NORTH DAKOTA SECURITY GUARD AGENCY LICENSE

The license. Private Security Agency license (rule: 'private security agency license'; statute: 'license to conduct a private security or detective agency'; board forms page: 'Security Agency License') [2]

Who needs it. Any individual or entity hiring another person to perform private security services, i.e. furnishing for hire security officers or other persons to protect persons or property, prevent theft, control the flow of the public on private property, prevent intrusion/trespass, or transport money/negotiable securities (NDCC 43-30-01(7)). No one may provide private security services without a board license (NDCC 43-30-05). A proprietary (in-house) security employer that does not offer or provide security services to others need not be licensed (NDCC 43-30-02.2). Public employees performing official duties are exempt, but their subcontractors are not (NDCC 43-30-02(1)). [2]

Local licensing. State-level only. NDCC 43-30-05 expressly preempts any other license: 'Notwithstanding any other law or ordinance, a person may not be required to obtain a license to provide private investigative or security services in this state other than the license required by this chapter.' (src ndcc-43-30). No city/county security-licensing layer exists or would be enforceable. General business registration is separate: the board requires proof of ND Secretary of State registration with the agency application (src pisb-forms).

Your guards. Every non-licensed individual providing security services for the agency (employee or independent contractor) must hold a board registration as apprentice security officer, security officer or commissioned security officer; the agency obtains the registrations, may not use unregistered persons, is responsible for registrants' activities, and registrants must be supervised by an individual licensed to provide private security services. Apprentices complete 12 hours instruction/field training within 30 days of registration. Pocket cards of terminated registrants must be returned to the board within 7 days of the agency receiving them. Registration $45 + $43 criminal record search. [2]

Role

Qualifying agent (entity applicant). Board's agency form calls the role 'License Holder Responsible for Agency Personnel'. A sole-proprietor (individual) applicant must personally hold the individual license to provide private security services ('Licensed Security Provider'). [2]

Experience

Agency status requires security provider status first (board). To be a Licensed Security Provider the individual must currently be a commissioned security officer: 1,000 hours as a registered apprentice (after 12 hours classroom or 12 hours field training) + 32 classroom hours to reach security officer, then 3,000 more hours as a registered security officer + 80 more classroom hours (forms: '4000 hours field service & 80 hours classroom instruction'), AND pass the board exam within the prior 12 months. Board FAQ: may apply as provider without commissioned status with 4,000 hours security experience and 80 classroom hours documented by third parties. Board may waive training/experience for equivalent out-of-state, law-enforcement, military or proprietary security experience (NDAC 93-02-02.1-10). Military service is deemed to satisfy the 1,000-hour security officer requirement (NDAC 93-02-02.1-06; NDCC 43-30-04(1)). [2]

Age & background

At least 18; high school diploma or equivalent; no disqualifying conviction/adjudication (see disqualifiers_and_waivers); free of disqualifying mental condition or defect; no act indicative of bad moral character with direct bearing on serving the public. State and nationwide fingerprint criminal history check required (NDCC 43-30-06). The qualifying agent and all nonlicensed officers and 10%+ owners must meet these qualifications. [2]

• Qualifying agent must be an officer, director, partner, proprietor, or manager exercising material authority (substantive technical and administrative decisions) and not engaged in conflicting employment [2]
• Individual (sole proprietor) agency applicant must already hold the individual license to provide private security services [2]
• Board: security provider status is a prerequisite to agency status (applies in board practice to entity license holders too); individual and agency licenses may be applied for at the same time [14]
• Board FAQ: the agency license holder must meet ND qualifications and be a 'decision maker' - generally an owner, member, or partner [15]
• Qualifying agent, all nonlicensed officers and 10%+ owners must be listed on the application and meet NDAC 93-02-02.1-01 qualifications; each completes Applicant Information form, fingerprint cards and record-search fees [2]
• State and nationwide fingerprint-based criminal history check for applicants including nonlicensed members, partners, officers and 10%+ owners; applicant pays [1]
• Proof of ND Secretary of State registration required for the agency license [14]
• Licensees, including the agency license holder, may not hold any position with police-type powers or access to official law enforcement records [2]
• Peace officers: board may license a peace officer only if the officer's POST license is inactive (board FAQ: active law enforcement cannot hold a license) [1]
• No ND residency requirement [15]
• No reciprocity [15]
• Certificate of insurance ($300,000 GL with E&O) must be filed before an individual or agency license issues [2]

Exam

Security Provider exam (statute: 'examination to determine the applicant's fitness to receive... a license to provide private security services') [15]

Who sits it

The individual applying for the license to provide private security services (Licensed Security Provider) - i.e. the sole-proprietor agency applicant or the entity's qualifying agent/license holder, who must have provider status before agency status. Registered employees (apprentice, security, commissioned officers) do not take this exam. [15]

Administered by

None - administered by the board itself (Executive Director) in Bismarck; no third-party testing vendor [15]

Delivery

In person in Bismarck, individually scheduled; the Executive Director notifies the applicant of time and location once application requirements are met [15]

Retakes

After failing the first exam: may apply for retest no sooner than 30 days after notice of failure. After a second or subsequent failure: one-year waiting period. The exam must have been passed within the 12 months preceding the license application. [2]

Insurance

$300,000 general liability with errors and omissions insurance; certificate filed with the board before issuance; insurer may cancel on 30 days' written notice to the board; at each renewal license holders must attach proof of insurance incl. E&O, and E&O must be clearly stated on the certificate (renewal-letter-2026). [2]

Surety bond

No surety bond amount. Rule 93-02-02.1-12, titled 'Surety requirements', is satisfied by a certificate of insurance ($300,000 general liability with errors and omissions) conditioned on faithful and honest conduct, on which an injured person may sue in the name of the State of North Dakota. (NDCC 43-30-04 still authorizes 'bonding' rules and 43-30-12(4) lists disqualification/insolvency of the licenseholder's surety as a discipline ground.) [2]

Branch offices

No separate branch license or fee; a licensee with more than one office must display a duplicate license at each office (duplicate license fee $30) [2]

• Agency license application fee: $150 (NDCC 43-30-16(3), as amended by 2025 SB 2051, eff. 2025-04-22) [1]
• Agency license issuance/renewal: $450 per year; late fee $150 for each month renewal is due and unpaid (NDCC 43-30-16(4)) [1]
• Examination fee (individual security provider license): $150 (NDCC 43-30-16(1)) [1]
• Individual Licensed Security Provider license, initial or renewal: $225; statutory late fee $75 per month (NDCC 43-30-16(2)) [1]
• Board: one-time $150 application fee for each new license (security provider, security agency, etc.), covering processing and testing; not charged on renewals/transfers. Application page 1 labels it 'Application and Testing Fee: $150.00'. [14]
• Board's current Fee Breakdown: Licensed Security Agency $450; Licensed Security Provider $225; Apprentice/Security/Commissioned Officer $45; Armed Certification $45; Security Trainer $40; Weapons Instructor $40; Duplicate License or Registration $30; Criminal Record Search $43 [14]
• Criminal history record check: $43.00 (ND $15 + FBI $28), effective Oct. 1, 2026, up from $40.00 after an FBI fee increase; payable to the North Dakota Attorney General per BCI form SFN 60688 (08-2026) [18]
• BCI form breakdown: ND only $15, FBI only $28, ND and FBI $43 [21]
• Employee registration (apprentice/security/commissioned officer): $45 initial and renewal; late fee $15/month (NDCC 43-30-16(8)) [1]
• Renewal fee for nonlicensed officers and 10%+ owners: statutory cap $60, late fee cap $20/month (NDCC 43-30-16(11), 2025 HB 1045) [1]
• Board practice: nonlicensed corporate officer/10%+ owner renewal $45, charged only to persons who hold no other license or registration [27]
• 2026 renewal: $450 agency + $225 provider (renewal form lists 'Provider of Private Security & Private Security Agency' combined at $675); armed certification $45; registrations $45 [27]
• Armed certificate: $45 annual; late fee $15/month (NDCC 43-30-16(6)) [1]
• Private security training certificate (trainer): $40 initial, $40 renewal, late $15/month (NDCC 43-30-16(5)) [1]
• Duplicate license: $30 (NDCC 43-30-16(7)); needed for each additional office [1]
• CONFLICT - board renewal letters (2025 and 2026) state a provider/investigator late fee of $100 per month; NDCC 43-30-16(2) sets $75 per month. Statute controls. (Agency $150/month and registration $15/month in the letter match statute.) [27]
• CONFLICT - superseded rule fees still printed in NDAC 93-02-03-06 (last amended Oct. 1, 2022): exam $100; individual license $150 (late $50/mo, max $100); agency application $100; agency license $300 (late $100/mo); registration $30; armed $30; duplicate $20. NDCC 43-30-16 as reenacted by 2025 SB 2051 now fixes the amounts ('is... dollars') and deleted 'establish by rule and'; statute controls and the board's forms charge the statutory amounts. No Title 93 amendment appears in Admin. Code Supplements 395-401 (Jan 2025-Oct 2026). [3]
• Initial license fees prorated quarterly; renewals not prorated; no refunds [3]
• Optional mailed application packet (applications, fingerprint cards, rules/laws): $20 [15]
• Exam study guide: $40 (optional) [15]

1. Qualify for and obtain (or apply simultaneously for) the individual Licensed Security Provider license; individual and agency applications may be submitted together [15]
2. Security agency application: complete application pages 1 (applicant information), 2 (BCI criminal history request), 2a (fingerprint verification), 3 (certification of training), 4 (agency information) and 6 (employment history); 2 legible fingerprint cards; same for managers and 10%+ owners [14]
3. Page 4 Agency Information: name of License Holder Responsible for Agency Personnel, entity type, all 10%+ owners and principal officers, and ND managers (listed owners/officers must also file the Applicant Information form, fingerprints and record-search fees) [24]
4. Include proof of ND Secretary of State registration [14]
5. Email one passport-size photo of the applicant to the board when the application is submitted [14]
6. File certificate of insurance ($300,000 GL with E&O) before license issuance [2]
7. Mail applications, fingerprint cards and checks (incl. criminal record search fees) to NDPISB, 513 East Bismarck Expressway, Suite 5, Bismarck, ND 58504 [14]
8. Take the board-administered exam when the Executive Director schedules it (individual license; must be passed within 12 months before licensure) [15]
9. Temporary license/registration may be issued pending the nationwide (FBI) record check; it expires when the results arrive [1]
10. Processing takes approximately 30 business days when complete [15]
11. After issuance: conspicuously display the license at the place of business; notify board in advance of ownership change (license not transferable) and of other application changes within 14 days [2]

Renewal

Annual; all licenses and registrations expire September 30 each year (NDCC 43-30-11; NDAC 93-02-03-03). Expired license restorable within 60 days on payment of lapsed renewal and late fees if no services were provided while lapsed; after 60 days must reapply and meet all requirements incl. new state and nationwide record check. The agency submits renewals for all registered employees, signed by the license holder; license-holder renewals must attach proof of insurance incl. E&O; employee registrations are not issued before the agency license is renewed. Board requested 2026 renewals by September 1, 2026. [1]

Disqualifiers & waivers

Disqualifying (incl. juvenile adjudications): any felony; class A or B misdemeanor involving violence or intimidation (NDCC chs. 12.1-16 to 12.1-25, 12.1-31.2) or controlled substances (ch. 19-03.1); any theft offense (ch. 12.1-23) incl. shoplifting; any other offense reportable to BCI under 12.1-32-15. Waiver: board may license if the offense lacks direct bearing on ability to provide security services AND the person is sufficiently rehabilitated under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1, or a full pardon has been granted. Continuing duty to report convictions within 14 days. Discipline grounds: NDCC 43-30-12 and NDAC 93-02-03-05 (incl. insufficient supervision of registered employees, fraud in taking the exam); civil penalty up to $2,500 per violation; unlicensed activity is a class B misdemeanor; citations up to $250 / $500 / $1,000 (NDCC 43-30-10.1). [2]

• 2025-04-22SB 2051 § 1 reenacted NDCC 43-30-16, converting fee caps into fixed fees and raising them: exam $100->$150; individual license $150->$225 (late $50->$75/mo); agency application $100->$150; agency license $300->$450 (late $100->$150/mo); training certificate one-time $25 -> $40 initial + $40 renewal; armed certificate $30->$45; duplicate $20->$30; registration $30->$45 (late $10->$15); armed first responder instructor $400->$600 / renewal $300->$450. Emergency clause; filed with Secretary of State 04/22/2025. 2025 N.D. Sess. Laws, SB 2051 § 1 (NDCC 43-30-16) [12]
• 2025-07-01SB 2051 § 2 directs the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit of the board during the July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 biennium. Not a licensing-requirement change. 2025 SB 2051 § 2 [7]
• 2025-07-01HB 1045 created NDCC 43-30-16(10) (application fee for a non-live remote/online apprentice classroom course, cap $60) and (11) (renewal fee for nonlicensed officers and 10%+ owners of a security or detective agency, cap $60; late fee cap $20/month). 2025 HB 1045 (NDCC 43-30-16(10), (11)) [12]
• 2025 renewal season (licenses expiring 2025-09-30)Board practice ('Changes in 2025'): began charging $45 renewal to nonlicensed corporate officers/10% owners who hold no other license, and new $40 renewals for security trainers and weapons instructors. NDPISB 2025 Renewal Letter (Aug. 1, 2025) [28]
• 2026-10-01Criminal history record check fee rose from $40.00 to $43.00 (FBI +$3); new BCI page 2 form SFN 60688 (08-2026). Board notice, not statute/rule. Application page 1 (rev. 4-22-2025) still shows $40.00 pending update. NDPISB news notice Oct. 1, 2026; BCI SFN 60688 (08-2026) [18]
• 2026 renewal season (renewals due 2026-09-30) and new licenses thereafterBoard policy (not rule): from the 2026 renewal season, wall licenses issued as emailed PDFs combining all of an individual's or agency's licenses on one certificate; pocket cards continue to be issued annually. NDPISB special meeting minutes, July 31, 2026 [19]

• N.D. Cent. Code ch. 43-30 (43-30-01 to 43-30-16) — Investigative and Security Services [1]
• 2025 N.D. Sess. Laws, SB 2051 (amended and reenacted NDCC 43-30-16; performance audit) — Fees charged by the private investigative and security board; performance audit; emergency [7]
• 2025 N.D. Sess. Laws, HB 1045 (created NDCC 43-30-16(10)-(11)) — Online apprentice course application fee; renewal fee for nonlicensed officers/owners [10]
• N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-02.1 — Private Security Services (qualifications, agency licensing, qualifying agent, registration, exam retake rules, insurance) [2]
• N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-03 — General Rules (proration, dual licensure, renewal, discipline, code of ethics, fees - fee section superseded by statute) [3]
• N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-01.1 — Private Investigative Services (applies only if the agency also provides investigations; NDAC 93-02-03-02 dual licensure) [4]
• N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-04 — Armed First Responder in School or Ambulance or Firefighter Crew Training Program (peripheral) [5]
• N.D. Admin. Code art. 93-01 (chs. 93-01-01, 93-01-02) — General Administration (board organization, executive director) [6]

1. N.D. Cent. Code ch. 43-30 Investigative and Security Services (official PDF, current through 2025 session; identical copy also saved as v-ndcc-43-30) · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-02.1 Private Security Services (identical copy v-ndac-93-02-02.1) · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-03 General Rules (identical copy v-ndac-93-02-03) · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-01.1 Private Investigative Services (relevant to combined security + detective agencies) · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. N.D. Admin. Code ch. 93-02-04 Armed First Responder in School or Ambulance or Firefighter Crew Training Program · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. N.D. Admin. Code Art. 93-01 General Administration and Art. 93-02 table of contents · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. 2025 SB 2051 enrolled bill (fees; performance audit; emergency) · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. 2025 SB 2051 enrolled bill + bill actions page · retrieved 2026-11-09
9. SB 2051 (2025) bill actions page · retrieved 2026-11-09
10. 2025 HB 1045 enrolled bill (new NDCC 43-30-16(10)-(11)) · retrieved 2026-11-09
11. 2025 HB 1045 enrolled bill + bill actions page · retrieved 2026-11-09
12. ND Legislative Council 25.9565.03000, Effective Dates of 2025-26 Legislation (Oct. 2026) (identical copy v-lc-effective-dates) · retrieved 2026-11-09
13. v-admin-supplements · retrieved 2026-11-09
14. NDPISB Application Forms page and Fee Breakdown (same content as v-pisb-forms-page) · retrieved 2026-11-09
15. NDPISB Frequently Asked Questions (fee figures on this page are stale; same content as v-pisb-faq) · retrieved 2026-11-09
16. NDPISB Eligibility & Licensing Requirements for Security Providers · retrieved 2026-11-09
17. NDPISB Licensing / About Us / Executive Director pages · retrieved 2026-11-09
18. NDPISB News page (incl. Oct. 1, 2026 criminal history record check fee change) · retrieved 2026-11-09
19. NDPISB 2026 board meeting minutes (6-4, 6-11, 7-31-2026; OCR of scanned PDFs) and agendas (9-11, 10-30-2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
20. NDPISB Application Page 1 - Applicant Information (rev. 4-22-2025) · retrieved 2026-11-09
21. NDPISB Application Page 2 - BCI Criminal History Record Check Request SFN 60688 (08-2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
22. NDPISB Application Page 2A - Fingerprint Verification Form (rev. 6-8-23) · retrieved 2026-11-09
23. NDPISB Application Page 3 - Certification of Training · retrieved 2026-11-09
24. NDPISB Application Page 4 - Agency Information (rev. 6-8-23) · retrieved 2026-11-09
25. NDPISB Application Page 6 - Employment History (rev. 6-8-23) · retrieved 2026-11-09
26. NDPISB 2026 License and Registration Renewal Application · retrieved 2026-11-09
27. NDPISB 2026 Renewal Letter to License Holders, July 1, 2026 (OCR of scanned PDF) · retrieved 2026-11-09
28. NDPISB 2025 Renewal Letter, Aug. 1, 2025 (OCR of scanned PDF) · 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.