Security Guard & Private Investigator License Verification Links (All 50 States + DC)

Licensing requirements for private security professionals in the United States are fragmented, state-specific, and often misunderstood. Security guards, armed guards, private investigators, and security or investigative agencies are regulated by different authorities depending on the state, and many states maintain separate license verification portals for each role.

This page provides a single, up-to-date reference to the official state license verification portals used to confirm credentials for private security professionals across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It includes verification links for both individual licenses (such as unarmed guards, armed guards, and private investigators) and company or agency licenses, where applicable.

State verification portals for concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits are included for several states, though these are civilian permits and are not necessarily required for security professionals or private investigators to carry concealed weapons.

Because regulatory structures vary widely, not every state offers a public online lookup for every license type. Where no public verification portal exists, this table notes the limitation and identifies the relevant regulating authority, so users know how verification is handled in practice. The goal is to reduce confusion, save time, and help companies, clients, and professionals confirm compliance using authoritative sources.

This table lists official state license verification portals for security guards, armed guards, private investigators, and security agencies in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Last Reviewed: January 2026

State	Profession	License Category	Regulating Authority	Verification Portal	Notes
Alabama	Security / Private Investigation	Individual	Security Regulatory Board	Official verification portal
Alabama	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Private Investigation Board	Official verification portal
Alaska	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Public Safety	No public verification portal	No state licensing regime for security or PI
Arizona	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Arkansas	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police	No public verification portal
California	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Bureau of Security and Investigative Services	Official verification portal
Colorado	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	N/A	No public verification portal	No state-level licensing regime for security or PI
Connecticut	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection	Official verification portal	No applicable dropdown menu items. Search by license number
Delaware	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police	No public verification portal
District of Columbia	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection	No public verification portal
Florida	Security / Private Investigation	Individual	Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Florida	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Georgia	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies	Official verification portal
Hawaii	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Board of Private Detectives and Guards	Official verification portal
Idaho	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	N/A	No public verification portal	No state-level licensing regime for security or PI
Illinois	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Financial and Professional Regulation	Official verification portal
Indiana	Private Investigation	Individual	Private Investigator & Security Guard Licensing Board	Official verification portal
Indiana	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Private Investigator & Security Guard Licensing Board	Official verification portal
Iowa	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Public Safety	No public verification portal
Kansas	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Attorney General's Office	Official verification portal	Links under the "Directories" header provide PDF lists. Updated infrequently
Kentucky	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Board of Licensure for Private Investigators	Official verification portal
Louisiana	Security	Individual / Agency	State Board of Private Security Examiners	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Louisiana	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Board of Private Investigator Examiners	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Louisiana	CCW	Individual	State Police	Official verification portal
Maine	Security	Agency	State Police	Official verification portal	PDF list only
Maine	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police	Official verification portal
Maryland	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	State Police	Official verification portal	PDF list only. Updated infrequently
Massachusetts	Private Investigation	Individual	State Police	Official verification portal	Access PDF via "Active Private Investigators" link
Massachusetts	Security	Agency	State Police	Official verification portal	Access PDF via "Active Watchguards" link
Michigan	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs	Official verification portal
Minnesota	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services	Official verification portal
Mississippi	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	N/A	No public verification portal	No state-level licensing regime for security or PI
Missouri	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Board of Private Investigator and Private Firearm Investigator Examiners	Official verification portal
Montana	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Board of Private Security	Official verification portal
Nebraska	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Secretary of State - Licensing Division	No public verification portal
Nevada	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Private Investigators Licensing Board	Official verification portal	Division of Insurance and local authorities oversee some licenses and work cards
New Hampshire	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police	No public verification portal
New Jersey	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police	No public verification portal
New Jersey	CCW	Individual	State Police	Official verification portal
New Mexico	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Private Investigations Advisory Board	Official verification portal
New York	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of State -Division of Licensing Services	Official verification portal	Separate links to search by ID number, guard name, or business name.
North Carolina	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Private Protective Services Board	Official verification portal
North Dakota	Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Private Investigation and Security Board	Official verification portal	HTML list (use Ctrl+F on page)
North Dakota	Security	Individual / Agency	Private Investigation and Security Board	Official verification portal	(use Ctrl+F on page)
Ohio	Security / Private Investigation	Individual	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Ohio	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Oklahoma	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training	Official verification portal
Oregon	Security / Private Investigation	Individual	Department of Public Safety Standards and Training	Official verification portal
Oregon	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Department of Public Safety Standards and Training	Official verification portal
Pennsylvania	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	State Police / Courts of Common Pleas	No public verification portal
Rhode Island	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Attorney General - Licensing Division	No public verification portal
South Carolina	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Law Enforcement Division	No public verification portal
South Dakota	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	N/A	No public verification portal	No state-level licensing regime for security or PI
Tennessee	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Commerce & Insurance	Official verification portal
Texas	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Texas	CCW	Individual	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Utah	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal
Utah	CCW	Individual	Department of Public Safety	Official verification portal
Vermont	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Office of Professional Regulation	Official verification portal	U.S. IP address required for access
Virginia	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Criminal Justice Services	Official verification portal
Washington	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Licensing	Official verification portal
West Virginia	Private Investigation	Individual	Secretary of State - Investigations & Security Services Licensing	Official verification portal	Website may block VPNs
West Virginia	Security / Private Investigation	Agency	Secretary of State - Investigations & Security Services Licensing	Official verification portal	Website may block VPNs
Wisconsin	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	Department of Safety and Professional Services	Official verification portal
Wyoming	Security / Private Investigation	Individual / Agency	N/A	No public verification portal	No state-level licensing regime for security or PI

Notes on State License Verification

State approaches to private security and private investigator licensing vary significantly. Some states maintain centralized, searchable online databases for both individual and agency licenses, while others provide verification only through written requests or direct contact with the regulating authority. Where no public online verification portal exists, this table notes that limitation explicitly.

In several states, security and private investigation licenses are regulated under the same authority and verified through a single portal. In others, they are overseen by separate boards or divisions, even when the verification interface appears unified. This table reflects how verification is handled in practice rather than how licenses are conceptually defined in statute.

Concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits are included only where states provide a distinct public verification portal. These permits are generally civilian firearms licenses and are often regulated separately from professional security or private investigation credentials. Whether a CCW permit is required or sufficient for armed security work depends on state law and should be evaluated independently.

Important Limitations and Disclaimers

License verification portals confirm the existence and status of a license at a point in time. They do not typically provide full compliance context, such as training history, firearms qualifications, insurance coverage, employment authorization, or contractual eligibility. In some states, license records may also lag recent renewals, suspensions, or disciplinary actions.

This table is provided for informational purposes only and should not be treated as legal advice. Companies and clients are responsible for ensuring that all personnel and vendors meet applicable state and local licensing, training, insurance, and employment requirements for their specific use case.

Maintenance and Updates

State licensing systems change periodically as agencies update their websites, consolidate boards, or modify public access to records. This table is reviewed and updated on a rolling basis to reflect current verification practices, but users should always rely on the regulating authority if discrepancies arise.