Can You Be a Security Guard With a Felony or Criminal Record?

You can become a security guard with a criminal record in many states. Whether you can depends on four things: the state you will work in, what the conviction was for, how long ago it happened, and whether you want armed or unarmed work. A ten-year-old misdemeanor is no problem in most places. A recent felony blocks you almost everywhere, and some states bar any felony for life unless you are pardoned. This guide explains how states treat criminal records, gives you each state’s rule in one table, and covers the tools that can open doors again: expungement, sealing, pardons and certificates of rehabilitation.

How states decide

Every state that licenses security guards runs a fingerprint background check through the state police and the FBI. What happens next falls into one of four patterns:

• Lifetime bars. Some states bar any felony with no time limit unless you are pardoned, for example Iowa, Wisconsin, Nevada, Connecticut, South Carolina and West Virginia.
• Look-back periods. Other states count only recent convictions: Ohio (3 years for a disqualifying offense), Tennessee (5 years after completing your sentence), Michigan and Arizona (5 years for listed misdemeanors), Delaware (7 years for listed misdemeanors), Texas and Alaska (10 years for felonies) and Florida (10 years after release from supervision, plus restored civil rights).
• Case-by-case review. States such as California, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, North Carolina and Montana weigh the offense, how it relates to security work, how long ago it happened and evidence of rehabilitation.
• Employer decides. States with no individual guard license, such as Indiana, Nebraska and Wyoming, leave it to employers, and cities with local licenses add their own checks.

Many states also distinguish between types of offense. Theft, fraud, violence, weapons, drug and sex offenses are the ones most often listed as disqualifying, because they relate directly to protecting people and property. A traffic offense or an old disorderly conduct charge usually matters far less.

Criminal record rules in all 50 states

This table summarizes each state’s rule for security guard licensing. Click a state for the full guide, including training, fees and how to apply. Rules for armed work are usually stricter, and federal firearm law applies on top of everything here.

State	Criminal record rule (summary)
Alabama	Felonies, crimes of moral turpitude and violent misdemeanors within 10 years are treated as disqualifying under Board standards.
Alaska	No felony conviction within 10 years before applying, unless fully pardoned.
Arizona	Any felony, or a pending felony indictment, bars you. Listed misdemeanors (violence, weapons, theft, fraud, domestic violence and others) bar you for 5 years.
Arkansas	Armed (commissioned) officers: no felony unless pardoned. Unarmed applicants are reviewed.
California	Reviewed case by case by BSIS; convictions substantially related to the work can lead to denial.
Colorado	No state license. Denver runs an FBI check for its city license.
Connecticut	No felony, sexual offense or crime of moral turpitude, with no time limit. Clean Slate erasure or a pardon can change that.
Delaware	No felony. Theft, drug or moral turpitude misdemeanors within 7 years, or more than two in a lifetime, also disqualify.
Florida	A felony means denial unless your civil rights are restored and 10 years have passed since final release from supervision.
Georgia	No state card for unarmed guards. For licensed roles, felonies and weapons or moral turpitude crimes are disqualifying, but the Board may approve after review. Armed: felony requires a pardon that restores firearm rights.
Hawaii	Convictions that reflect unfavorably on fitness are reviewed; annulled or expunged convictions do not count.
Idaho	No state license. Boise runs an FBI check for its city license.
Illinois	Felonies involving bodily harm, weapons, violence or theft within 10 years create a presumption of unfitness; other records are reviewed.
Indiana	No individual license; employers decide.
Iowa	Any felony or aggravated misdemeanor, ever, plus listed weapons, fraud and assault offenses.
Kansas	No state license. Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas review records for their city permits.
Kentucky	No state license. Louisville armed guards: no felony (unless pardoned and federally cleared); misdemeanors must be 2+ years old.
Louisiana	A felony requires proof of a pardon or similar relief; some misdemeanors are also disqualifying.
Maine	No conviction for a crime punishable by 1+ year (5 years for certain listed crimes), and no 3+ lesser convictions within 5 years.
Maryland	No “disqualifying crime” (any felony, or a Maryland misdemeanor punishable by more than 2 years) or crime of violence.
Massachusetts	No individual license, but licensed agencies may not knowingly hire anyone convicted of a felony. Sealing is available after 3 or 7 years.
Michigan	Any felony disqualifies. Listed misdemeanors disqualify for 5 years.
Minnesota	A Minnesota felony (or equivalent) and other listed offenses disqualify, except misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor assault.
Mississippi	No unarmed state license. Armed permit requires firearm eligibility; Biloxi reviews 5 years of convictions.
Missouri	No state license. Kansas City disqualifies many felony and misdemeanor convictions; St. Louis disqualifies any felony.
Montana	The Board reviews criminal history case by case.
Nebraska	No state license; employers decide.
Nevada	No felony, crime of moral turpitude or weapons conviction, with no time limit in the statute.
New Hampshire	Felonies and misdemeanors involving theft, dishonesty, fraud, drugs or domestic violence are disqualifying; applicants are reviewed for just cause.
New Jersey	Any first- to fourth-degree crime or any drug offense bars SORA registration, with a narrow veteran exception.
New Mexico	RLD reviews convictions for their relationship to the work.
New York	A “serious offense” (General Business Law §89-f) bars registration; other misdemeanors are reviewed. Certificates of Relief or Good Conduct can help.
North Carolina	Listed convictions (weapons, drugs, assault, burglary, larceny) are prima facie evidence of bad character; reviewed case by case.
North Dakota	Felonies, theft and certain violent or drug misdemeanors disqualify, but the Board may approve if the offense is unrelated and you are rehabilitated, or pardoned.
Ohio	Only a “disqualifying offense” (a felony directly related to the work) within the last 3 years bars registration.
Oklahoma	Felonies related to the work disqualify; CLEET can waive some for unarmed licenses after 5 years. No waiver for armed if the felony involved a firearm or violence.
Oregon	Moral fitness standard, reviewed case by case; all dispositions must be disclosed.
Pennsylvania	Unarmed: no state license, and a 2026 Philadelphia ruling struck down the lifetime ban for unarmed guards. Armed (Act 235): no first-degree misdemeanor or higher or crime of violence.
Rhode Island	No individual license, but licensed businesses may not knowingly employ anyone convicted of a felony.
South Carolina	No felony or crime of moral turpitude.
South Dakota	No state license. Rapid City runs fingerprint checks for its city license.
Tennessee	Felonies and listed misdemeanors are allowed once 5 years have passed since you completed your sentence or probation.
Texas	Listed offenses disqualify for 10 years (felony), 5 years (Class A) or 2 years (Class B) from conviction; some are permanent.
Utah	DOPL reviews criminal history; a clean record is needed for an interim permit.
Vermont	OPR reviews character, integrity and reputation case by case.
Virginia	Any felony and listed misdemeanors bar registration, but the DCJS Director can grant a waiver.
Washington	DOL may withhold a license only for a conviction directly related to the work when needed to protect the public.
West Virginia	Any felony and listed offenses disqualify unless pardoned.
Wisconsin	An unpardoned felony means automatic denial; misdemeanors are reviewed.
Wyoming	No state license; employers decide.

Armed work: the federal firearm bar

Even where a state would license you, armed security work is out of reach if federal law prohibits you from possessing a firearm. Under 18 U.S.C. §922(g), that includes anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison (which covers most felonies), anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, people subject to certain protective orders, and several other categories. A state permit to carry, or a state that allows permitless carry, does not override the federal bar. Some states also add their own armed-only rules: Texas, for example, bars armed commissions for anyone with two or more alcohol or drug convictions in 10 years, and Pennsylvania’s Act 235 bars first-degree misdemeanors and crimes of violence.

If your goal is armed work and you have a record, check federal eligibility first. A pardon or restoration of rights may or may not restore firearm rights depending on the state and the offense, so get legal advice before you pay for firearms training.

What about a DUI?

A single DUI is usually a misdemeanor, and in most states it will not stop you from getting an unarmed guard license on its own. It can matter in other ways. Some armed rules count alcohol offenses: Texas treats two alcohol- or drug-related convictions in 10 years as “chemical dependency” for armed commissions, and Michigan disqualifies guards with two or more alcohol-related offenses within 5 years. Kansas City reviews city DWI convictions case by case. And if a post involves driving a patrol vehicle, your employer’s insurance may not cover you with a recent DUI. The bigger risk, though, is not the DUI itself. It is how you handle it.

Never lie on the application

Licensing agencies and employers expect to find records. What they do not forgive is concealment. Many states treat an undisclosed conviction as a separate ground for denial, and some make a false statement on a guard application a crime in its own right: New Jersey, for example, makes it a fourth-degree crime. Fingerprint checks find arrests and convictions from every state, including old ones and charges that were dismissed but still show on your record.

• Disclose everything the form asks for, including arrests without convictions if the question covers them, out-of-state cases and juvenile matters where required.
• Attach certified court documents showing the outcome, especially for dismissed or reduced charges.
• Write a short, honest explanation: what happened, how long ago, and what you have done since.
• Read the question carefully. If a record was expunged or sealed, many states let you answer as if it never happened, but rules vary, so check before you answer.

Expungement, sealing, pardons and certificates

Several legal tools can remove or reduce the effect of a record. They are often the single most valuable step for someone with an old conviction who wants to work in security:

• Expungement and sealing. Many states let you clear or seal older records after a waiting period. Massachusetts, for example, allows sealing of many misdemeanors after 3 years and many felonies after 7. An expunged or sealed record is generally treated as if it did not occur for most employment purposes, though licensing agencies sometimes still see it.
• Clean Slate laws. States including Michigan, Connecticut and Minnesota now seal or erase many older convictions automatically. Check whether yours already qualifies.
• Pardons. In states with lifetime bars, such as Wisconsin, West Virginia, Louisiana and Alaska, a pardon is often the only way through.
• Certificates of rehabilitation. New York’s Certificate of Relief from Disabilities and Certificate of Good Conduct are designed for exactly this, and New York law requires licensing agencies to weigh rehabilitation.
• Restoration of rights. Florida, for example, requires civil rights restoration before a felony conviction stops being an automatic bar.

Legal aid organizations and expungement clinics can often help for free or at low cost. Getting a record cleared before you apply is far easier than appealing a denial.

How the background check works

In most licensing states, you are fingerprinted electronically (through a vendor such as IdentoGO, Fieldprint or a state Live Scan site) and the results go to the state police and the FBI. In states without guard licensing, employers usually run commercial background checks, and under the federal Private Security Officer Employment Authorization Act of 2004, private security employers can request FBI fingerprint checks on applicants in states that participate. Expect the check to cover every state you have lived in, not just the one where you apply.

If you have a record: a step-by-step plan

1. Get your own record first. Request your state criminal history, and an FBI Identity History Summary if you have lived in more than one state, so you see exactly what an employer will see.
2. Check your state’s rule in the table above and in your state guide.
3. Look into expungement, sealing or a pardon before applying, especially if your state has a lifetime bar.
4. Ask the licensing agency whether your specific conviction would disqualify you. Some, such as Wisconsin’s DSPS, offer a formal predetermination; others will answer by phone.
5. Gather court documents and write a short, honest explanation.
6. Start unarmed. It is usually far easier to qualify for, and a clean work record helps later applications.
7. Consider states or roles with case-by-case review if you can relocate, or in-house security roles in states where in-house guards are exempt from licensing.