How to Get an Armed Security Guard License in California

To get an armed security guard license in California, you complete two separate applications with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS): first a security guard registration, known as the guard card, and then an exposed firearms permit. The firearms side adds a 14-hour training course, a psychological assessment, a shooting proficiency test, and a second background check on top of the guard card requirements. Plan for roughly four to five months from your first class to a permit in hand, because the firearms permit alone currently takes up to 75 days to process once BSIS has a complete file.¹

Who Qualifies

You can register as a security guard at 18, but you must be at least 21 to hold a firearms permit, and you must be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.² Both applications trigger a criminal history check through the California Department of Justice and the FBI.³ BSIS will not issue a firearms permit to anyone prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.⁴ Felony convictions, certain violent misdemeanors, and active domestic violence restraining orders all fall inside that bar.

One federal disqualifier catches applicants by surprise. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), the Lautenberg Amendment, anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is permanently barred from possessing firearms, no matter how old the conviction.⁵ A single misdemeanor assault against a spouse or domestic partner will end an armed security career before it starts, so check your record before spending money on training.

Step 1: The Guard Card

Nothing on the firearms side moves until you have a valid guard card. Start with an 8-hour initial course covering Power to Arrest (3 hours) and Appropriate Use of Force (5 hours). This training has to be finished before BSIS will accept the guard card application.⁶

Once the card is issued, more training is due on a schedule. You must reach 32 hours total: the initial 8, plus 16 hours of mandatory courses (public relations, observation and documentation, communication, and liability), plus 8 hours of electives. Two of the mandatory courses must be completed within 30 days of registration, and everything else within six months.⁶

File the application through the BSIS BreEZe online portal, which the Bureau prefers over paper. The initial guard card fee is $60.⁷

Step 2: Firearms Training and the Range Test

With a valid guard card in hand, you can enroll in the firearms course. It runs 14 hours: 8 hours of classroom instruction on firearm safety, legal and ethical use of force, and emergency procedures, plus 6 hours on the range. Both the course and the instructor must be BSIS-certified.²

The shooting proficiency test involves 50 rounds fired across multiple stages at distances from 3 to 15 yards, with timed reloads and different positions. You need at least 80 percent (200 out of 250 points) on silhouette targets to pass, and you also have to pass a written exam.⁸

Step 3: The Psychological Assessment

Every firearms permit applicant must pass a psychological assessment called the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16pf). BSIS contracts with PSI Services LLC to administer it at testing centers across California, and you pay the $69 fee directly to PSI when scheduling.⁹ BSIS will not process a firearms permit application without a passing result.

Step 4: Live Scan and Application

The firearms permit application itself is BSIS Form 8303, submitted with proof that you completed the firearms training. Guard card and firearms permit applications can both be filed through BreEZe or mailed to BSIS.

You will also complete Live Scan fingerprinting for the background check. BSIS provides a Request for Live Scan Service form with the correct application coding; take it to any Live Scan location, and the operator gives you an Applicant Tracking Identification (ATI) number you can use to track the background check online. The DOJ processing fee is $32 and the FBI fee is $17 for a firearms-related permit.¹⁰ Live Scan operators charge a rolling fee on top, usually $10 to $30, so plan for $60 to $80 out of pocket for fingerprinting.

What the Permit Actually Authorizes

The BSIS firearms permit is an “exposed firearms permit.” It lets you carry a firearm openly while on duty, not concealed, and only in the specific caliber or calibers printed on your permit card. Carrying a caliber that isn’t listed is a violation, even if you own the firearm and shoot it well. You can add a caliber during the permit term by qualifying at the range with it, filing an Add Caliber form, and paying a $25 fee.²

Fees and How Long It Takes

BSIS updated its fees on October 1, 2025. Current amounts for 2026:⁷

Guard card initial application: $60
Guard card renewal: $44, plus a $25 delinquent fee if late
Firearms permit initial application: $110
Firearms permit renewal: $126 (an $88 renewal fee plus a $38 DOJ fee)
Psychological assessment: $69, paid to PSI Services

All BSIS fees are non-refundable. Live Scan fingerprinting and firearms training tuition are on top.

Processing time targets for complete, deficiency-free applications, as of March 2026:¹

Guard card, initial or renewal: 60 days
Firearms permit, initial: 75 days
Firearms permit, renewal: 45 days

Missing documents or errors slow everything down. Check your status online using your ATI number and date of birth.

Keeping Both Credentials Active

The guard card expires every two years. Renewal takes 8 hours of continuing education per year, so 16 hours across the two-year cycle, at a $44 renewal fee. Submit the renewal 60 to 90 days before expiration. If you miss the deadline there is a 60-day grace period, but the delinquent fee adds $25, for $69 total.⁷

The firearms permit also runs two years, but the upkeep is heavier and the failure mode is worse. You must requalify at the range four times during the permit period, twice per year, spaced at least four months apart. Every requalification means 50 rounds for score at the 80 percent threshold, and you requalify separately for each caliber on the permit. Before each range session, a two-hour classroom refresher on use of force, de-escalation, and the legal standards for deadly force is required.⁸

Here is the trap. Unlike the guard card, a firearms permit that expires cannot be renewed. You start over with a new initial application. File the firearms permit renewal 60 to 90 days before expiration at the $126 fee, and keep your address current with BSIS at all times.⁷³

If BSIS Denies Your Application

A denial, whether from a background check flag, a failed psychological assessment, or another issue, gives you two appeal routes. You can go to the Private Security Services Disciplinary Review Committee (DRC), which can affirm, modify, or rescind the denial, or you can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge through the Office of Administrative Hearings.¹¹ The DRC path is generally faster and less formal; the administrative hearing is more structured and better suited to complex facts.

1
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Application Processing Times
2
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Fact Sheet
3
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Security Guard Registration Fact Sheet
4
California Legislative Information. California Business and Professions Code 7542.3
5
United States Department of Justice Archives. Restrictions on the Possession of Firearms by Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence
6
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Security Guard Training Regulation
7
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. BSIS Licensing Fees
8
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Firearms Permit Proposed Regulations
9
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. BSIS Firearms Permit Assessment Requirement
10
State of California Department of Justice. Applicant Fingerprint Processing Fees
11
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Disciplinary Review Committees