OREGON SECURITY GUARD AGENCY LICENSE

The license. Private Security Entity License [1]

Who needs it. Any 'private security entity': any person that, for an agreed remuneration or rate of pay, recruits, solicits, supplies or employs private security providers to perform private security services for another person, or does so on behalf of another employer, or subcontracts to do either (ORS 181A.840(6) as amended by SB 300, 2025 c.464, eff. June 26, 2025). Covers out-of-state entities providing services in Oregon (OAR 259-059-0020(3)). Not covered (OAR 259-059-0020(4)): public universities/higher-ed campus security under ORS 352.118/181A.972; persons whose employees are exempt under ORS 181A.845; an executive manager who contracts with an entity as its executive manager; a sole owner-operator who employs no other private security providers. DPSST says that under the SB 300 definition public bodies would no longer be subject to entity licensing. [1]

Local licensing. Licensing is state-level only. ORS 181A.895: 'The provisions of ORS 181A.360, 181A.840 to 181A.918 and 181A.995 preempt any laws of the political subdivisions of this state relating to the regulation of private security providers.' (src or-ors181a). The preemption text names 'private security providers' (individuals) and does not expressly name entities, but the entity-licensing sections (ORS 181A.900-181A.918) fall within the preemptive range. No county/city security-agency license was found. The entity must also register with the Oregon Secretary of State (ORS 181A.900(2)(b)) and supply an Oregon Department of Revenue tax compliance certificate.

Your guards. Individual guards must hold DPSST private security professional certification (unarmed or event and entertainment at 18+, armed at 21+, alarm monitor) under ORS 181A.870. Executive managers may assign only certified persons, except for listed exceptions (e.g., temporary work permits on Form PS-20). Application information: https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/PS/Pages/new.aspx; verify certifications in DPSST IRIS. [1]

Role

Two roles: (1) the Entity Representative (the principal owner or principal partner who exercises operational control, or a 'qualified designee'), who takes the Entity Licensing Exam and signs and submits the application; and (2) a Designated Executive Manager, who must hold a DPSST Executive Manager License (ORS 181A.870; OAR Div. 60). [5]

Age & background

Executive Manager: at least 21 (OAR 259-060-0020(1)(b)); high school diploma, GED, or two-/four-year degree; must meet moral fitness standards (fingerprint-based nationwide criminal records check; OAR 259-060-0300 to -0320); must not be required to register as a sex offender (ORS 181A.855(1)(c) via ORS 181A.865). Supervisory Manager: at least 18. Entity Representative: no separate age or education standard located; DPSST investigates the applicant entity's character, competence and reliability (ORS 181A.902; OAR 259-059-0080), including persons financially interested at 5% or more. [8]

• A qualified designee (who may serve as entity representative) must be employed by a non-profit or governmental entity, an entity principally located in another state, or an entity with more than 100 employees, and must be authorized by the principal owner or partner. [13]
• Executive Manager license requires Form PS-1, fingerprints, Form PS-6 showing the 14-hour unarmed basic course (or 12-hour alarm monitor basic course for alarm-monitor executive managers), completion of the DPSST private security manager course, Form PS-24 and fees. [25]
• The manager course is an online Workday module plus a final exam (two certificates of completion). Under OAR 259-060-0060 applicants must score 100 percent on all examinations and assessments, with remediation under OAR 259-060-0136(7). Biennial renewal training is the manager course, exam and assessments. [22]
• Manager-course exam scoring rule: 100 percent required on all examinations and assessments. [47]
• Executive and supervisory manager licenses expire two years after issuance or on the assigned renewal date. [1]
• Executive manager applicants are fingerprinted for a nationwide criminal records check through the Oregon State Police. [1]
• The executive manager need not live in Oregon. [27]
• The executive manager files Form PS-24 within 48 hours of beginning or ending employment or a contract as executive manager, or when ownership of the employing business changes. [7]
• A certified private security professional may not independently contract with businesses unless also licensed as an executive manager. [7]
• The entity must notify DPSST in writing within 10 business days when it changes its designated executive manager; it may employ or contract with more than one. [5]
• A new entity representative must notify DPSST within 10 business days and submit proof of a passing score on the entity exam. [5]
• The entity must show it has use-of-force and citizen-arrest policies (not required if it only monitors alarm systems). [1]

Exam

Entity Licensing Exam - Preventing Assault, Harassment, and Discrimination (study guide title: '181A.904 Private Security Entity License Applicant Examination') [13]

Who sits it

The Entity Representative (principal owner, principal partner, or qualified designee) on behalf of the applicant entity, for issuance and for every annual renewal. (Separately, the executive manager passes the DPSST manager-course exam for the individual Executive Manager License; see qualifier.) [5]

Administered by

DPSST itself (no third-party testing vendor), delivered online through the State of Oregon Workday learning system. [5]

Delivery

Online and self-scheduled through Workday (new-learner registration or returning-learner login). The entity representative prints the Certificate of Completion from Workday and includes it with the application. [13]

Passing score

80% [5]

Retakes

The exam must be passed again for every issuance and every annual renewal, and may be taken any time within the 60 days before the application is submitted. A new entity representative must submit proof of a passing score. No source states a limit on attempts, a waiting period after a failed attempt, or a retake fee. [5]

Candidate handbook ↗

Insurance

General liability policy naming the entity as primary insured, covering public liability, personal injury and property damage for all aspects of the security services; minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate; kept in force at all times; tell DPSST in writing within 10 business days of cancellation or change of insurer (OAR 259-059-0120). [5]

Surety bond

Proof of financial ability to promptly pay wages (ORS 181A.900(3); OAR 259-059-0130), maintained at all times: a corporate surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit, cash deposit, or deposit equivalent to cash (trust agreement). Amount depends on the number of executive managers, private security professionals and supervisory managers: $5,000 (10 or fewer); $10,000 (11 to 20); $20,000 (21 to 50); $30,000 (more than 50). Public bodies may instead give a financial officer statement (OAR 259-059-0130(6)). Proposed but NOT adopted as of 2026-11-09: one flat $30,000 amount for all entities. [5]

Branch offices

No separate branch-office license located. The single entity application must list the physical address of every work location where its private security professionals provide services, and the entities contracted or subcontracted at each one (ORS 181A.900(2)(h)(E)-(F)); 'work location' includes the entity's own location (OAR 259-059-0010(15)). Address changes must be reported to DPSST (OAR 259-059-0190). [1]

• Private Security Entity License fee: $1,030 for a one-year license (new or renewal), effective 09/01/2026 under DPSST 7-2026 (was $936). DPSST may prorate the fee for an initial license. [8]
• DPSST application page lists the same $1,030 for new and renewal licenses valid July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. [48]
• Entity late renewal fee $55 (renewal received after June 30); duplicate/replacement license $27; effective 09/01/2026 (previously $50 and $24). [9]
• Entity NSF penalty fee $25. [8]
• Executive Manager License $440 (two-year), effective 09/01/2026 (was $400). [10]
• Supervisory Manager License $132, effective 09/01/2026 (was $120). [10]
• Background check fee $48 for new individual applicants, or for a certification/license that expired more than four years ago. [24]
• Individual (manager/provider) late renewal fee $40. [8]
• Unarmed Private Security Professional Certification $104 (needed in addition only if the executive manager also personally performs security services). [8]
• Payment: cashier's or business check or money order payable to DPSST, or credit card using Form 508C; personal checks and cash are not accepted. [12]

1. Register the entity as a business with the Oregon Secretary of State. [1]
2. Have (or hire/contract) an executive manager licensed by DPSST: Form PS-1, fingerprints, Form PS-6 (14-hour unarmed basic or 12-hour alarm monitor basic), manager course and exam certificates, Form PS-24, fee. [1]
3. Entity representative passes the online Entity Licensing Exam (Workday) within 60 days before applying and prints the certificate. [12]
4. Obtain general liability insurance ($1M/$2M), proof of ability to pay wages (bond, letter of credit or trust agreement), and an Oregon Department of Revenue Tax Compliance Certificate (or new-business statement); have use-of-force and citizen-arrest policies (alarm-monitor-only entities exempt). [31]
5. Submit the Application for Private Security Entity Licensure with attachments (persons financially interested at 5% or more, with any provider certificate/license denial, suspension or revocation in the prior 3 years; unpaid wage claims in the prior 2 years; work locations; contracted/subcontracted entities) and the $1,030 fee. [12]
6. DPSST may issue a Temporary Authorization Form (TAF) once the application and fee are received; the entity may not operate without a current license or TAF. [12]
7. DPSST investigates character, competence and reliability (any person may protest issuance). A deficiency must be corrected within 30 business days of the Notice of Deficiency or the application is administratively terminated. [5]
8. After licensure: give clients the DPSST license-verification web address before providing services; provide BOLI Professional Workplace Training, rights-and-remedies statement, terms of employment and itemized earnings statements; keep records 3 years. [5]

Renewal

Entity license is valid for one year, July 1 through June 30; renewal applications are accepted from May 1; a license not renewed by June 30 expires, and a $55 late fee applies to renewals received after June 30. The entity representative must retake and pass the Entity Licensing Exam for each renewal. Executive/supervisory manager licenses expire two years after issuance (ORS 181A.875); manager renewal training is the manager course, exam and assessments. Proposed but NOT adopted: an optional two-year entity license ($2,060). [5]

Disqualifiers & waivers

Entity: DPSST may not issue or renew until satisfied as to character, competence and reliability (ORS 181A.902; OAR 259-059-0080). Factors include an entity representative or financially interested person who, within the past three years, had a provider certification/license or entity license denied, refused renewal, revoked or suspended, or was the subject of a DPSST investigation; failure to comply with business tax requirements; unsatisfied judgments; lapsed insurance or wage bond; missing workplace training; falsification. DPSST may weigh mitigating circumstances and corrective action (OAR 259-059-0080(4)). Except for permanent revocation, the maximum ineligibility period is three years (OAR 259-059-0420). Executive manager: moral fitness standards (OAR 259-060-0300 to -0320). Mandatory denial: an ORS 137.700 (Measure 11) felony unless ten years have passed since all court-ordered obligations were completed; other felonies unless four years have passed; sex-offender registration. Discretionary disqualifiers for managers look back ten years. Penalties: civil penalty up to $1,500 per violation (ORS 181A.995(2)); unlicensed operation is a Class A violation (ORS 181A.995(1)(c)). [5]

• 2025-02-01Provider/manager fee increase (DPSST 3-2025) and entity fee amendment (DPSST 1-2025) OAR 259-060-0500; OAR 259-059-0070 [8]
• 2025-06-26SB 300 (Oregon Laws 2025, ch. 464) narrowed/redefined 'private security entity' to persons that, for agreed remuneration, recruit/solicit/supply/employ providers to perform security for another person or on behalf of another employer, or subcontract to do so. Emergency clause. (DPSST's entity page lists 'July 1, 2025' as the date SB 300 'comes into effect'; the session law says effective June 26, 2025 - the session law controls.) ORS 181A.840(6) as amended by 2025 c.464 §1 [3]
• 2025-10-23OAR 259-059-0010 and 259-059-0020 amended to implement SB 300 (entity definition; who does not need a license, incl. sole owner-operators with no other providers) DPSST 9-2025 [8]
• 2026-01-01HB 2183 (Oregon Laws 2025, ch. 72): recognition of prior law enforcement experience toward private security professional training (ORS 181A.855(3)); implemented by new OAR 259-060-0125 (approved by Board April 23, 2026). Affects individual guard certification, not the entity license. ORS 181A.855 (2025 c.72 §1) [4]
• 2026-02-01Executive/supervisory manager rule OAR 259-060-0130 amended (emergency suspension rule package) DPSST 2-2026 [8]
• 2026-09-01Entity license fee increased $936 -> $1,030; late renewal $50 -> $55; replacement $24 -> $27 OAR 259-059-0070 (DPSST 7-2026) [9]
• 2026-09-01Provider/manager fee increases (Executive Manager $400 -> $440; Supervisory Manager $120 -> $132; late renewal $35 -> $40, etc.) OAR 259-060-0500 (DPSST 8-2026) [8]
• n/a2026 regular session: the official 2026 A&R table lists no amendments to ORS 181A.840-181A.922 or 181A.995; the only chapter 181A entries shown are 181A.195/181A.200 (HB 4115, criminal records checks). The 2026 law flagged on the ORS 181A page (c.66, HB 4138) concerns law-enforcement face coverings, not private security. Oregon Laws 2026 A&R Table [46]
• pending (not enacted as of 2026-11-09)PENDING (proposed, NOT adopted as of 2026-11-09; not law on 2027-01-01 unless adopted with an earlier effective date): full Division 59 overhaul. Proposals: optional two-year entity license ($2,060); Temporary Authorization Forms limited to 60 days and two per licensing period; one flat $30,000 proof of ability to pay wages; new rule 259-059-0125 on tax compliance certificates; public-body provisions removed. Hearing 12/02/2026; comments due 12/10/2026. NPRM filed 10/27/2026, OAR 259-059 [6]
• pendingPENDING: amendments defining 'reasonable request' for presenting certification/license/temporary work permit (OAR 259-060-0015, -0030, -0145); comments through 11/23/2026 OAR 259-060-0015, 259-060-0030, 259-060-0145 [30]
• pending (2027 session)PENDING: Board approved DPSST's 2027 legislative concept LC 0371 (Private Security Entity Licensing Program) for statutory changes; not enacted Proposed Legislative Concept 25900-003 (LC 0371) [45]

• ORS 181A.840-181A.922 (incl. 181A.850, 181A.875, 181A.900-181A.922) — Private Security: definitions, prohibited acts, provider certification and manager licensure, private security entity licensing [1]
• ORS 181A.895 — State preemption of local laws relating to private security providers [1]
• ORS 181A.990-181A.995 — Penalties relating to regulation of private security (criminal and civil) [1]
• Oregon Laws 2025, ch. 464 (SB 300) — Amends ORS 181A.840 definition of private security entity; emergency clause, effective June 26, 2025 [3]
• Oregon Laws 2025, ch. 72 (HB 2183) — Amends ORS 181A.855 (prior law-enforcement experience toward guard training), effective January 1, 2026 [4]
• OAR 259-059-0010 to 259-059-0440 — Private Security Entity Licensing (OAR Chapter 259, Division 59) [5]
• OAR 259-059-0070 (as amended by DPSST 7-2026, eff. 09/01/2026) — Fees and Payments [9]
• OAR 259-060 (incl. 259-060-0015, -0020, -0060, -0130, -0300 to -0320, -0500) — Private Security Services Providers (executive/supervisory manager licensure, minimum standards, training, moral fitness, fees) [8]

1. ORS Chapter 181A (2025 Edition) - Private Security, ORS 181A.840-181A.922, 181A.970-181A.972, 181A.990-181A.995 · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. Enrolled SB 300 (2025) - private security entity definition · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. Oregon Laws 2025, chapter 464 (SB 300) · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. Oregon Laws 2025, chapter 72 (HB 2183) · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. OAR 259-059 Private Security Entity Licensing - current text reconstructed from SOS-filed NPRM (10/27/2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, OAR 259-059 (filed 10/27/2026) - proposed text, not adopted · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. OAR 259-060-0015, -0030, -0145 current text from SOS-filed NPRM (reasonable request) · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. OARD short verbatim quotes (via WebFetch) - OAR 259-059-0070, 259-060-0020, 259-060-0130, 259-060-0500 · retrieved 2026-11-09
9. Permanent Administrative Order DPSST 7-2026 (OAR 259-059-0070 entity fees, eff. 09/01/2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
10. Permanent Administrative Order DPSST 8-2026 (OAR 259-060-0500 provider fees, eff. 09/01/2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
11. DPSST Private Security Entity Licensing Program home · retrieved 2026-11-09
12. DPSST Entity Licensing Application page · retrieved 2026-11-09
13. DPSST Entity Licensing Exam page · retrieved 2026-11-09
14. DPSST Proof of Ability to Pay Wages page · retrieved 2026-11-09
15. DPSST Professional Workplace Training page · retrieved 2026-11-09
16. DPSST Entity Tax Compliance Information page · retrieved 2026-11-09
17. DPSST Entity License Search (PSE IRIS) page · retrieved 2026-11-09
18. DPSST Entity Firearms Qualification page · retrieved 2026-11-09
19. DPSST Entity Employee Notices page · retrieved 2026-11-09
20. DPSST Entity Lodge a Complaint page · retrieved 2026-11-09
21. DPSST Private Security Program overview · retrieved 2026-11-09
22. DPSST Executive and Supervisory Manager License Information · retrieved 2026-11-09
23. DPSST Private Security Certification and Licensing Fees · retrieved 2026-11-09
24. DPSST Certification and Licensure Required Training and Fees · retrieved 2026-11-09
25. DPSST New Private Security Certification or License · retrieved 2026-11-09
26. DPSST Renew a Certification or License · retrieved 2026-11-09
27. DPSST Employing Private Security · retrieved 2026-11-09
28. DPSST Background Check Information · retrieved 2026-11-09
29. DPSST Private Security Statutes and Rules page · retrieved 2026-11-09
30. DPSST Rulemaking page (planning calendar updated 11/2/2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
31. Application for Private Security Entity Licensure (Rev. 1/2025) · retrieved 2026-11-09
32. Private Security Entity Application Checklist · retrieved 2026-11-09
33. 181A.904 Private Security Entity License Applicant Examination Study Guide · retrieved 2026-11-09
34. DPSST Private Security Entity Corporate Surety Bond form · retrieved 2026-11-09
35. DPSST Private Security Entity Trust Agreement Instructions · retrieved 2026-11-09
36. DPSST Irrevocable Letter of Credit form · retrieved 2026-11-09
37. Form PS-1 Application for Licensure or Certification of Private Security Services Provider · retrieved 2026-11-09
38. Form PS-24 Executive Manager Form (Rev. 9/2024) · retrieved 2026-11-09
39. DPSST Examples of Disqualifying Conduct · retrieved 2026-11-09
40. DPSST Private Security Providers Moral Fitness Standards - Eligibility Reference Guide · retrieved 2026-11-09
41. DPSST bulletin 07/01/2025 - Senate Bill 300 Notice · retrieved 2026-11-09
42. DPSST bulletin 04/25/2025 - Private Security Entity License Renewal Notice · retrieved 2026-11-09
43. BPSST Meeting Minutes July 23, 2026 (approved) · retrieved 2026-11-09
44. PSIPC Meeting Minutes May 19, 2026 (approved) · retrieved 2026-11-09
45. DPSST Board memo Oct 22, 2026 - Proposed changes OAR 259 Div 59 · retrieved 2026-11-09
46. Oregon Laws 2026 - Table of ORS Sections Amended or Repealed (2026 regular session) · retrieved 2026-11-09
47. OARD rule pages (OAR 259-059-0010/0020/0040, 259-060-0020/0060/0130/0136) - short quotes via WebFetch · retrieved 2026-11-09
48. DPSST Entity Licensing Application page · 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.