Florida Statute 493: Class D and G Licensing, Training, and Rules

A Florida security officer license is issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) under Chapter 493, and the two you’ll deal with are the Class D for unarmed work and the Class G statewide firearm license for armed work.¹ To get licensed you must meet the statute’s eligibility rules, pass a state and federal fingerprint background check, complete the required training at a licensed school, and submit your application and fees to FDACS. Working without the correct license is a criminal offense, so the details below are worth reading before you pay for a class.

Class D and Class G: Which License You Need

The Class D is the unarmed security officer license. It’s what every officer needs before doing any guard work in Florida.

The Class G is a statewide firearm license that lets you carry a firearm on duty, but only in addition to a Class D and only when your employing agency requires it for your specific assignment. Holding a Class G alone doesn’t let you bring a personal firearm to a job that doesn’t call for one.¹

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 and demonstrate good moral character.² You also need to be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or hold valid employment authorization from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.¹

Every applicant submits a full set of fingerprints for a state and federal criminal history check. FDACS enrolls your prints in the statewide automated biometric identification system, so your record is monitored on an ongoing basis rather than only at application. You’ll pay a fingerprint processing fee and a separate fingerprint retention fee set by department rule.²

Class G applicants under 24 must also disclose any juvenile adjudication for conduct that would be a felony punishable by more than one year in prison if committed by an adult.²

Criminal History That Blocks a License

A record doesn’t automatically disqualify you, but several categories create hard bars or mandatory waiting periods. Check these before you register for a class.

A felony conviction disqualifies you unless your civil rights have been restored by Florida (or a state Florida recognizes) and at least 10 years have passed since your final release from supervision. For a Class G, you must also have your specific right to possess, carry, or use a firearm restored separately.³

If adjudication was withheld on a felony charge, you’re ineligible for three years after your final release from supervision. A no-contest plea creates a rebuttable presumption of guilt, though FDACS will consider mitigating circumstances.³

Other bars:

A drug conviction under Florida law or an equivalent law elsewhere within the three years before you apply, unless you prove completed rehabilitation and that you’re no longer using.
Two or more DUI convictions within the three years before filing, unless you show current sobriety and completion of a rehabilitation course.
Habitual offender status under Florida law or a similar law in another state.
Any state or federal prohibition on purchasing or possessing a firearm (bars Class G and Class K).
Any prior conviction for violating Chapter 493, which bars licensure for five years.

These disqualifying periods apply retroactively to offenses committed at any time, not just after the current statute took effect.³

Training You Have To Complete

Class D: 40 Hours

You need at least 40 hours of professional training at a school or facility licensed by FDACS.⁴ The course can be in person or delivered live online through a secure site, provided the instructor verifies your identity, attendance, and completion.

The 40 hours split into two blocks. The first 24 hours cover the statute, legal liability, basic emergency first aid, emergency procedures, ethics, access control, patrol and observation, report writing, interviewing, fire detection and suppression, crime and accident prevention, scene protection, and terrorism awareness. The remaining 16 hours cover public relations, courtroom procedures, personal security fundamentals, interpersonal and professional communications, traffic direction, crowd control, and additional terrorism awareness.⁵ Tuition at licensed schools typically runs between about $100 and $500.

Class G: 28 Hours With a Class K Instructor

The Class G requires 28 hours of combined range and classroom instruction taught by a licensed Class K firearms instructor.⁶ Up to 20 of those hours can be delivered through live online instruction, but eight hours must be in-person range training covering safe handling and storage.²

Applying and Paying

Once training is complete, mail your application and supporting documents to the FDACS Division of Licensing in Tallahassee.⁵ Class D and Class G applicants are exempt from the general application fee other Chapter 493 licensees pay.² You will pay a license fee. The Class G license fee is set by statute at up to $150.⁷ Fingerprint processing and retention fees are on top of the license fee.

Keeping the License: Renewal and Requalification

Both the Class D and the Class G renew on a two-year cycle.⁸ Class D renewal is $45 plus a fingerprint retention fee. Class G biennial renewal is $112. FDACS starts mailing renewal notices about 95 days before expiration, so keep your mailing address current with the department.⁹ Late renewal doesn’t immediately void the license, but the late fee can be as high as the license fee itself.

The Class G has a separate annual requirement that catches people out. Every year of the two-year term, you must complete four hours of firearms requalification with a Class K instructor. The course reviews the original curriculum, covers recent legal changes, and includes a 48-round course of fire. Fail the shooting qualification after three attempts and you’ll need remedial training before trying again.¹⁰

Miss the four-hour training in the first year and your Class G is automatically suspended; to reinstate it you have to redo the full 28-hour initial course. Miss it in the second year and FDACS won’t renew the license until you retake the full 28 hours.⁸ If you carry more than one caliber on duty, you must qualify with each type and caliber, though a Class K instructor may allow qualification for up to two calibers in a single four-hour session.

Rules on the Job

Uniform and ID

On duty, Class D licensees must wear a uniform showing at least one patch or emblem identifying the employing agency, visible at all times. The only exception is limited special assignments where the work or client requires plainclothes. When you leave an employer, whether by resignation or termination, you must immediately return your uniform and any agency-issued equipment. Your agency must issue you an ID card showing your name, license number, and the agency’s name and license number, and you must have it on you while working. You cannot lend it out or let anyone else use or display it.¹¹

How You Carry

The default rule for a Class G is that the firearm must be holstered in plain view. There’s a narrow exception: a Class D licensee who is at least 21 and also holds a Class G may carry concealed while working under the special-assignment plainclothes provisions, provided the Class G specifically indicates that concealed-carry authority. The authorization is valid statewide.¹²

Use of Force

Licensed security officers are not law enforcement and do not have police powers. A Class G licensee may use deadly force only in self-defense or to protect another person from imminent death or great bodily harm. Deadly force to protect property or prevent property loss is prohibited, and warning shots are never allowed.¹ Using force on anyone except in lawful protection of yourself or another person is an independent disciplinary offense under the statute.³

Don’t Look Like a Cop

You cannot identify yourself as a law enforcement officer, wear a uniform or badge that would lead a reasonable person to think you are, display flashing or warning vehicle lights in any color other than amber, or take any action intended to falsely convey official government authority. Allowing or helping an employee do any of these is equally actionable against you.³

What Violations Cost

FDACS can discipline any licensee, agency, applicant, or unlicensed person performing regulated work. Common grounds for action include fraud or misrepresentation on an application, unauthorized use of force, working with an expired or suspended license, an agency employing someone without the required license, letting required liability insurance lapse, knowingly violating a statute or court order on the job, and unauthorized disclosure of confidential information obtained through security work. Any of these can lead to denial, suspension, revocation, or administrative fines.³

Criminal penalties climb with repeat conduct. A first violation of Chapter 493 is a first-degree misdemeanor. A second or later violation is a third-degree felony and can carry a civil penalty of up to $10,000.¹ A Chapter 493 conviction also bars you from holding any license under the chapter for five years.¹¹

1
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Private Security Licenses
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 493.6105 – Application for License
3
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 493.6118 – Grounds for Disciplinary Action
4
Florida Senate. Florida Code Chapter 493
5
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Class D Security Officer License Requirements
6
Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R 5N-1.132 – Firearms Training
7
Florida Senate. Florida Code 493.6107 – Fees
8
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 493.6113 – Renewal Application for License
9
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Renewing Your Private Security License
10
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Class G Statewide Firearm License Requirements
11
Online Sunshine. Florida Code Chapter 493
12
Online Sunshine. Florida Code 493.6115 – Weapons and Firearms