How to Get a Guard Card in California: Steps, Costs, and Renewal

To get a guard card in California, you complete an eight-hour training course on the power to arrest and use of force, get fingerprinted through Live Scan, and submit a $60 application to the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) through its BreEZe online portal. Plan on roughly $110 to $190 out of pocket and four to six weeks of processing once your background check clears.¹

Who Can Apply

You need to be at least 18 and legally authorized to work in the United States. Your employer confirms work authorization through the standard federal I-9 process after you’re hired.¹

Your fingerprints run through both the California Department of Justice and the FBI. Under Business and Professions Code Section 480, BSIS can deny registration if you’ve been convicted within the past seven years of a crime substantially related to the duties of a security guard.² Violent crimes, theft, and fraud are the clearest red flags. A conviction doesn’t automatically mean denial; BSIS looks at whether your history suggests a risk in a role that protects people and property. If you’re granted a card and later convicted of a substantially related crime, your registration is automatically suspended.

Step 1: Take the 8-Hour Pre-Application Course

Before applying, finish the mandatory eight hours of training: three hours on the power to arrest and five hours on the appropriate use of force.³ The course covers when you can detain someone, how to work with law enforcement during an incident, and the personal liability that comes with excessive force.

The training must come from a BSIS-certified facility or directly from a licensed private patrol operator (your employer). You’ll receive a certificate of completion for your application file.⁴ Don’t take the course too early: it must be completed within six months before you submit your application. Private facilities typically charge $50 to $150. Some employers cover it or run the training in-house.

Step 2: Get Fingerprinted at a Live Scan Location

Download the Security Guard Request for Live Scan Service form from the BSIS website before you go. The form contains coding that routes your results to BSIS, so a generic Live Scan form will delay your application.¹

Live Scan is available at local law enforcement offices, shipping stores, and dedicated fingerprinting centers. The DOJ fee is $32 and the FBI fee is $17, for $49 in government fees.⁵ The Live Scan operator adds its own rolling fee, typically $10 to $30. Everything is paid at the time of fingerprinting. You’ll leave with a copy of the form showing an Automated Transaction Identifier (ATI) number that lets you track your background check.

Step 3: Submit the Application

The fastest route is the BreEZe online portal at breeze.ca.gov. BSIS specifically recommends applying online because it skips the cashiering office and can cut processing time by up to two weeks compared with paper.¹ The application fee is $60.⁶

Have this ready: your full legal name, contact information, Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, date of birth, training details, and the ATI number from your Live Scan receipt. If you prefer paper, download the Application for Security Guard Registration from the BSIS website and mail it with your fee to the Sacramento office; paper takes noticeably longer.

How Long It Takes

With a clean background check, most registrations are processed in four to six weeks.¹ It can run longer if the DOJ or FBI is slow with fingerprint results, or if something in your history calls for extra review. Check status through the BSIS license verification tool on the agency’s website.

Your digital record usually appears online before the physical card arrives in the mail. Once your registration shows as active, you’re cleared to work. The card is valid for two years from the date of issuance.⁷

What It Costs

Application fee: $60⁶
DOJ fingerprint fee: $32
FBI fingerprint fee: $17
Live Scan site fee: varies, typically $10–$30⁵
8-hour training course: $50–$150 at a private facility (free if your employer provides it)

All in, expect $120 to $190 before you start working. If your employer covers training, the hard costs drop to about $110.

Training You Owe After You Get the Card

The eight-hour pre-application course is only the beginning. Once your registration is issued, the clock starts on 32 hours of additional skills training. At least 16 hours must be finished within 30 days of receiving your card, and the remaining 16 hours within six months.⁴ Topics include communication and public relations, terrorism awareness, emergency procedures, and the specific skills tied to your assignments.

After the first year, you must complete eight hours of refresher training annually for the rest of your registration.⁸ When you renew, you certify under penalty of perjury that the training is done.

Renewing the Card

Your card expires two years after issuance. BSIS wants renewal submitted at least 60 days before that date. The on-time renewal fee is $44.⁸ Renew through BreEZe or by mailing a paper form.

If you miss the deadline, you get a 60-day grace period to renew with a $25 delinquency fee added, for $69 total. After that window closes, your registration is gone and you have to file a new initial application and repeat the background check from scratch.⁷ If your renewed card hasn’t arrived before the old one expires, you can carry a copy of the renewal application as proof of continued registration for up to 90 days.

If You Want to Work Armed

A standard guard card only covers unarmed work. Carrying a firearm on duty requires a separate BSIS Firearms Permit on top of your registration. You’ll need to pass the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16pf) assessment ($69, paid to PSI Services LLC) with a “Demonstrate” result before applying.⁹ A firearms training course at a BSIS-certified facility, classroom instruction plus live-fire range qualification, ends with a written exam requiring at least 85%.¹⁰ The permit application itself is $110.¹¹ With assessment, training, and application, the armed path typically adds $300 or more.

Working Without a Valid Card

California treats unlicensed security work as a misdemeanor under the Business and Professions Code. That covers working with no registration at all and continuing to work after your card expires. A conviction for working without registration can bar you from getting a card for one year after a first offense and five years after a second. BSIS investigates complaints and runs enforcement operations aimed at unlicensed activity, so keep your registration active before you take a shift.

1
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Security Guard Registration
2
California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 480 – Denial of Licenses
3
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Security Guard Training Regulation
4
California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 7583.6
5
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Criminal History Background Check Requirement
6
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. BSIS Licensing Fees
7
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. California Code of Regulation – BSIS Registration Expiration and Renewal
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Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Security Guard Registration Renewal Application
9
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. BSIS Firearms Permit – Assessment Requirement for Security Guards
10
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Fact Sheet
11
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Initial Application