PA Security Guard License Application: Act 235 Exams and Training

To work as an armed security guard in Pennsylvania, you need Act 235 certification from the Pennsylvania State Police before your first shift. The PA security guard license under Act 235 is handled by the State Police Lethal Weapons Certification Unit, and the entire application runs through the state’s online Training and Certification System (TACS).¹ Plan on roughly $500 to $700 in combined fees, exams, and tuition, and about two months of waiting before you’re cleared to start the training course.

Who Actually Needs Act 235

Act 235 covers privately employed agents who carry lethal weapons on the job. The statute defines “lethal weapons” to include firearms and other weapons capable of producing death or serious bodily harm, such as batons. Chemical mace and similar sprays are explicitly excluded.² If your security role only involves pepper spray or similar non-lethal tools, you don’t need Act 235. If your duties could involve a firearm, baton, or similar weapon, working without the certification is a criminal offense.

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 years old.³ You also have to clear a criminal background check. Under 18 Pa. C.S. § 6105, anyone convicted of certain violent crimes or felony drug offenses is prohibited from possessing firearms in Pennsylvania, which automatically disqualifies them from Act 235.⁴ Disqualifying offenses include murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, rape, robbery, burglary, and controlled substance felonies punishable by more than two years.

If you don’t have a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, or you live out of state, you also have to mail two passport-size photos to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit along with the standard application steps.⁵

The Medical and Psychological Exams

Two evaluations have to be done before you file your application, both by Pennsylvania-licensed professionals, and both forms go directly from the provider to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit within 15 days of the exam.

The physical exam uses Form SP 8-200A and must be done by a Pennsylvania-licensed physician (M.D. or D.O.). The doctor evaluates neurological condition, cardiovascular fitness, freedom from drug or alcohol addiction, and vision and hearing against the thresholds in the regulations.⁶ Physical results are good for six months. Miss that window and you’ll pay for a new exam.

The psychological exam uses Form SP 8-200B and must be done by a psychologist licensed by the Pennsylvania Board of Psychologist Examiners. It’s a personal interview covering your personal, educational, employment, and criminal history, with the examiner deciding whether you can exercise appropriate judgment and restraint with a lethal weapon.⁶ Both providers must include their state license numbers on the forms. You pay these fees out of pocket, and rates vary.

Filing the Application in TACS

Applications go through tacs.pa.gov. You create an account, enter your personal information (Social Security number, residency history, employment history), and upload scanned copies of your signed SP 8-200A and SP 8-200B forms.⁷ Confirm both forms are fully signed before you scan them. An unsigned or incomplete form stalls everything, and the state cross-checks what you type against your background results, so inaccurate answers can lead to delay or denial.

Fingerprints and the Approval Letter

After you submit in TACS, you’ll get an automated email from IdentoGO (the state’s fingerprinting vendor) with instructions to schedule your appointment. Fingerprinting is in person at an approved IdentoGO location. The results go straight to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit; you won’t get a copy.⁵

Once the background check, medical form, and psychological form all come back clear, the State Police issue an “Approval to Attend Training” letter. If your documents arrive at roughly the same time, approval takes about two months. Missing or incorrect documents will push that out.

What It Costs

The state charges three fees for an initial application:⁷

Application fee: $50, paid by credit card in TACS when you submit
Fingerprint fee: $22.60, paid to IdentoGO at your appointment
Certification fee: $30, paid in TACS

That’s $102.60 in state fees. On top of that you’ll pay the physician and psychologist whatever they charge, plus training tuition. The 40-hour firearms course runs $350 to $450 at most certified schools. The 26-hour non-firearms course costs less.

The Training Course

Your approval letter is what gets you into a certified Act 235 school. You have to present it before you can enroll. If you’re certifying with firearms, the initial course is 40 hours: 26 in the classroom and 14 of hands-on firearms training.⁸ If you’re certifying only for a non-firearm lethal weapon, it’s 26 hours of classroom work.

Classroom instruction covers Pennsylvania’s Crimes Code, legal authority and its limits, principles of justification for use of force, incident investigation and reporting, and courtroom testimony. The firearms portion covers handgun familiarization, combat shooting technique, and a qualification course.⁶ Attendance is mandatory for every hour. Miss a session and you’ll have to make it up later before you can be certified.

What You Need to Pass

You need at least 70% on the academic exam. If you’re certifying with firearms, you also need at least 75% on the firearms qualification.⁶ Failing either module means no certification from that course.

Carrying the Card

Once you pass, the school sends your results to the State Police and the state mails your Act 235 card to the address on file. Pennsylvania law requires you to carry that wallet-size card on your person any time you’re on duty, going to duty, or coming from duty while carrying a lethal weapon. Being caught without it is a summary offense carrying a fine of up to $50.²

Keeping Your Certification

Act 235 is valid for five years. You can apply to renew once you’re within six months of the expiration date, and you cannot let it lapse. If your card expires before you renew, it cannot be restored, and you’ll be starting the whole process over: new exams, new application, new 40-hour course.⁹

Renewal is simpler than the initial application. Log into TACS, complete the renewal, and pay the $30 recertification fee. After the State Police approve you, you attend an 8-hour recertification course if you’re certified with firearms, or a 3-hour course for non-firearm weapons.⁶ The 8-hour renewal splits into 3 hours of academic review and 5 hours of firearms familiarization and qualification. Passing scores are the same as the initial course: 70% academic, 75% firearms.

Certification isn’t guaranteed to run its full five years either. The Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police can revoke it if the original or renewal application contained false, fraudulent, or misstated information, or if your circumstances change in a way that would have made you ineligible in the first place.² A new conviction for a disqualifying offense under § 6105 is the clearest trigger, but any material misrepresentation is enough.

Waivers for Law Enforcement

Active and retired officers may qualify for partial or full training waivers. Municipal police certified under Act 120 are waived from renewal training but still have to file the TACS renewal.⁹ Active sheriffs and deputy sheriffs who completed the Sheriff’s Academy and have documented firearms qualification within the past 12 months can file Form SP 8-200C in place of the standard training.

Other applicants with prior law enforcement background may request waivers inside the TACS application. Those who completed at least three hours of formal law enforcement training within the past five years, or law enforcement firearms qualification within the past year, may also be eligible. Veterans whose certification expired during qualifying military service should contact the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit directly before starting an application, because Act 23 of 2015 provides special consideration for that situation.¹⁰

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lethal Weapons Training Program
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Lethal Weapons Training Act
3
Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 37 21.11 – Applicant Qualification Requirements
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 18 6105 – Persons Not to Possess, Use, Manufacture, Control, Sell or Transfer Firearms
5
Pennsylvania State Police. Initial Application for Act 235 Certification
6
Pennsylvania Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 37 Chapter 21 – Administration of the Lethal Weapons Training Program
7
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apply for Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Certification
8
Lackawanna College. Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Program
9
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Renew Act 235 Lethal Weapons Training Certification
10
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Act 235 Applications