How to Get Act 235 Certification in Pennsylvania

To get Act 235 certification in Pennsylvania, you apply to the Pennsylvania State Police through the online TACS portal, submit completed medical and psychological evaluations, pass a fingerprint-based background check, and then complete a state-approved training course. The certification is required for privately employed agents who carry a firearm or other lethal weapon on the job, and it is valid for five years once issued.¹

Do You Actually Need Act 235

The Act covers “privately employed agents”: people hired to provide watch guard, protective patrol, detective, or criminal investigative services, whether working for a client or directly for an employer. Armed security guards, private investigators who carry, bodyguards, protective patrol officers, and municipal authority police all fall inside the definition. Government employees at the local, state, or federal level do not, and neither do police officers commissioned by the Governor.²

The weapon itself matters. The statute defines lethal weapons as firearms and any other weapon capable of producing death or serious bodily harm, and it specifically names a concealed billy club. Chemical mace and similar sprays are explicitly excluded, so carrying only pepper spray on duty does not trigger the certification requirement. Add a firearm, baton, or comparable weapon, and it does.²

One boundary worth flagging before you start: Act 235 authorizes you to carry a lethal weapon while performing your job duties. It is not a substitute for a License to Carry Firearms. If you need to carry concealed off duty, while commuting, or in a vehicle, you still need the separate LTCF from your county sheriff.

Eligibility Before You Apply

You must be at least 18 years old.³ Criminal history is the biggest filter. Pennsylvania’s firearms prohibition statute at 18 Pa.C.S. § 6105 lists offenses that permanently bar a person from possessing firearms, and those disqualifications effectively block Act 235 certification. The list includes murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, rape, arson, and stalking, among many others. Equivalent convictions from other states or federal court count. Domestic violence convictions and involuntary mental health commitments also disqualify applicants under state and federal firearms law.⁴

Medical and Psychological Evaluations

Two professional exams are required before you submit anything. A licensed physician performs a physical examination for capacity to perform armed duties, and a licensed psychologist evaluates emotional stability and fitness. Both are documented on the official PSP forms (the current physician form is SP 8-200A), which you download from the state police site.¹ You pay these providers directly. Fees vary, so plan on at least a few hundred dollars combined. Neither exam can be skipped or deferred.

The Application, Step by Step

Submit Through TACS

Applications go through the Training And Certification System at tacs.pa.gov.⁵ Create your profile, then have ready a valid government photo ID, your residential address history, and employment records. Upload the completed medical and psychological forms, fill in every required field, and pay the $50 application fee by credit card.³

Get Fingerprinted

After you submit, IdentoGO sends an automated email with scheduling instructions for a fingerprint appointment at an approved location. The fee is $22.60, paid to IdentoGO directly. Your prints run against state and federal databases.³

Wait for Your Approval to Attend Training Letter

Once the background check clears and the PSP reviews your medical forms, you receive an Approval to Attend Training letter. You cannot enroll in any Act 235 training program without it, so do not pay a school before this letter is in hand.⁶

Complete the Training

The course length depends on what you will carry. Applicants who will carry a firearm complete a 40-hour basic course at a PSP-certified school. Applicants who will only carry non-firearm weapons such as batons complete a shorter 26-hour version that skips the firearms modules but keeps the academic and defensive tactics portions. Both cover legal liability, use-of-force principles, and hands-on skills.¹

Tuition varies by school. Published rates at certified programs put the initial course somewhere around $300 to $500. Combined with the $50 application fee, the $22.60 fingerprint fee, and the medical and psychological evaluations, total out-of-pocket costs for first-time certification typically fall between $500 and $1,000. Some employers reimburse. Don’t assume yours will unless it is in writing.

After You’re Certified

You receive a certification card valid for five years, with the expiration date printed on it.⁷ Renewal requires submitting a renewal application no earlier than six months before the expiration date and then completing an 8-hour refresher at a certified school.

The trap: if your card expires before you finish the renewal process, the PSP will not renew it. You start over from scratch with a new application, new background check, new medical and psychological evaluations, and the full 40-hour course. Applicants approved for renewal training do get a six-month window to finish it, which can extend past the printed expiration date, but you are not authorized to work armed during any gap.⁸ Put the date on your calendar the day the card arrives.

Waivers for Current and Former Police Officers

Active police officers who completed training under Pennsylvania’s Municipal Police Education and Training Law can receive a waiver of the Act 235 training requirement. They still need to show proof of that training and pass a biennial firearms qualification through their agency.²

Retired officers have a narrower path. If you were a full-time officer for at least 20 years, retired in good standing, and begin private security work within three years of retirement, you can skip the training and the physical and psychological evaluations. If more than three years have passed, you have to meet the medical and psychological requirements, though the commissioner may still grant a training waiver. The commissioner also has general authority to waive training for anyone who has completed a program the commissioner approves, which can apply to out-of-state transfers or candidates with equivalent military training.²

Penalties for Working Armed Without Certification

Carrying a lethal weapon on the job without Act 235 certification is a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania. A conviction can bring up to one year in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both. Separate summary offenses apply to violations such as failing to carry your certification card while on duty, with fines up to $50.²

1
Pennsylvania State Police. Lethal Weapons Training Program
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Lethal Weapons Training Act
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Certification
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18 Section 6105 – Persons Not to Possess, Use, Manufacture, Control, Sell or Transfer Firearms
5
Training And Certification System. Training And Certification System
6
Pennsylvania State Police. Initial Application for Act 235 Certification
7
Pennsylvania State Police. Certification Renewal
8
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Act 235 Applications