Nevada Security Company License Requirements and Fees

To run a security company in Nevada, you need a private patrol officer license from the Private Investigator’s Licensing Board (PILB). The initial application fee is $750, your designated qualifying agent must have at least five years of documented industry experience and pass a written exam scoring 75% or higher, and the full investigation and approval process usually takes several months. Nevada treats unlicensed operation as a criminal offense, so the Nevada security company license needs to be in hand before you advertise services or open your doors.¹

Which License Category Fits a Security Company

Most security businesses apply under the private patrol officer category. Nevada defines a private patrol officer as someone in the business of employing and providing guards, patrol officers, bodyguards, uniformed traffic-control officers, or armored-transport personnel to protect people or property. That covers the standard contract security model.¹

Security consulting is a separate category, but it isn’t a shortcut. Nevada requires anyone offering consulting on security methods and equipment to already hold a private patrol officer or private investigator license, so the patrol officer license comes first either way.

One quick boundary: the company license is not the same as a guard’s work card. The people you hire register individually as employees under your license, which is covered further down. The license this article is about is what allows you to hire them in the first place.

Qualifying Agent Requirements

Every security company designates one qualifying agent who personally meets the PILB’s licensing standards on behalf of the firm. For a corporate applicant, that person carries the heaviest burden, though every officer and director also has to clear a baseline check.

Personal Eligibility

Under NRS 648.110, the applicant and every director and officer of a corporate applicant must be at least 21 years old, show good moral character and temperate habits, have no conviction of a felony relating to the practice being licensed, no conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude or illegal use or possession of a dangerous weapon, and be a U.S. citizen or lawfully entitled to remain and work in the country.¹

The felony bar is narrower than a blanket prohibition. It covers felonies related to the type of work being licensed rather than any felony ever committed. That said, the board has broad discretion to deny for dishonesty, fraud, lack of integrity, or false statements on the application.

Experience

The qualifying agent for a private patrol officer license needs at least five years of experience as a private patrol officer, or the equivalent as determined by the board. Nevada defines one year as 2,000 hours, so plan on documenting 10,000 hours in security-related roles.¹ Payroll records, notarized letters from former employers, and similar records support those hours during the board’s investigation.

Certain degrees earn partial credit. An associate’s degree in police science or criminal justice from an accredited community college counts as eight months toward the requirement, and a bachelor’s degree in the same fields counts as a year and a half.² Even the maximum credit still leaves three and a half years of hands-on work to log.

Written Examination

Once the experience threshold is met, the qualifying agent sits for a written examination given by the PILB at least four times a year. Passing is 75% or higher.³ The board may also require an oral examination at its discretion, and you can’t sit for the exam until the full application fee is paid.¹

What to Submit With Your Application

The PILB application requires a detailed personal history statement for the applicant. For a corporation, every officer and director also files one, along with a certified copy of the certificate of incorporation and a certification from the Nevada Secretary of State showing the corporation in good standing. Foreign corporations must show they’re qualified to do business in Nevada.¹

Plan to gather the following alongside the personal history:

Two recent 2×2 inch color passport-style photographs meeting the board’s specifications.⁴
A complete set of fingerprints for a criminal background check through the Nevada Central Repository for Criminal History and the FBI.³
Employment history documentation verifying professional background and security industry experience.
A financial statement showing the business can cover its operational obligations.
Proof of insurance meeting the requirements of NRS 648.135.

Forms are on the PILB site at pilb.nv.gov. Incomplete applications are a common source of delay, so verify every attachment before submitting.

Fees

The application fee is $750 for the first license category and $250 for each additional category. It covers the investigation and is non-refundable, paid before you sit for the exam. The annual license fee runs up to $500 per category. If you place a license on hold instead of letting it lapse, the abeyance fee is up to $100.¹

Fingerprint and background check costs are paid separately and depend on the processing location. Budget roughly $85 to $100 per person, though the amount varies with the live-scan provider and current FBI fees.

Insurance and Business Registration

Every licensee must carry insurance covering all services provided under the license. NAC 648.325 cross-references NRS 648.135, which sets the board’s authority over insurance requirements. Self-insurance is technically allowed, but only by depositing at least $200,000 in cash or a certificate of deposit with a federally insured financial institution, with the board holding co-signature authority over withdrawals.² A standard general liability policy is the practical route for most startups.

Corporate applicants register with the Nevada Secretary of State and give the PILB proof of good standing. Insurance and business entity status both get verified before the board issues a license number.¹

If you plan to hire employees, Nevada also requires workers’ compensation coverage. The requirement applies to every employer with at least one employee, with no exemption for the security industry.⁵

How the Board Reviews and Approves

Once the PILB receives your completed application and fee, it opens a background investigation. Investigators verify employment history, contact references, and run criminal records through state and federal databases. This phase takes several months.

After the investigation, you may be asked to appear before the board for a hearing. Board members use it to ask clarifying questions about the application, experience, or business plans before voting on the license. Successful applicants receive notification of approval shortly after the hearing.¹

Work Cards for the Guards You Hire

Your license lets you hire guards, but each of them needs their own registration. Nevada prohibits anyone from working for a licensed security company without a valid PILB-issued registration, commonly called a work card.¹ Requirements are lighter than the company license but still mandatory:

At least 18 years old.
Good moral character, no felony convictions, no crimes involving moral turpitude or illegal weapons.
A complete set of fingerprints submitted to the board, or to the sheriff in counties with 100,000 or more residents, then forwarded to the Central Repository and the FBI.
Application fee up to $135, set by the board.
One passport-size photo with the application.

The board issues the work card after the background check clears. Employees on provisional status have limited authority; notably, they can’t take the armed security course until they hold a permanent hard-plastic card.⁶

Armed Guard Certification

If your company offers armed services, every guard who carries a firearm needs additional certification. Provisionally registered employees are not eligible for the firearms course; only holders of a permanent card can enroll.⁶

The employee needs a sponsoring employer. Your company adds them to your online roster and provides a signed Verification of Employment Armed Security (VEAS) form, which the employee takes to a PILB-certified firearms instructor. The course has two parts:

Eight classroom hours on carrying, handling, and using a firearm safely, followed by a written exam requiring a 75% passing score.
At least five hours of live-fire range instruction, qualifying with the same type and caliber of firearm the guard will carry on duty.

The full course must finish within 14 days, and no single day can exceed nine contact hours.² After initial certification, armed guards must requalify every six months during the months printed on their card. Missing a requalification window invalidates the card immediately, and the guard cannot carry a firearm on duty until they successfully requalify.⁶

Renewal

Nevada security licenses expire June 30 each year. File a renewal application on the board’s form and pay the renewal fee, up to $500 per category, before the expiration date. The annual license fee is due July 1, and the board may prorate for partial license periods.¹

Letting a license lapse rather than placing it in abeyance is treated the same as never having been licensed if you keep operating. It can also give the board grounds to deny future applications. When a director or officer of a corporate licensee leaves the company, you must notify the board in writing within 10 days, and the board will investigate the replacement before allowing them to take over.¹

Penalties for Operating Without a License

Running a security business without a PILB license is a criminal offense in Nevada, and the penalties climb with repeat violations. A first offense is a misdemeanor; a second or subsequent offense is a gross misdemeanor.

The board can also impose administrative fines separate from criminal charges: up to $2,500 for a first violation, up to $5,000 for a second, and up to $10,000 for a third or subsequent offense. A court can issue an injunction and add a civil penalty of up to $10,000 on top of that.¹

1
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 648 – Private Investigators, Private Patrol Officers, Polygraphic Examiners, Process Servers, Repossessors, Dog Handlers and Registered Employees
2
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Administrative Code 648 – Private Investigators, Private Patrol Officers, Polygraphic Examiners, Process Servers, Repossessors, Dog Handlers and Registered Employees
3
Private Investigators Licensing Board. Licensing Services
4
Private Investigators Licensing Board. Work Cards
5
Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 616B – Industrial Insurance
6
Private Investigators Licensing Board. Armed Guard Card