RHODE ISLAND SECURITY GUARD AGENCY LICENSE

The license. License to conduct the private security guard business (Private Security Guard Act, R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-5.1); no statutory shorthand name beyond 'license'. Commonly described as a private security guard business license. [1]

Who needs it. Any person (resident or non-resident; 'person' includes corporations, companies, partnerships and natural persons) that furnishes for hire or reward watchmen, guards, bodyguards, private patrolmen or other persons to protect persons or real and personal property, or that furnishes for hire or reward a trained dog or other animal (with or without handler) for security. Conducting the business without a license, under another person's license, or by leasing/subleasing a license is a felony (§ 5-5.1-7). [1]

Local licensing. Licensing of the guard business is STATE-level only: the Attorney General issues the license (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-5.1-7; 110-RICR-20-00-2 § 2.5). The prototype hint of municipal 'watch & guard' licensing is wrong for this business. The local-licensing idea likely comes from the separate Private Detective Act (ch. 5-5), under which private detectives are licensed by the 'local licensing authority' (town councils or license boards of towns; mayor and city council or license bureau of a city), at $150 annually, with a $5,000 surety bond for an individual licensee (§§ 5-5-2, 5-5-9, 5-5-14). A ch. 5-5 detective license does not authorize furnishing guards. The only municipal touchpoint in ch. 5-5.1: a licensee using a trade name must, as a condition of the AG's trade-name authorization, file a certificate of doing business with the city or town clerk where its principal place of business is located and with the Secretary of State (§ 5-5.1-21(b)(3); reg § 2.16(I)).

Your guards. This is part of the same ch. 5-5.1 regime; there is no separate guard-card statute. Employees (other than secretaries and clerical workers) must be registered or licensed before performing duties for a licensed guard business. Before employment, each employee executes a verified 'employee's registration statement' and furnishes it to the license holder. The statement covers: name, age, address, place and date of birth; citizenship; 5-year employment history; a statement of no felony conviction; and other information the AG requires by rule. The AG keeps a public list of registrants and their employers. Licensees may obtain employee background checks from the division of criminal identification for a fee the AG sets. Filing another person's statement is a felony. Reg § 2.15(A) allows the form only after a conditional offer of employment. Statute/regulation CONFLICTS (statute controls): (a) reg § 2.15(E)(4) still requires a statement of no conviction 'of a felony or of any offense involving moral turpitude', while § 5-5.1-18(c)(4), as amended by P.L. 2021, ch. 400 and ch. 401 (effective July 13, 2021), requires only 'not been convicted of a felony'; (b) reg § 2.15(B) says 'registered and licensed by the Attorney General', while § 5-5.1-18(a) says 'registered or licensed'. The current AG mechanics (who submits statements and fingerprints, and whether ID cards are issued under § 5-5.1-20) are unverified. [1]

Role

No separate qualifier or manager license exists. The § 5-5.1-8 qualifications apply to the applicant and, for a partnership, each partner; for a corporation, each officer and 'general' and each shareholder owning 10% or more (unless publicly traded). The denial and revocation sections (§§ 5-5.1-10, -15) also refer to a 'qualifying agent' and hold that person to § 5-5.1-8, but the chapter never defines the role or says how one is designated. [1]

Experience

None required. The § 5-5.1-8(a) qualifications (age, citizenship or residency, no felony, no prior revocation or denial, competency, no addiction, good moral character) contain no experience, training or education element; reg § 2.6(A) is the same. Contrast the locally licensed private detective (§ 5-5-3(7): 5 years' experience, a criminal justice degree, or equivalent). [1]

Age & background

Must be 18 years of age; a U.S. citizen or resident alien; never convicted of a felony in any jurisdiction; never had a license or registration revoked, or an application denied, by the AG or any other jurisdiction's authority; not declared incompetent by a court (unless restored); no habitual drunkenness or narcotics addiction or dependence; of good moral character. The AG obtains a criminal background check from the AG's division of criminal identification (§ 5-5.1-3(2)). [1]

• A corporate applicant must be incorporated in Rhode Island, or qualified to do business here with a valid Secretary of State certificate of authority, and must have a designated agent for service of process. [1]
• The AG investigates the good character, competency and integrity of the applicant and of the persons named in the application before issuing or denying the license. [1]
• No business may be conducted under a trade name without the AG's written authorization. The AG will not authorize a name confusingly similar to a public office or agency or to another licensee's name. [1]
• Written notice to the AG within 5 days of any change in identity of the licensee or its partners, directors, officers or 10%+ shareholders, and of any material change in information furnished. Substitutes must meet §§ 5-5.1-8 and 5-5.1-13 and be approved in writing. [1]
• Uniforms, insignia, badges, vehicles and equipment may not indicate law enforcement or use the word 'police'. The entire wording must be approved by the AG. [1]
• The license cannot be assigned or transferred. On a licensee's death, disability or cessation of business, the successor must apply within 30 days. On a sale, merger or similar transaction, a purchaser that is not already a licensee must apply immediately and may keep operating until the AG decides. The AG may extend these filing periods for good cause. [1]

Insurance

File with the AG a certificate of insurance showing comprehensive general liability coverage for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage. Required endorsements: assault and battery, and personal injury including false arrest, libel, slander and invasion of privacy. Minimums: $300,000 for bodily or personal injury and $100,000 for property damage. Also required: endorsements for damage to property in the licensee's care, custody and control, and for errors and omissions. The policy may not be modified or cancelled without 30 days' prior notice to the AG, and the carrier must be licensed in Rhode Island. Reg § 2.18 repeats the same dollar amounts, but its coverage list reads 'bodily injury, and property damage' (omitting 'personal injury'), and it describes the E&O endorsement as covering errors and omissions 'by its agents and employees'. Where the wording differs, the statute controls. [1]

Branch offices

A 'branch office' is any in-state office of a licensee other than its principal place of business. The AG may inspect the principal place of business and each branch office, with a warrant (§ 5-5.1-6). Neither the statute nor the regulation requires a separate branch-office license or fee. Whether the AG application asks the business to list its branches is unverified. [1]

• $400 registration and license fee for a private security guard business, biennially (§ 5-5.1-13; no effective date stated; enacted P.L. 1987, ch. 112). [1]
• The regulation restates the business fee as $400.00 payable biennially (110-RICR-20-00-2 § 2.11(A), eff. 01/04/2022). This matches the statute. [3]
• $5.00 per-employee criminal background check fee (reg § 2.11(B)). The statute (§ 5-5.1-18(d)) leaves the amount to the Department of Attorney General, so the current BCI fee may differ. [3]
• All license and registration fees are collected by the AG and forwarded to the general treasurer. [1]

1. Form the business entity. A corporation must be a Rhode Island corporation, or a foreign corporation qualified with the Secretary of State, with a registered agent. [1]
2. Submit the license application to the Attorney General, which processes all license applications. [1]
3. The applicant, partners, officers and 10%+ shareholders must meet the § 5-5.1-8 qualifications. The AG investigates and obtains a criminal background check from the division of criminal identification. [1]
4. Pay the $400 biennial license fee. [1]
5. File a certificate of general liability insurance, with the required endorsements, with the AG. [1]
6. If operating under a trade name, get the AG's written authorization, then file a certificate of doing business with the city or town clerk of the principal place of business and with the Secretary of State. [1]
7. The AG issues the license or notifies the applicant of a denial as soon as practicable. A denial is in writing with reasons. The applicant may request a hearing in writing within 15 days of receiving notice. Reg § 2.7(A)(2): the AG schedules the hearing within sixty days. Hearings follow the APA (ch. 42-35), and final decisions can be appealed to Superior Court (§ 5-5.1-24). [1]
8. Before hiring guards: each employee (other than secretaries and clerical workers) executes a verified 'employee's registration statement' before employment. Under the regulation, the employer may require the form only after a conditional offer of employment. [3]

Renewal

The license expires two years after issuance and is renewable for the next two-year period on proper application and payment of fees. The renewal application, on the AG's form, must be received at least 30 days before expiration. The licensee may continue operating while renewal is pending. On a notice of intent to refuse renewal, the licensee may request a hearing within 15 days. [1]

Disqualifiers & waivers

Mandatory denial or non-renewal ('shall deny', § 5-5.1-10) if the applicant, qualifying agent, or any partner, officer, general or 10%+ shareholder: (1) violates the chapter or rules; (2) for the qualifying agent, commits an act disqualifying under § 5-5.1-8, or for the applicant and principals, fails the § 5-5.1-8 qualifications (including any felony conviction in any jurisdiction, or a prior revocation or denial); (3) practices fraud, deceit or misrepresentation; (4) makes a material misstatement; or (5) demonstrates incompetence or untrustworthiness. The same grounds allow suspension or revocation (§ 5-5.1-15). Licensees may not knowingly employ anyone convicted of a felony (§ 5-5.1-18(b)). Neither ch. 5-5.1 nor the regulation has a waiver or rehabilitation provision for the felony bar. The only discretionary relief: the AG may extend successor and purchaser filing periods for good cause (§ 5-5.1-14(d)), and may extend the time for terminating operations where public health, welfare or safety may be jeopardized (§ 5-5.1-15(d)). CONFLICT: reg § 2.8(A) says the AG 'may deny', but the statute's 'shall deny' controls. [1]

• R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-5.1-1 to 5-5.1-24 — Private Security Guard Businesses (Private Security Guard Act) [1]
• R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-5-1 to 5-5-21 (context only; does not govern guard businesses) — Private Detective Act (private detectives licensed by local licensing authorities) [6]
• 110-RICR-20-00-2 — Rules and Regulations Relating to the Licensing and Regulation of the Private Security Guard Business (Periodic Refile eff. 01/04/2022; no text changes) [3]

1. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-5.1, Private Security Guard Businesses (Private Security Guard Act), §§ 5-5.1-1 to 5-5.1-24 · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-5.1 · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. 110-RICR-20-00-2 Rules and Regulations Relating to the Licensing and Regulation of the Private Security Guard Business (Periodic Refile, eff. 01/04/2022) · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. 110-RICR-20-00-2 official SOS PDF · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. RI Department of State, RI Code of Regulations page for 110-RICR-20-00-2 (status, history, rulemaking documents) · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-5, Private Detective Act, §§ 5-5-1 to 5-5-21 (context: local licensing of private detectives) · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-5, Private Detective Act (selected sections) · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. RI General Assembly Law Revision Office, General Laws Section List, 2025 and 2026 sessions (Title 5; Title 11 firearm-license rows) · 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.