansas City, KS: file the Security Company Application with UG License Division (checklist: application, articles/bylaws, partnership or joint venture agreement, 2 photographs & thumbprint, uniform photo, insurance certificate, $100 fee); list all personnel, including the Manager, who will be issued guard permits; sign notarized personal oath; separately apply for and pay the occupation tax. [7]
3. Kansas City, KS: individual guard permits are processed by the Police Department after the company license is approved. [7]

Renewal

Kansas City, KS: license lasts 1 year and is renewable on each anniversary of the original application date; applicant must contact the UG License Division for renewal forms annually; occupation tax expires December 31. Topeka: renewal application with $100 City fee (plus KBI $57 for new representatives); license term not stated on TPD page. [7]

Disqualifiers & waivers

KCK standards (see qualifier.age_and_background). Topeka's 'conviction' definition (TMC 5.90.010 as amended by Ord. 20463) excludes (1) charges with successfully completed diversion, (2) deferred judgments for juveniles under 18, and (3) expunged or pardoned convictions. [6]

• 2025-05-012025 HB 2342 sec. 6 amended K.S.A. 75-7b01 (private detective act definitions): only change is 'which' -> 'that' in the firearm definition; private patrol operator definition unchanged; still no PPO license. L. 2025, ch. 98, sec. 6 [1]
• 2026-07-01 (sec. 5) / 2027-01-01 (sec. 6)2026 HB 2029 (reconciler) secs. 5-6 reconcile 2026 amendments to K.S.A. 22-4714 (by 2026 HB 2466, SB 427, HB 2702). Both versions keep subsection (b)(J): municipalities may obtain KBI/FBI fingerprint criminal history checks for applicants for merchant or security police under K.S.A. 12-1679. Sec. 5 version effective 7/1/2026; Sec. 6 version operative on and after January 1, 2027. No change to who licenses guard companies. L. 2026, ch. 155, secs. 5-6 (2026 HB 2029) [11]
• 2026-07-01 (claims filed on and after)2026 SB 462 (enacted over governor's veto 04/09/2026): a person who engaged or participated (or attempted to) in 'wrongful conduct' (federal crime, or state/local felony or class A/B misdemeanor) may not bring a negligence action or collect damages for negligence related to that conduct; defendant bears burden of proof by preponderance. Applies to claims filed on and after July 1, 2026. Not a licensing change; relevant to negligent-security liability exposure of guard contractors. 2026 Kan. SB 462, sec. 1 [12]
• n/a (not enacted)2026 SB 463 ('creating requirements for actions involving negligent security') passed the Senate but was NOT enacted - stricken from House calendar 03/20/2026. 2026 Kan. SB 463 [13]
• 2023-12-04 (publication)Context (pre-window, still current local law): Topeka Ordinance No. 20463 amended TMC 5.90.010 (definitions incl. 'conviction'), 5.90.020 (uniforms), 5.90.150 (insurance); passed Nov. 21, 2023; effective on publication. Topeka Ord. No. 20463 [6]

• K.S.A. 12-1679 — Merchant or security police; fingerprints required; municipal license or permit prohibited if vehicles not registered in Kansas (state conditions on any municipal guard-company license) [3]
• K.S.A. 75-7b01 to 75-7b23 — Kansas Private Detective Licensing Act - defines 'private patrol operator' (75-7b01(e)) but requires licensure only for detective business/agencies (75-7b02); 75-7b03(l) exempts private patrol operators on the protected property; 75-7b18 preempts city licensing of private detectives only [1]
• K.S.A. 22-4714 (as amended and reconciled by 2026 HB 2029, L. 2026 ch. 155, secs. 5-6) — KBI/FBI fingerprint criminal history checks; subsec. (b)(J) authorizes municipalities for applicants for merchant or security police under K.S.A. 12-1679 [9]
• K.A.R. 16-1 to 16-6 (Attorney General) — Private detectives and agencies - applies to AG private detective licensing only, not to guard companies (2022 KAR volume text) [4]
• Topeka Municipal Code ch. 5.90 (secs. 5.90.010, 5.90.020, 5.90.150 as amended by Ord. No. 20463) — Merchant or Private Police/Security (local ordinance; only the amended sections retrieved) [6]
• Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Ordinance #65892 — Security Guard Service / private security business ordinance [7]

1. K.S.A. 75-7b01 to 75-7b23, Private Detective Licensing Act (Kansas Revisor of Statutes) · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. K.S.A. 75-7b01 to 75-7b23 · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. K.S.A. 12-1679, Merchant or security police; fingerprints; municipal license conditioned on vehicle registration · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. K.A.R. Agency 16 Arts. 1-6, Attorney General - Private Detectives (2022 KAR Volumes Book 1) · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. City of Topeka - Security Guard (company and employee licensing, Topeka Police Department) · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. City of Topeka Ordinance No. 20463 (amending TMC 5.90.010, 5.90.020, 5.90.150) · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK - Requirements and Procedures for a Security Guard Service (Security Company License Application 2023) · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. Kansas City, Kansas Police Department - Application for Private Security Officer Permit (KCKPDSB #411, 09/15) · retrieved 2026-11-09
9. 2026 House Bill No. 2029 (enrolled), L. 2026 ch. 155 - excerpt (K.S.A. 22-4714 reconciliation, secs. 5-6, 26-28) · retrieved 2026-11-09
10. 2025 House Bill No. 2342 (enrolled), L. 2025 ch. 98 · retrieved 2026-11-09
11. Kansas Revisor of Statutes - 2026 (KSA order, Aug. 13, 2026) and 2025 Composite Listings of New, Amended & Repealed Statutes - excerpts · retrieved 2026-11-09
12. 2026 Kansas Senate Bill No. 462 (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
13. Kansas Legislature 2025-26 Senate/House Actions Report and Subject Index Report (Final) - excerpts · retrieved 2026-11-09

Compiled from the primary government sources above, retrieved on the dates shown. This page is a research summary, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the issuing authority before you file.