How to Renew Your Texas Private Security License

To renew your Texas private security license, log in to the Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) portal any time within the 180 days before your expiration date, pay the fee that matches your license type, and — if you hold a commission or a personal protection officer license — attach proof of six hours of continuing education and a current firearms proficiency certificate.¹ The renewal window stays open for up to one year after expiration, with late fees, before you lose the option to renew altogether.

Know Which License You Hold

The renewal path depends entirely on your credential type. A noncommissioned security officer holds a registration that covers unarmed guard work. A commissioned security officer holds a license that authorizes carrying a firearm on duty and exercising limited arrest powers. A personal protection officer holds a separate license for bodyguard work.²

This matters because continuing education and firearms proficiency requirements apply only to commissioned officers and personal protection officers. Noncommissioned officers are specifically exempt from continuing education under state administrative rules.³ If you’re a basic unarmed guard, your renewal is short: pay, clear the background check, done.

When to Renew and What Late Costs

You can submit through TOPS starting 180 days before your credential expires. If it has already expired, you have up to one year to renew online with a late fee. Past that one-year mark, renewal is off the table and you’d have to file an original application with a full background check and new fingerprints.¹

Fees, including the small subscription fee DPS adds on top of the base amount:⁴⁵

Noncommissioned security officer: $37 on time, $52 within 90 days late, $67 after that.
Commissioned security officer and personal protection officer: $57 on time, $82 within 90 days late, $107 after that.

Working security on an expired credential isn’t just a paperwork issue. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1702 makes it an offense to perform private security work without proper authorization, and employers who knowingly hire unlicensed staff face their own penalties.

Continuing Education for Commissioned Officers and PPOs

If you hold a security officer commission or a personal protection officer license, you must complete six hours of continuing education before you can submit the renewal application. DPS will not process a renewal without it. The training must be given by a licensed Level III training school and taught by a licensed Level III instructor.⁶

Your employer keeps proof of your CE in your personnel file, and you confirm completion on the renewal application itself.³ Noncommissioned officers do not have this requirement.

Firearms Proficiency for Commissioned Officers

Commissioned officers must also submit a current firearms proficiency certificate. The proficiency demonstration has to be completed within 90 days of the date you submit the renewal, so a certificate older than 90 days will be rejected.⁶ Schedule the qualification early enough in your renewal window that a rescheduled range date doesn’t push you past a deadline.

The proficiency is run through the same type of approved training program that handles CE. The certificate must show the officer remains competent with a handgun.¹ A missing or expired certificate is one of the more common reasons renewals stall.

Background Check and Disqualifying Convictions

Every renewal, regardless of license type, triggers a fingerprint-based FBI criminal history background check. DPS requires fingerprint submission as part of a substantially complete application under Texas Administrative Code Section 35.21.⁷

Certain convictions will disqualify you from holding or renewing a commission. Under Texas Occupations Code Section 1702.163, you cannot hold a commission if you are a fugitive from justice for a felony or a Class A or Class B misdemeanor. Two alcohol- or controlled-substance-related convictions of Class B misdemeanor grade or higher within the ten years before your application also disqualify you.⁸ The statute is explicit that the relationship (or lack of one) between the conviction and security work does not affect eligibility. A conviction unrelated to the profession can still cost you the license.

Submitting Through the TOPS Portal

All individual renewals go through TOPS. If you’ve held a license within the past three years, you already have a profile.⁹ Log in with the email address and password on file. If you’ve never logged in or forgot your password, use the “Can’t Login” link on the home page to recover the account.

Before you start, have these on hand:

Your current employer’s company license number and address.
Your personal identification details.
If commissioned or a PPO: proof of six CE hours and your firearms proficiency certificate.

TOPS cross-references what you enter against law enforcement records, so mismatches or typos can delay processing. Payment runs through the portal. When you submit, the system issues a confirmation number. Save it. That number is your proof the renewal is in process if any question comes up about your status.

After You Submit

Paper applications can take four to eight weeks. Online submissions through TOPS are generally faster, though DPS does not publish a guaranteed turnaround for electronic renewals.¹⁰ During that stretch the background check refreshes and DPS verifies your CE and firearms proficiency where those apply.

Approval notices come to the email address on your TOPS profile. Once approved, your updated pocket card is available for download in the portal. Submitting well before your expiration date is the point of the 180-day early window: if anything runs long, you’re not sidelined without a valid credential.

Veteran Reimbursement for Testing Fees

If you are a veteran or eligible dependent, the Department of Veterans Affairs may reimburse licensing and certification test fees. Coverage extends to anyone using the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill (Active Duty or Selected Reserve), or Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance. The VA pays up to $2,000 per test, covering registration and administrative fees, and reimbursement is available even if you don’t pass or need to retake a test to maintain an existing license.¹¹

To claim it, submit VA Form 22-0803 with your fee receipt and test results, either through QuickSubmit on AccessVA or by mail to the regional processing office for Texas.¹¹ One boundary worth knowing: the VA does not cover fees for obtaining the physical license or certification document itself. The DPS renewal fee is not reimbursable under this benefit; only testing costs are.

1
Department of Public Safety. Individual License Questions
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Department of Public Safety. Private Security
3
Legal Information Institute. Texas Code 37 Tex. Admin. Code 35.161 – Continuing Education Requirements
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Texas Department of Public Safety. Private Security Fee Schedule
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Texas Department of Public Safety. Private Security Administrative Rules
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Department of Public Safety. Training and Continuing Education
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Texas Department of Public Safety. Fingerprinting Instructions
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State of Texas. Texas Occupations Code 1702.163 – Qualifications
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Texas Department of Public Safety. Getting Started with TOPS
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Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) FAQs
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Veterans Affairs. Licensing And Certification Tests And Prep Courses