Illinois Security Guard License Requirements

In Illinois, the card that lets you work security is called a PERC: a Permanent Employee Registration Card issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Armed officers also need a Firearm Control Card (FCC), and you cannot get an FCC without a valid Illinois FOID card. The rules come from the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 (225 ILCS 447) and IDFPR’s rules in 68 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1240. This guide covers who qualifies, the 20-hour basic training, the 48-hour firearm course, fees, working while your PERC is pending, and renewal.

PERC vs. Firearm Control Card

	PERC	Firearm Control Card (FCC)
What it allows	Work as an employee of a licensed security, detective, alarm or locksmith agency	Carry a firearm while performing security duties
Minimum age	18	21
Training	20 hours basic (within 30 days of hire) + 8 hours within 6 months + 8 hours yearly	48-hour firearm course + 8 hours firearm refresher yearly
Other requirements	Fingerprint background check	Valid PERC, employment with a licensed agency, valid FOID card
Initial fee	$55	$75

The PERC belongs to you and stays valid when you change employers. The FCC is tied to employment: to renew it you must show you still work for the agency that issued it.

Who can get a PERC

Under 225 ILCS 447/35-30, IDFPR can refuse a PERC if you:

• Are younger than 18 (or younger than 21 if you will be armed).
• Have a criminal conviction the Department finds makes you unfit. Traffic offenses do not count.
• Have a felony conviction involving bodily harm, weapons, violence or theft within the past 10 years. These create a presumption that you are unfit, which you can try to rebut.
• Are a registered sex offender.
• Had a license or PERC denied, suspended or revoked within the past year on certain grounds.
• Were declared incompetent by a court and not restored, or were dishonorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces.

Illinois looks at the whole record. The 10-year presumption is not an automatic lifetime bar, and older or minor convictions are reviewed case by case. Illinois law also requires licensing agencies to consider evidence of rehabilitation. If your record is complicated, ask IDFPR before you pay for training.

The training

20-hour basic training

Section 25-20 of the Act requires every registered employee who guards property or responds to alarms to complete at least 20 hours of basic training within 30 days of employment. It must be taught by a qualified instructor using an IDFPR-approved program. The topics include the law of arrest, search and seizure, use of force, report writing, and the role of a security officer. Many people take the 20-hour course before they apply, because employers prefer candidates who can start right away.

8 more hours within 6 months

Guard employees must complete 8 additional hours within 6 months of hire. The employer picks the topics, and the training can be site-specific and done on the job.

8-hour annual refresher

Every calendar year after your first employment anniversary, you must complete 8 hours of refresher training. Your employer keeps the records, and IDFPR can audit them.

48-hour firearm course (armed only)

To get an FCC you must complete the 48-hour firearm training course under 225 ILCS 447/35-40. It is made up of the 20-hour basic training, 20 hours of firearm instruction (safety and storage, holster retention, legal use of firearms, ethics, arrest and search law, liability) and 8 hours of live-fire range practice. On the range you fire at least 50 rounds and must score at least 70 percent with each weapon type you are authorized to carry. The course ends with a written test and a qualification course.

After that, you need 8 hours of firearm refresher training every calendar year, starting the year after the first anniversary of your FCC, with at least 50 rounds and a 70 percent score. Trained law enforcement officers and qualified retired officers under the federal LEOSA law can apply for a training waiver.

How to get your PERC, step by step

1. Take the 20-hour basic course through an approved program, or plan to complete it within 30 days of hire.
2. Get fingerprinted by an IDFPR-licensed fingerprint vendor. The vendor sends your prints to the Illinois State Police and FBI and gives you a receipt. Vendors set their own fee.
3. Apply online through the IDFPR PERC portal and pay the $55 fee. Many employers file the application for you.
4. Start work if eligible. See the next section for the conditions.
5. Check your status on IDFPR’s license lookup. Online updates usually post within 2–4 business days.
6. For armed work, get a FOID card, complete the 48-hour course, and have your employer file the FCC registration with the $75 fee.

Can you work while your PERC is pending?

Yes, under the conditions in 225 ILCS 447/35-30(k). The agency must have filed your complete application with the fingerprint receipt and fees. IDFPR must have verified that the Illinois State Police check shows no conviction. The agency must exercise due diligence, keep a monthly roster of pending employees, and send it to IDFPR. An agency cannot use you if it knows or should know you have a conviction, or if IDFPR has posted you as not approved. IDFPR can end your temporary authority if the FBI report shows a conviction. Pending status never authorizes armed work.

What it costs

Fee	Amount
PERC, initial	$55
PERC, renewal	$45
Firearm Control Card, initial	$75
Firearm Control Card, renewal	$45
Fingerprinting	Set by the licensed vendor
FOID card (armed only)	Set by Illinois State Police
20-hour and 48-hour courses	Set by the school

IDFPR fees are non-refundable. Expect about $100–$120 for a PERC including fingerprints, plus tuition. Some employers pay for the 20-hour course and the PERC once you are hired.

Renewing your cards

• PERC: employee registration cards expire statewide on May 31 every three years. Renew during the month before expiration and pay $45. Electronic batch renewal for employers has been discontinued, so renewals are filed individually or in mailed batches.
• FCC: expires on the date printed on the card. To renew, show you completed the firearm refresher within the past year and still work for the issuing agency.
• FOID: if your FOID card is revoked or expires, IDFPR must refuse or revoke your FCC.

Your legal authority as an Illinois security officer

A PERC does not make you a police officer. In Illinois, security officers act with the same arrest authority as any private person. Under 725 ILCS 5/107-3, a private person may arrest someone when there are reasonable grounds to believe that person is committing or has committed an offense other than an ordinance violation. You must hand the person over to police without unnecessary delay.

Retail is different. Illinois law lets a merchant or its agent detain a suspected shoplifter for a reasonable time and in a reasonable manner, when there is reasonable cause to believe the person took merchandise without paying. That is why loss prevention and retail security policies in Illinois are so specific about when you may stop someone and for how long.

Your employer’s policy will usually be stricter than the law. Many contract posts are observe-and-report only. Follow the post orders, write a clear report every time you act, and read our guides on detaining people and de-escalation.

Moving to Illinois from another state

Illinois does not accept other states’ guard cards. You need a PERC and Illinois training. For armed work, out-of-state law enforcement training equivalent to the Illinois standard may qualify you for a firearm training waiver. Note that you must also get a FOID card, which is separate from any carry permit and is required to possess a firearm in Illinois at all.

Common reasons Illinois applications stall

• Fingerprints taken by a vendor not licensed by IDFPR, or a lost fingerprint receipt.
• An employer that never filed the application.
• A conviction on the record that was not disclosed.
• An FCC application without a valid FOID card.
• Missing the 30-day basic training deadline or the annual refresher.