How to Get a Guard Card in Utah: Training, Fingerprints, and Fees

To get a guard card in Utah, you apply to the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) for either an unarmed or armed private security officer license: complete an approved training program, pass a state and federal background check with fingerprints, and submit the application with a $60 fee.¹

Pick Your License: Armed or Unarmed

Utah’s Security Personnel Licensing Act creates separate licenses for armed and unarmed private security officers, and “guard card” refers to either one.² Which you need depends on whether your job involves carrying a firearm. If you start unarmed and later want to carry, you can upgrade by completing firearms training and a second background check rather than reapplying from scratch.³

Who Qualifies

Utah Code 58-63-302 sets the qualifications for every security license.⁴ For armed applicants, the administrative rules set the minimum age at 18.⁵ The statute does not specify a separate minimum age for unarmed applicants, though training providers and employers may set their own.

You cannot have been convicted of a felony or of a crime involving dishonesty or moral turpitude. DOPL runs both state and federal criminal history checks on every application.⁴ Disclose your history honestly: a discrepancy between what you report and what the check turns up can sink the application on its own.

Complete the Required Training

Unarmed

Unarmed applicants must complete an approved basic education and training program of at least eight hours, delivered in a classroom or online.⁶ The curriculum covers the legal authority of security officers, report writing, emergency procedures, and ethics. You must pass the final exam with at least an 80%.⁷ DOPL maintains a list of approved training providers on its website.

Armed

Armed applicants complete that same eight-hour basic program and add an approved firearms course: at least six hours of classroom instruction on use-of-force law and firearm safety, plus at least six hours of range instruction with live fire.⁸ You also have to pass a practical pistol qualification course with a minimum score of 80%. Plan on roughly 20 hours of training in total.

Get Fingerprinted

Every application requires fingerprints for FBI and Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification background checks.⁹ If you live in Utah, submit prints electronically through an authorized vendor using a fingerprint authorization form from DOPL. If you live out of state, send two copies of your prints on standard blue federal FD-258 cards, completed by a law enforcement agency or private fingerprinting service. The cards must include full demographic information and be signed by both you and the technician. Smudged or incomplete cards get rejected and delay your license.¹⁰

Submit the Application and Fee

The DOPL application fee is $60 for both armed and unarmed private security officer licenses.¹ A separate charge covers the background check itself, pegged by rule to the actual cost of running state and federal records checks.⁹ Confirm the current combined total on the DOPL website or by calling (801) 530-6628, since the background portion can change.

Out-of-state applicants mailing fingerprint cards should send them to: Division of Professional Licensing, P.O. Box 146741, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6741.¹⁰ Once DOPL clears the background check and confirms your training, the license issues.

Keep the License Current

Utah security officer licenses run on a two-year cycle and expire on November 30 of even-numbered years.¹¹ The renewal fee is $42.¹

Both armed and unarmed officers must complete at least 32 hours of continuing education each two-year period, with at least 16 of those hours in core continuing education defined by rule; the balance can be core or professional.¹²

Armed officers add another 16 hours of continuing firearms education on top of that, taken in four-hour blocks every six months. Each block must include live classroom instruction on use-of-force restrictions and firearms safety plus a practical pistol recertification course with a minimum passing score of 80%.¹² Miss a six-month qualification and you risk losing the armed endorsement at renewal.

DOPL sends renewal reminders, but the responsibility is yours. A license not renewed by the expiration date automatically expires.¹³

Working Without a License

Working as a security officer without a valid Utah license is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail.¹⁴ DOPL can also impose administrative fines of up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $2,000 for a second, and up to $2,000 per day for continued violations after that. The division can immediately suspend an existing license for operating outside its terms. This applies equally to someone who never got licensed and to someone whose license lapsed and kept working.

1
Utah Department of Commerce. Division of Professional Licensing Fees
2
Utah Legislature. Utah Code Section 58-63-301
3
Utah Division of Administrative Rules. Security Personnel Licensing Act Contract Security Rule R156-63a
4
Utah Legislature. Utah Code Section 58-63-302
5
Utah Division of Administrative Rules. Security Personnel Licensing Act Contract Security Rule R156-63a – Section R156-63a-302e
6
Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R156-63a-603
7
Utah Division of Administrative Rules. Security Personnel Licensing Act Contract Security Rule R156-63a – Section R156-63a-302c
8
Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R156-63a-604
9
Utah Division of Administrative Rules. Security Personnel Licensing Act Contract Security Rule R156-63a – Section R156-63a-302a
10
Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Fingerprints
11
Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Renew an Unarmed Private Security Officer License
12
Legal Information Institute. Utah Admin Code R156-63a-304
13
Utah Legislature. Utah Code Section 58-1-308
14
Utah Legislature. Utah Code Section 58-63-503