OHIO SECURITY GUARD AGENCY LICENSE

The license. Class C license (security guard provider - security services only). A Class A license covers both private investigation and security services and also authorizes a guard company. Class B is private investigation only and does NOT authorize security services. (The PISGS site calls licensees 'providers'.) [1]

Who needs it. Any person (individual, partnership or corporation) engaging in the 'business of security services' in Ohio: (1) furnishing, for hire, watchpersons, guards, private patrol officers, or other persons whose primary duties are to protect persons or property; or (2) furnishing, for hire, guard dogs or armored motor vehicle security services (R.C. 4749.01(C)-(D), 4749.13(A)). Exemptions (R.C. 4749.01(H)) include in-house employees protecting their own employer's property with employment taxes withheld (6), commissioned peace officers unless they engage in or compensate others in the business (14), and - added by H.B. 96, eff. 9/30/2025 - security personnel/contractors under an approved physical protection program at an NRC-licensed commercial nuclear power plant (15). Registered employees of a licensee and individual officers/QAs of a licensed corporation do not need their own license; a 1099 independent contractor does (agency). [1]

Local licensing. Licensing is state-level (ODPS/PISGS) under R.C. Chapter 4749. R.C. 4749.09: a licensee or registered employee operating in a municipal corporation that by ordinance licenses, registers or regulates private investigators, security guard providers or their employees must conform to those ordinances insofar as they do not conflict with Chapter 4749, but 'No license or registration fees shall be charged by the state or any of its subdivisions for conducting the business of private investigation, the business of security services, or both businesses other than as provided in this chapter.' R.C. 4749.05(A) requires branch-office locations to be reported to the county sheriff and the municipal police chief. There is no separate county/city guard-company license regime that replaces the state license.

Your guards. Licensees must register every security guard employee with ODPS/PISGS: application filed no sooner than 3 days nor later than 7 calendar days after hire (rule: complete online application with BCI fingerprints no later than 7 calendar days after hire); $40 fee; ID card (digital) issued if no disqualifying offense within 3 years; annual renewal $25; registrations terminated online within 10 days of separation. Employees may not work until they receive an ID card except unarmed work for a client who signs a waiver (form PSU 0060). Commissioned peace officers are exempt from registration. Armed employees need a firearm-bearer notation (20-hour OPOTC handgun course, annual requalification, $15). All employees must be on payroll with taxes withheld; 1099 independent contractors need their own license unless exempt. [1]

Role

Qualifying Agent (QA): the owner, officer or hired person of the company who meets the experience requirement. An individual (incl. a partner) may be licensed directly; a corporation is licensed on an application filed by an officer when the officer, another officer, or the qualifying agent satisfies R.C. 4749.03(A)(1) and (F)(1). At least one partner of a partnership must be licensed (R.C. 4749.03(A)(3)). [3]

Experience

Statute (R.C. 4749.03(A)(1)(b)): a continuous period of at least two years immediately preceding application in investigatory or security services work for a law enforcement or other public agency, or for a private investigator or security guard provider, or in the practice of law, or equivalent experience as determined by rule. Rule (OAC 4501:7-1-06, eff. 5/1/2026): Class C - at least 4,000 working hours of security services work; Class A - 4,000 hours including at least 1,000 investigatory and 1,000 security; hours must be completed in the 24-month period immediately preceding receipt of the application ('working hours' = hours in an active pay status, OAC 4501:7-1-01(J)). Equivalent experience the director may accept: specialized criminal justice/law enforcement education (Class C then still needs at least 2,000 security hours), honorable military police or similar military security service, significant law enforcement/peace officer experience within the last 20 years, or management in the security services business. Agency page phrases Class C as 'work full-time in security in the two years immediately preceding date of application'. [3]

Age & background

No minimum age for the licensee/QA is stated in R.C. 4749.03 or OAC 4501:7-1. Background: each individual applicant and each corporate officer/QA named in the application submits fingerprints to Ohio BCI for a criminal records check (FBI check also if the person will carry a firearm); prints may not be more than 30 days old at filing (OAC 4501:7-1-04(C)(1)); QA/licensee is enrolled in the BCI retained applicant fingerprint database (Rap Back, R.C. 4749.031, OAC 4501:7-1-18). Must not have been adjudicated incompetent. Integrity factors the department may consider are in OAC 4501:7-1-02. [1]

• Must not have been adjudicated incompetent for the purpose of holding the license (unless restored to legal capacity). [1]
• Must pass the competency examination devised by the director (see exam). [1]
• References from at least five reputable citizens who have known the applicant/officer/QA for at least five years and are not related by blood or marriage. [1]
• Agency practice: reference letters must state the capacity in which the person knows the QA, be signed and dated within the last three months, and include email, phone, home address and signature; 2x2 passport-style photo; Verification of Experience (VOE) sent to employers listed on the QA application. [11]
• Experience documentation (agency): military police - DD 214 or current work orders; law enforcement - Ohio peace officer basic training certificate; attorney - letter of good standing showing at least two years of active practice; degree - at least an associate in criminal justice or law enforcement, with diploma or transcript. [11]
• Company must be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State (certificate of good standing if registered more than six months prior; trade-name certificate if applicable); company/trade name may not include words that could be construed as a law enforcement or government agency (e.g., Police, Public Safety, Trooper, Deputy, Agent). [11]
• Each officer/QA who qualifies a corporation must surrender any personal license of a similar nature; an officer/QA may qualify another corporation only if actively engaged in the business of both. [1]
• If a corporation loses its only qualifier, an officer must notify the director by certified mail within 10 days; if a replacement is submitted within 30 days the corporation may operate for 90 days under the license. [1]
• Each Provider Application must be accompanied by a Qualifying Agent Application and the QA examination fee. [3]
• A QA who will carry a firearm must comply with R.C. 4749.10 and OAC 4501:7-1-22 (OPOTC 20-hour basic handgun course, +5 hours per other firearm type, annual requalification, firearm-bearer notation, $15). [3]
• Integrity factors the department may consider: felony conviction/guilty plea within 3 years of application; prior unlicensed operation; operating without general liability insurance while licensed; violations of Chapter 4749/rules/orders or other states' PI/security regulation; default on a DPS settlement, adjudication or cease-and-desist order. [3]
• The department notifies the licensee in writing within ten days of changes in controlling interest, officers, partners, or legal name (OAC 4501:7-1-03(B)); a change in license class requires a new license/application. [3]

Exam

Qualifying Agent (QA) exam (no formal published title) [11]

Who sits it

The individual applicant or, for a corporation, each officer or Qualifying Agent specified as satisfying R.C. 4749.03(A)(1) and (F)(1). Exceptions: an individually licensed person who qualifies a corporation in the same capacity is not reexamined (statute); the department may waive the exam and experience verification if the applicant previously qualified a business within six months of the application (OAC 4501:7-1-07(F)); agency page: 'The exam is only waived if the applicant is a currently approved QA in Ohio.' No reexamination for renewal (R.C. 4749.03(D)). [1]

Administered by

None identified - the exam is devised by the department and administered by ODPS/PISGS at 1970 W. Broad Street, Columbus (no third-party testing vendor named in any source). [3]

Delivery

In person, scheduled once per month at the Ohio Department of Public Safety, 1970 W. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43223, after the application and documents are verified; QA is notified by e-mail of available exam dates. At the director's discretion a proctored exam may be provided elsewhere for applicants who reside in another state or cannot sit in Columbus (department picks location; QA pays any additional fees). Driver's license or other acceptable photo ID required at check-in. [11]

Retakes

Up to 90 days and no more than three attempts following notification of eligibility; otherwise the application is denied and a new application and new fee are required. Each additional attempt requires a $25 QA retest fee (PISGS fee schedule). Failure to appear may result in denial (illness: admitted to next exam; other excuses only for undue hardship). Examination fees are non-refundable. [3]

Insurance

Comprehensive general liability insurance (or a director-approved equivalent guarantee), not less than $100,000 each person and $300,000 each occurrence for bodily injury liability and $100,000 for property damage liability (R.C. 4749.03(A)(1)(d) - controls). Must be maintained at all times; insurer verifies/certifies the statutory minimums; the acord must name the 'Department of Public Safety Private Investigator Security Guard Services' as certificate holder and require insurer notice to the department no later than 10 days before cancellation and not later than 7 days after lapse (OAC 4501:7-1-05). Agency page instead states 'at least $100,000 each occurrence, $300,000 general aggregate' and lists 'DPS, PISGS Unit, PO Box 182001, Columbus, OH 43218' as certificate holder. Proof not required at application but must be received before the license issues (company info sheet: within 30 calendar days after the QA passes the exam). [1]

Branch offices

Each branch office requires a branch office license (Provider Branch Office Application, form PSU 0010; fee fixed by director not exceeding $100 - currently $100; branch renewal $0), posted conspicuously in the branch; branch location must be reported to DPS and to the county sheriff and municipal police chief; office moves reported in writing within 48 hours. [1]

• Initial license fee: $200 (rule; statutory cap 'not to exceed two hundred dollars' since H.B. 238, eff. 4/9/2025); refunded if the license application is denied / license not issued. [3]
• Examination fee: $25 for the individual applicant or each corporate officer/QA (statute and rule). [1]
• BCI retained applicant fingerprint database (Rap Back) fee: $10 for each application to license or renew a company. [3]
• PISGS fee schedule: Qualifying Agent initial $35 (= $25 exam + $10 Rap Back). [13]
• Total initial licensing fee per PISGS: $235 ($200 license application + $35 QA application). BCI (and FBI, if armed) fingerprint fees are paid separately at the fee the BCI superintendent prescribes. [10]
• QA retest fee: $25 per additional attempt. [13]
• Biennial license renewal: $550 (rule eff. 5/1/2026; statutory cap $550 since H.B. 238). [3]
• QA renewal Rap Back fee: $10. [13]
• Branch office license: $100 (statutory cap $100); PISGS fee schedule lists Branch Renewal $0. [3]
• Duplicate license: $25. [3]
• License transfer (corporation to corporation, sole proprietor to corporation, or corporation to sole proprietor): $25 (rule; statute R.C. 4749.03(F)(3)-(4)). PISGS fee schedule separately lists 'Transfer $5' without saying what is transferred. [3]
• Employee registration ID card: $40 initial (cap $40); $25 annual renewal (cap $35). [3]
• Employee registration annual renewal: $25. [3]
• Firearm bearer notation: $15 (cap $15). [3]
• Duplicate/replacement registration ID card: $5. [3]
• BCI criminal records check fee: set by the BCI superintendent and paid by the applicant (amount not stated in PISGS sources). [1]
• All rule fees are nonrefundable except the $200 initial license fee if the application is denied. [3]

1. Step 1 - Gather requirements and save electronically: Ohio Secretary of State registration (good-standing certificate if registered more than six months prior) and trade-name certificate if applicable; acceptable company name; CGL insurance info; QA documents (2x2 photo, five reference letters, experience verification documents, BCI fingerprint results no older than 30 days sent 'direct copy' to PISGS; FBI check too if armed; out-of-state license verifications if licensed elsewhere). [11]
2. Step 2 - Request online access through the ODPS Identity Manager. [11]
3. Step 3 - Complete the online Provider Application (form PSU 0006) with a Qualifying Agent Application (PSU 0007) in the PISGS online system and pay fees ($235 total). [3]
4. Step 4 - After the application and documents are verified, the QA is notified to schedule and take the exam on R.C. 4749 and OAC 4501:7-1 (3 attempts within 90 days). [11]
5. Step 5 - Submit proof of insurance (Certificate of Liability Insurance / Acord) naming PISGS as certificate holder, emailed to pisglr@dps.ohio.gov, within 30 calendar days after passing the exam. [16]
6. Step 6 - License approval: PISGS issues a wall license and (digital) QA registration card; the company may then work and solicit work and must register all guard employees in the PISGS online system. [11]
7. Company may not work, advertise, or solicit business in Ohio until approved by PISGS. [10]

Renewal

Two-year license term under R.C. 4749.03(D) as amended by H.B. 238 (eff. 4/9/2025): licenses issued before that date expire March 1 following initial issue and every two years thereafter (H.B. 238 Sec. 6: pre-existing licenses keep their prior expiration date); licenses issued on or after 4/9/2025 expire two years after initial issue. Renewal under R.C. Chapter 4745 standard procedures; fee $550 (cap $550) plus $10 Rap Back per QA; at least one QA must be renewed with the company; must provide evidence of workers' compensation and unemployment compensation coverage (except sole proprietors with no employees) and the state tax ID number; no reexamination. Agency renewal window for 2026 expirations was January 2 - March 1, 2026. Failure to renew requires a new license and terminates all employee registrations. CONFLICT: OAC 4501:7-1-03(A)(2) (eff. 5/1/2026) and the PISGS company info sheet still describe a March 1 biennial cycle for all licenses - statute controls. [1]

Disqualifiers & waivers

Initial license: the director may refuse a license for a conviction/guilty plea only in accordance with R.C. 9.79 (pre-application criminal-conviction determination available through PISGS, form DPS 0179); department may consider a felony within three years of application (OAC 4501:7-1-02). Renewal may not be denied for convictions before initial licensure; the director may grant a one-year conditional license. Discipline (R.C. 4749.04): revocation/suspension/non-renewal for a disqualifying offense (R.C. 4776.10) within the last three years, a crime of moral turpitude, a post-licensure offense, rule violations, false testimony, or failing renewal requirements; civil penalty up to $100 per day in lieu of discipline; Chapter 119 appeal. OAC 4501:7-1-19 lists disqualifying felony offenses (aggravated burglary, breaking and entering, burglary, forgery, identity fraud, receiving stolen property, theft, voyeurism, wiretapping, menacing by stalking, menacing, telecommunications harassment, inducing panic, false alarms, criminal mischief, etc.). Unlicensed operation: first offense M1, second F5, third or later $10,000 fine (R.C. 4749.99). [1]

• 2025-04-09License term changed from annual to two years: licenses issued before the effective date keep the March 1 cycle, now every two years; licenses issued on/after expire two years after initial issue. Annual renewal fee cap of $275 replaced by biennial renewal cap of $550. Sub. H.B. 238, 135th G.A.; R.C. 4749.03(D) [5]
• 2025-04-09Initial license fee cap reduced from $375 to $200 (enrolled-bill text extraction merges struck 'three' and 'seventy-five' with inserted 'two'; the codified 4/9/2025 version reads 'not to exceed two hundred dollars'). Sub. H.B. 238, 135th G.A.; R.C. 4749.03(B)(2) [5]
• 2025-04-09Transition rule: a Chapter 4749 license issued before H.B. 238's effective date expires on the date it would have expired under the prior version of R.C. 4749.03. Sub. H.B. 238, 135th G.A., Section 6 [5]
• 2025-04-09Repealed R.C. 4749.021 (Ohio Private Investigation and Security Services Commission) as part of sunset review. Sub. H.B. 238, 135th G.A., Section 3 [5]
• 2025-09-30New licensure exemption R.C. 4749.01(H)(15): security personnel and contractors for a security organization under an approved physical protection program at an NRC-licensed commercial nuclear power plant. Am. Sub. H.B. 96, 136th G.A.; R.C. 4749.01(H)(15) [1]
• 2026-05-01PISGS rules amended (OAC 4501:7-1-01, -02, -03, -04, -06, -08, -09, -10, -16, -17, -18, -23): biennial March 1 renewal language, $550 biennial renewal fee, Provider Application PSU 0006 / QA Application PSU 0007 / new Provider and QA License Renewal PSU 0063 forms dated September 2025, experience restated as 4,000 working hours within 24 months, digital ID cards. Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-17(A)(5) et al. [3]
• 2026-07-01OAC 4501:7-1-22 (firearm bearer notation issuance and renewal) amended: initial FAB notation valid 18 months from qualification, renewals 12 months from requalification; FAB and registration card may expire on different dates. Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-22 [3]

• R.C. 4749.01 — Private investigator - security services definitions (incl. Class A/B/C and exemptions in (H)) [1]
• R.C. 4749.02 — Administrative rules - personnel [1]
• R.C. 4749.03 — License requirement (qualifications, exam, insurance, fees, term/renewal, corporate qualifiers) [1]
• R.C. 4749.031 — Retained applicant fingerprint database and continuous record monitoring; fees [1]
• R.C. 4749.04 — Disciplinary actions [1]
• R.C. 4749.05 — Notice of change of address - report of presence to local law enforcement (branch offices) [1]
• R.C. 4749.06 — Registration of employees [1]
• R.C. 4749.07 — Private investigator and security guard provider fund [1]
• R.C. 4749.08 — Distinguished from law enforcement officer [1]
• R.C. 4749.09 — Effect of municipal regulation - fees [1]
• R.C. 4749.10 — Carrying firearm [1]
• R.C. 4749.11 — Investigating applicants [1]
• R.C. 4749.12 — Nonresident licenses (issued under R.C. Chapter 4796) [1]
• R.C. 4749.13 — Prohibited acts [1]
• R.C. 4749.14 — Effect of child support default on license [1]
• R.C. 4749.15 — Compliance with law regarding sanctions for human trafficking [1]
• R.C. 4749.99 — Penalty [1]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-01 — Definitions (eff. 5/1/2026; incorporates forms PSU 0006, 0007, 0063, etc.) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-02 — Reputation for integrity (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-03 — Requirement of new license (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-04 — License applications (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-05 — Insurance (eff. 1/1/2015) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-06 — Required experience (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-07 — Examinations (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-08 — License (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-09 — Registration of employees (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-10 — Issuance of I.D. card to registrant (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-11 — Records (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-12 — Uniforms, vehicles, and publications (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-15 — Notice of renewals (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-16 — Renewal of registrations (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-17 — Fees (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-18 — Retained applicant fingerprint database enrollment (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-19 — Disqualifying offenses (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-21 — Process for veteran applications (eff. 3/1/2021) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-22 — Firearm bearer notation issuance and renewal (eff. 7/1/2026) [3]
• Ohio Adm.Code 4501:7-1-23 — Firearm bearer prohibitions and disciplinary actions (eff. 5/1/2026) [3]

1. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4749 - Private Investigators; Security Services (all sections, fetched individually) · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4749 - Private Investigators; Security Services · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 4501:7-1 - Licenses (PISGS rules, fetched individually) · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 4501:7-1 - Licenses · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. Sub. H.B. 238, 135th General Assembly, as enrolled · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. Am. Sub. H.B. 96, 136th General Assembly, as enrolled (excerpt: R.C. 4749.01) · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. Ohio LIS API - long titles of enrolled 136th GA bills scanned for R.C. 4749 · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. Ohio LIS API - status of H.B. 495, S.B. 392 (would amend R.C. 4749.10) and H.B. 59, 136th GA · retrieved 2026-11-09
9. PISGS home page · retrieved 2026-11-09
10. PISGS - Apply for a License · retrieved 2026-11-09
11. PISGS - Apply for a License: Step-by-Step Instructions · retrieved 2026-11-09
12. PISGS Fees (web page) · retrieved 2026-11-09
13. Private Investigator Security Guard Services Fees Form (PDF) · retrieved 2026-11-09
14. PISGS - Company License Renewal · retrieved 2026-11-09
15. PISGS License Renewal User Guide (PDF) · retrieved 2026-11-09
16. PISGS Company Information Sheet (PDF; linked as 'New Provider FAQ') · retrieved 2026-11-09
17. PISGS - Firearm-bearer Endorsement · retrieved 2026-11-09
18. PISGS - Fingerprinting Information · retrieved 2026-11-09
19. PISGS - Criminal Conviction Determination · retrieved 2026-11-09
20. PISGS License & Qualifying Agent Applications Guide (PDF) · retrieved 2026-11-09
21. Form PSU 0060 Waiver · retrieved 2026-11-09
22. Form PSU 0019 PISGS WebCheck Instructions · retrieved 2026-11-09
23. PISGS Sample Insurance Acord (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.