UTAH SECURITY GUARD AGENCY LICENSE

The license. Contract Security Company license (Utah Code 58-63-301(2)(a)), one of five classifications under the Security Personnel Licensing Act, Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 63 [1]

Who needs it. A license is required to engage in the practice of a contract security company, meaning a company engaged in business to provide security services to another person, business or entity on a contractual basis by assigning armed or unarmed private security officers (58-63-102 definition; 58-63-301(1), with exceptions in 58-1-307, 58-63-304 and 58-63-310). By rule, the term includes a peace officer providing security services in a capacity other than as an employee of his or her agency (R156-63a-102(4)), and it excludes proprietary (in-house) security that benefits only the employing company (R156-63a-102(5)). Off-duty peace officers working under an agency's written policy are exempt as individuals (58-63-304(2)). Armored car businesses need a separate armored car company license. [1]

Local licensing. Licensing happens only at the state level. Utah Code 58-63-601 preempts local regulation: "A political subdivision of this state may not enact any legislation, code, or ordinance, or make any rules relating to the licensing, training, or regulation of contract security companies or persons functioning as armed or unarmed private security officers." Under 58-63-601(2), any such local measures are superseded (src v-uc-58-63).

Your guards. Every guard the company assigns must hold an individual DOPL Unarmed Private Security Officer or Armed Private Security Officer license. Requirements: an approved basic course of at least 8 hours with an 80% final exam; armed officers add at least 12 hours of firearms training; fingerprints and background check; a 90-day interim permit is available (58-63-310). Employing an unlicensed officer is unlawful conduct for the company (58-63-501(1)). Apply: https://commerce.utah.gov/dopl/security-companies-and-guards/apply-for-a-license/unarmed-private-security-officer/ (online via https://utahdoc.mylicenseone.com/). [1]

Role

Qualifying agent (QA). The QA must be 'responsible management personnel' or a company owner of the applicant, and 58-63-102(18) defines responsible management personnel to include a qualifying agent. [3]

Experience

6,000 hours of compensated experience as a manager, supervisor, or administrator of an armored car company or a contract security company; OR 6,000 hours of supervisory experience acceptable to DOPL/board with a federal, U.S. military, state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency (58-63-302(1)(c)(ix)). 'Compensated' = W-2 wages, or for an owner, profit distributions or dividends (R156-63a-102(6)). The DOPL application requires a resume plus W-2s/tax returns and also offers a box 'Previously approved as a Qualifying Agent for a Utah licensed security company for at least 3 years'. [1]

Age & background

No minimum age for the QA appears in 58-63, R156-63a or the DOPL pages. The age-18 rule in R156-63a-302e applies to armed officers. Each company officer, owner, proprietor, trustee and responsible management personnel (a group that includes the QA) must provide name, address, DOB, SSN and fingerprints, consent to and complete the BCI/FBI background check in 58-1-301.5, and disclose criminal history. None of them may have a felony conviction, or a conviction for a crime that the division and board find shows licensure is not in the public interest. None may have been declared incompetent and not restored, or be currently unable to perform duties (58-63-302(1)(d)-(f)). [1]

• Must be a resident of Utah [1]
• Must be responsible management personnel or a company owner of the applicant [1]
• Must exercise material day-to-day authority (substantive technical and administrative decisions), and the QA's primary employment must be with the applicant [1]
• May not concurrently be a QA or employee of another armored car or contract security company, and may not hold other employment on a regular basis ('regular basis' = at least 20 hours per month, 58-63-102(17)) [1]
• May not be involved in any activity that conflicts with the QA's duties under the chapter [1]
• May not be an employee of a government agency [1]
• Must meet with the division and the board and demonstrate that the applicant and the QA meet the requirements [1]
• Must pass the examination component the division requires by rule (R156-63a-302c: at least 75% on the QA exam; see exam) [1]
• Experience documentation: a current resume plus W-2s (or tax returns showing ownership distributions) for at least 6,000 hours of qualifying experience [15]
• Replacement: if the QA stops performing duties on a regular basis, the licensee must notify DOPL in writing within 15 days and replace the QA within 60 days after the notification deadline (58-63-306). R156-63a-306 instead says to file a change-of-qualifier application within 60 days after the QA ceases employment; the statute controls. Fee: $50 Replace/Change Qualifier (H.B. 8, 2026). [1]

Exam

Utah Security Company Qualifying Agent Exam (DOPL exam page; Prov lists it as 'Utah Security Company Qualifying Agent Exam 2022' under the 'Security Officer Qualifying Agent' license). The rule calls it the 'Utah Contract Security Company Qualifying Agent Examination', and the DOPL application calls it the 'Utah Security Personnel Qualifying Agent's Examination'. [14]

Who sits it

The contract security company's qualifying agent. The company and its other officers take no exam. Individual security officer classifications have no state licensing exam; officers must instead score 80% on their approved training program's final exam (R156-63a-302c(2)). [7]

Administered by

Prov, Inc. (Prov Exams), 200 West Civic Center Dr., Suite 160, Sandy, UT 84070; (801) 733-4455; scheduling at https://provexam.com/scheduler/ (UtahID required); remote proctoring via Examroom.ai [14]

Delivery

Computer-based, at any of Prov's 23 Utah testing centers (or any Prov center in the U.S.), or remotely from home with Examroom.ai live remote proctoring. Offered in English. $85.00 exam fee paid to Prov. Prov sends results to DOPL electronically. Up to 3 breaks, but the clock keeps running. Pass the exam before submitting the license application. [14]

Questions

70 [14]

Time limit (minutes)

120 [14]

Passing score

75%. Rule R156-63a-302c(1) says 'at least 75%' and the Prov CIB says '75% to pass'; the two agree. [3]

Open book

Yes. Listed references marked 'Open Book' are permitted. Rules: exact titles (older or newer editions allowed); permanent tabs allowed; no repositionable tabs or Post-its; highlighting or underlining only in pen beforehand; no handwritten notes; no marking in books during the exam. [14]

Retakes

No limit on attempts. Candidates must wait 30 days after a failed attempt, and a passing result remains valid for 1 year. Rescheduling or cancelling is free at least 3 days before the exam; otherwise the exam fee is forfeited. [14]

Candidate handbook ↗

Insurance

Statute (controls): general liability policy with at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and a $2,000,000 annual aggregate, with riders for general liability, assault and battery, personal injury, false arrest, libel and slander, invasion of privacy, broad form property damage, damage to property in care/custody/control, and errors and omissions. Also required: workers' compensation of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence covering each security officer, an FEIN, and an unemployment insurance employer account (58-63-102(13); 58-63-302(1)(g)(i) as amended by S.B. 117, eff. 7/1/2026). The DOPL application states $1,000,000/$2,000,000 and requires the certificate to name 'DOPL' as Certificate Holder. Workers' comp may be shown by a PEO contract or a Labor Commission waiver. The insurer must be authorized in Utah (R156-63a-302d(3)), and DOPL must be notified immediately if the policy is cancelled (R156-63a-302d(5)). CONFLICT: R156-63a-302d(2) (2019) still says $300,000 per incident / $1,000,000 aggregate; the statute controls. [1]

Branch offices

No separate branch-office license was found. The company license must be prominently displayed at the principal place of business, with a copy prominently displayed in every branch office (R156-63a-612). [3]

• Contract Security Company application filing: $330.00, non-refundable (FY2027 fee schedule, July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027) [18]
• Contract Security Company renewal (2-year cycle): $203.00 [18]
• Replace/Change Qualifier: $50.00 [18]
• DOPL fee page agrees: CSC application $330.00 / renewal $203.00, with additional fee codes FP-01, BCI-01 and SEC-01 [11]
• FBI fingerprint file search (fee code FP-01): $12.00 per person fingerprinted. Vendor live-scan fees are extra, since DOPL has discontinued in-house fingerprinting. [11]
• BCI fingerprint file search (fee code BCI-01): $20.00. [11]
• Qualifying agent exam fee, paid to Prov: $85.00 [14]
• Late renewal (reinstating within 30 days after expiration): renewal fee plus $20.00 [16]
• License reinstatement (after 30 days): $50.00 DOPL reinstatement fee, plus the renewal fee per the renewal form [18]
• Priority application processing (optional): $75.00 [11]
• Pre-license criminal conviction administrative review: $50.00. That this fee corresponds to the 58-1-310 determination is inferred from its title, not stated in the source. [18]

1. Register the business with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code; register as required with the DWS Unemployment Insurance Division, the State Tax Commission and the IRS [1]
2. Obtain a general liability insurance certificate ($1M/$2M with the required riders, 'DOPL' named as certificate holder) and proof of workers' compensation (or a PEO contract or Labor Commission waiver) [6]
3. The qualifying agent registers with Prov and passes the QA exam BEFORE the application is submitted; Prov sends the results to DOPL electronically [15]
4. Submit fingerprints for each qualifier and owner without an active Utah security officer license (rule R156-63a-302a lists QA, corporate officers, directors, >5% owners, partners, proprietors and responsible management personnel) [6]
5. 4a. Fingerprints must be submitted electronically through an authorized vendor if one is within 50 miles; otherwise mail fingerprint cards. The applicant pays the vendor's fee. (This file is a WebFetch extraction; the quote is one of the exact strings it returned.) [29]
6. Apply online through My License One (UtahID), or file the paper Security Company Application by mail or in person (not by email), with the $330 fee, ownership/control pages, the QA affidavit and experience verification, and the qualifying questionnaire [6]
7. The QA and the applicant meet with the division and/or the Security Services Licensing Board when requested [1]

Renewal

Two-year cycle; all Security Personnel licenses expire November 30 of even-numbered years (the current cycle ends Nov. 30, 2026; the next ends Nov. 30, 2028). Renewal fee $203.00. Renewal requires current CGL and workers' comp insurance, current Division of Corporations registration, and a QA exercising day-to-day authority. DOPL runs a criminal background check at each renewal and reinstatement (R156-63a-305). DOPL emails a renewal notice 90 days before expiration. No continuing education applies to the company or QA; the CE in R156-63a-304 is for armed/unarmed officers. [4]

Disqualifiers & waivers

Statutory bar (58-63-302(1)(e)-(f)): no company officer, owner, proprietor, trustee or responsible management personnel may have a felony conviction, or a conviction for a crime that, considered with a contract security company's duties, shows licensure is not in the public interest. They also must not have been declared incompetent and not restored, or be currently unable to perform duties. R156-63a-302f(1) lists further potentially disqualifying convictions: crimes against a person, theft, larceny, sex offenses, controlled-substance offenses, fraud, extortion, treason, forgery, arson, kidnapping, perjury, conspiracy, hijacking, burglary, escape, bogus checks, terrorism, desertion, pornography, two or more DUIs within 3 years, and attempts. A company providing ARMED services is barred, or automatically revoked, if a covered person violates 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1)-(9) or Utah Code 76-10-503 (R156-63a-302f(2)). 'Conviction' includes pleas in abeyance and pending diversion (R156-63a-102(7)). Non-automatic matters are reviewed case by case (R156-63a-302f(4)). DOPL's guidance-only criminal-history matrix marks '2nd and 3rd Degree Felony Charges (Any Charge)' and '1st Degree or Capital Felony (Any Charge)' as 'Deny' in every look-back period. A pre-application criminal-history determination is available under 58-1-310 / R156-1-310. Prohibited persons may not own or participate in a CSC (R156-63a-607). Denial and discipline follow 58-63-401 / 58-1-401. [3]

• 2025-05-07S.B. 44 (2025) standardized criminal background checks: 58-63-302(1)(d) now requires each company officer, owner, proprietor, trustee and responsible management personnel to consent to and complete the check described in 58-1-301.5 and to disclose criminal history on a DOPL form; the chapter-specific section 58-63-302.1 was repealed. Laws of Utah 2025, ch. 443 (S.B. 44); Utah Code 58-63-302(1)(d) [22]
• 2025-05-07H.B. 21 and H.B. 128 (2025) criminal and weapons code recodification: 58-63-307 cross-reference updated, so armed and armored car officers are exempt from Title 53, Chapter 5a, Part 3, Concealed Firearm Permits while on duty. Laws of Utah 2025, chs. 173 and 208; Utah Code 58-63-307 [25]
• 2026-05-06H.B. 44 (2026) School Security Personnel Standards: revised 53G-8-704 on LEA contracts with contract security companies for armed school security guards. Required contract contents are now set out, and the state and county security chiefs must be informed. Armed private security officers serving schools need, in addition to their 58-63 license, a concealed carry permit, county security chief/law enforcement training, a 'fit to carry' assessment and mental health screening. Special function officers were added as an alternative. Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 170 (H.B. 44); Utah Code 53G-8-704 [23]
• 2026-07-01S.B. 117 (2026): 58-63-302(1)(g)(i) no longer leaves general liability insurance amounts to rule (the bracketed, struck text 'and in amounts established by rule...'). It now requires insurance 'in accordance with Subsection 58-63-102(13)(b)' ($1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate plus riders), which overrides the $300,000/$1,000,000 limits still printed in R156-63a-302d(2). It also replaced 'habitual drunkenness or drug addiction' with 'unable to perform the duties... due to a mental or physical illness or condition' or 58-1-501(2)(a)(v) behaviors, and reworded the fee, exam and rulemaking clauses. Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 64 (S.B. 117); Utah Code 58-63-302 [19]
• 2026-07-01H.B. 8 (2026) approved the FY2027 DOPL fees for Security Services: Contract Security Company application $330.00, renewal $203.00, replace/change qualifier $50.00 (same amounts as the DOPL forms and fee page). Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 441 (H.B. 8), Section 3 [18]
• 2026-09-01S.B. 149 (2026): private investigator and bail bond licensing moved to DOPL (new Title 58, Chapters 92 and 93). The Security Services Licensing Board gains a licensed private investigator and a PI agency owner, and the 58-63-103 education/enforcement fund is shared with the new chapters. Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 44 (S.B. 149); Utah Code 58-63-103, 58-63-201 [20]
• 2026-10-01S.B. 41 (2026): technical update to the 58-63-102 'company officer' definition. The LLC Act was renumbered from Title 48, Chapter 3a to Title 16, Chapter 20, so 'governing person' is now defined in 16-20-101. Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 92 (S.B. 41); Utah Code 58-63-102 [21]
• 2027-01-01H.B. 40 (2026) re-enacted 58-1-301.5 (the DOPL background-check section that 58-63-302 incorporates) with wording changes and an updated cross-reference list, effective January 1, 2027, which is on the edition date. No substantive change for security company licensees was identified. Laws of Utah 2026, ch. 42 (H.B. 40); Utah Code 58-1-301.5 [24]

• Utah Code 58-63-101 to 58-63-601 (Title 58, Chapter 63) — Security Personnel Licensing Act [1]
• Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 1 (esp. 58-1-301.5 background check, 58-1-308 renewal, 58-1-310 criminal-history determination, 58-1-401 discipline, 58-1-501 unlawful/unprofessional conduct) — Division of Professional Licensing Act [2]
• Utah Code 53G-8-704 (as amended by 2026 H.B. 44, eff. 5/6/2026) — Contracts between an LEA and a contract security company for armed school security guards [23]
• Utah Admin. Code R156-63a — Security Personnel Licensing Act Contract Security Rule (last changed 5/13/2019; continued 5/2/2023) [3]
• Utah Admin. Code R156-1 (esp. R156-1-308a renewal dates, R156-1-308c, R156-1-310) — General Rule of the Division of Professional Licensing (last changed 12/24/2024; continued 10/1/2026) [4]
• Utah Admin. Code R156-63b — Security Personnel Licensing Act Armored Car Rule (applies to armored car companies; listed as an open-book exam reference in the Prov CIB) [28]

1. Utah Code Title 58 Ch. 63, Security Personnel Licensing Act (full chapter, current version) · retrieved 2026-11-09
2. Utah Code Title 58 Ch. 1, Division of Professional Licensing Act (full chapter) · retrieved 2026-11-09
3. Utah Admin. Code R156-63a, Contract Security Rule · retrieved 2026-11-09
4. Utah Admin. Code R156-1, General Rule of DOPL · retrieved 2026-11-09
5. DOPL Security Companies and Guards landing page · retrieved 2026-11-09
6. DOPL Apply for a Contract Security Company License · retrieved 2026-11-09
7. DOPL Security Exam Information · retrieved 2026-11-09
8. DOPL Renew a Security Company License · retrieved 2026-11-09
9. DOPL Apply for a Replacement Company Qualifier License · retrieved 2026-11-09
10. DOPL Security Laws and Rules page · retrieved 2026-11-09
11. DOPL Interactive Fee Schedule (current fiscal year) · retrieved 2026-11-09
12. DOPL Security Criminal History Guidelines matrix · retrieved 2026-11-09
13. Utah Commerce Licensing Exams - Schedule an Exam · retrieved 2026-11-09
14. Prov Security Officer Qualifying Agent Candidate Information Bulletin v1.3 (eff. Oct. 31, 2026; rev. Nov. 9, 2026) · retrieved 2026-11-09
15. DOPL Contract Security Company / Armored Car Company Application (v20250512) · retrieved 2026-11-09
16. DOPL Contract Security Company Renewal/Reinstatement Form (v.20240827) · retrieved 2026-11-09
17. DOPL Add or Replace a Qualifying Agent form (v20250512) · retrieved 2026-11-09
18. 2026 H.B. 8 State Agency Fees (FY2027) - Commerce excerpt · retrieved 2026-11-09
19. 2026 S.B. 117 Occupational and Professional Licensing Amendments (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
20. 2026 S.B. 149 Licensing Modifications (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
21. 2026 S.B. 41 Business Entity Technical Amendments (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
22. 2025 S.B. 44 Professional Licensure Amendments (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
23. 2026 H.B. 44 School Security Personnel Standards (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
24. 2026 H.B. 40 Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act Amendments (enrolled; eff. 1/1/2027) · retrieved 2026-11-09
25. 2025 H.B. 128 Dangerous Weapons Recodification and Cross References (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
26. Utah Legislature passed-bills lists 2025-2026 (extracted rows) · retrieved 2026-11-09
27. 2025 H.B. 21 Criminal Code Recodification and Cross References (enrolled) · retrieved 2026-11-09
28. Utah Admin. Code R156-63b, Security Personnel Licensing Act Armored Car Rule (effective 05/13/2019) · retrieved 2026-11-09
29. Utah Department of Commerce - Fingerprint Information (WebFetch extraction) · 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.