Colorado Security Guard License Requirements

Colorado has no statewide license for security guards. Whether you need a license depends on the city where you work. The most important local program is in Denver, where the Department of Excise and Licenses requires every security guard to hold an individual license, complete 16 hours of training, pass an FBI fingerprint background check, and complete 8 hours of training every year. Armed guards in Denver need a separate weapons endorsement. A few other Colorado cities have had their own rules. This guide explains Denver’s requirements, what applies elsewhere in Colorado, armed work, and your legal authority.

Where you need a license in Colorado

Where you work	Individual license?	Who issues it
Denver	Yes	Denver Department of Excise and Licenses
Other cities with local ordinances	Possibly	City clerk or licensing office
Most of Colorado	No state license	—

Colorado’s legislature has never created a statewide licensing system for security guards, so in most of the state there is no card to apply for. Employers still screen and train you, and clients set their own standards. But if your post is in Denver, the city’s license is mandatory, and Denver has enforced it, including after high-profile incidents involving unlicensed guards.

Denver security guard license

Denver adopted its current security guard rules in 2018. They require both an individual guard license and a private security employer license. The employer license applies to contract security companies and also to businesses that hire their own in-house security, such as bars and nightclubs. In other words, if you work security in Denver, you need your own license regardless of who employs you.

Training

New applicants complete at least 16 hours of training before licensing. The training covers the duties of a security guard, use of force, communication protocols and how to interact with law enforcement. To renew, you complete 8 hours of training each year.

Background check

Denver requires an FBI fingerprint background check, which covers criminal records inside and outside Colorado. Renewals include an additional Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) name check. Denver reviews records for convictions that bear on fitness for security work; disclose everything on your application.

Armed guards

To carry a firearm on duty in Denver you need a separate weapons endorsement from the Department of Excise and Licenses, and your employer needs a weapons endorsement covering the specific weapons it lists in its application. Armed guards must wear their license visibly, outside their clothing. Expect your employer to require firearms training and qualification before you carry.

Use-of-force reporting

Denver’s rules require a guard who uses force that harms someone to contact the Denver Police Department immediately and to notify the Department of Excise and Licenses within 72 hours. Employers must notify the Department when a guard is terminated or leaves. These reporting rules are a key reason Denver employers emphasize written reports.

Fees

Denver lowered its guard application fee to $25 when the 2018 rules took effect, and military veterans do not pay it. You also pay for fingerprinting and your training. Check the Department of Excise and Licenses for current fees, since city fees can change.

How to get a Denver guard license, step by step

1. Get hired by a Denver-licensed security employer (contract company or in-house).
2. Complete 16 hours of approved training.
3. Get fingerprinted for the FBI background check.
4. Apply online with the Department of Excise and Licenses and pay the fee.
5. Add a weapons endorsement if your post is armed.
6. Renew every year with 8 hours of training.

Working security elsewhere in Colorado

Outside Denver and cities with their own ordinances, Colorado does not license individual guards. Employers typically require you to be 18 or older (21 for armed work), pass a background check and drug screen, and complete their own training. Clients such as hospitals, schools, cannabis businesses and federal facilities often add requirements. Colorado’s cannabis industry is a notable employer: licensed marijuana businesses are regulated by the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, and security staff working inside those businesses may need a state occupational badge as employees of a licensed business. Ask before you accept a cannabis security post.

Armed security work outside Denver

There is no state armed-guard license. Employers decide whether a post is armed and set training and qualification standards, and many require a Colorado concealed handgun permit (CHP), issued by your county sheriff, which requires you to be 21 and complete approved handgun training. Some cities restrict open carry, and some locations, such as schools and federal property, have their own rules. Get your employer’s firearm policy in writing.

Your authority in Colorado

Security guards in Colorado have no police powers. Under C.R.S. §16-3-201, a person who is not a peace officer may arrest another person when a crime has been or is being committed by that person in their presence. You must turn the person over to police promptly. In retail, Colorado law (C.R.S. §18-4-407) allows a merchant, or the merchant’s employee, with probable cause to detain a suspected shoplifter on the premises in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time to investigate. Denver’s rules on reporting force apply on top of state law. Many posts are observe-and-report only; follow your post orders.

Choosing an employer in Colorado

Ask whether the company holds a Denver employer license if you will work there, who pays for the 16-hour course and annual training, and whether it handles the weapons endorsement for armed posts. Outside Denver, ask what training you will get before your first post and what the company’s use-of-force and reporting policies are. Mountain and ski-area posts bring cold, altitude and long shifts outdoors; our cold-weather gear guide covers what helps.

Getting the most from Denver’s training

Denver’s 16-hour course and 8-hour annual refresher focus on the situations that cause the most trouble for guards and the city. Pay particular attention to:

• Use of force. When force is allowed at all, what “reasonable” means, and why de-escalation comes first. Remember the reporting duties if anyone is hurt.
• Communication. Radio procedures, clear commands, and how to talk to people in crisis, including people experiencing homelessness or mental health emergencies, which are common at downtown posts.
• Working with police. When to call, what to tell dispatch, and how to hand over a scene and your report.
• Documentation. Reports are your protection. Use times, names and facts, not opinions. Our incident report template shows the structure.

Event, venue and nightlife security in Colorado

Denver’s stadiums, Red Rocks, concert venues, LoDo bars and the ski resorts hire large numbers of event and seasonal security staff. Because Denver’s employer license covers bars and clubs that hire their own security, door staff in Denver generally need the individual guard license too. Event work is a good way to build experience quickly, but it also involves crowds, alcohol and fast decisions, so de-escalation skills and clear reporting matter. Outside Denver, mountain towns and resorts set their own hiring standards; expect background checks and, for some roles, first aid or avalanche and winter safety awareness.

If you plan a long-term security career in Colorado, keep copies of every training certificate and evaluation. With no state license, they are the record that proves your experience when you apply for supervisor, healthcare, cannabis, federal or armed positions.

Altitude and weather affect equipment too. Batteries drain faster in cold, radios lose range in mountain terrain, and flashlights get used far more in long winter nights. Check your gear at the start of every shift; our flashlight guide covers lights that hold up.

Moving to Colorado from another state

There is no state license to transfer. If you will work in Denver, you need Denver’s license, training and background check. Your prior state license and training still help you get hired, and some employers may credit prior training toward their own programs.

Common problems for Colorado guards

• Working in Denver without a city license, which Denver enforces against both guards and employers.
• Carrying a firearm in Denver without the weapons endorsement.
• Missing the annual 8-hour training needed to renew a Denver license.
• Failing to report a use of force within Denver’s deadlines.
• Assuming a concealed handgun permit authorizes armed security work.