Virginia Security Guard License Requirements

In Virginia, security officers are registered by the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), Private Security Services Section. Everyone who works as an unarmed or armed security officer for a licensed private security business needs a DCJS registration. Armed officers also need a firearms endorsement, which is renewed every year. Virginia is one of the more practical states for new guards: fees are low, and unarmed officers can start working while they finish their training. This guide covers the training hours, the fees, the 90-day and 120-day rules, the criminal history bar and renewal, checked against the Code of Virginia (§9.1-139) and the DCJS regulations (6VAC20-174).

Unarmed vs. armed registration

	Unarmed security officer	Armed security officer
Entry-level training	18 hours	50 hours (18 core + 8 arrest authority + 24 handgun) + 3 hours shotgun if applicable
Firearms endorsement	Not needed	Required. Valid up to 12 months
Work before registration	Up to 90 days while training, with fingerprints submitted	No. Training and registration must be complete first
Retraining	In-service training each 24-month registration period	In-service core subjects + annual handgun retraining (and shotgun if applicable)

Who can register

Under 6VAC20-174-40 and Code §9.1-139, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien.
• Complete the entry-level training for each category you request (or receive an exemption).
• Submit fingerprints for a Virginia and national criminal history search.
• Not have a disqualifying conviction (see below).

The regulations set 18 as the minimum for every category, including armed. Some employers and clients set 21 for armed posts, and federal law limits handgun purchases from dealers to people 21 and older, so ask your employer.

Criminal history

Code §9.1-139 bars registration for anyone convicted of any felony, or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, assault and battery, damage to real or personal property, controlled substances, prohibited sexual behavior, or firearms. There is no automatic time limit after which these convictions stop counting. However, the DCJS Director can waive the bar if you request it in writing, and must answer in writing within 30 days. A waiver request should explain the offense, the time since, and what you have done since. Armed applicants must also be legally allowed to possess firearms under state and federal law.

The training

All training must come from a DCJS-certified private security training school, which reports your completion to DCJS. Do not send the completion form yourself. Training only counts if you file your application within 12 months of finishing it.

Unarmed: 18-hour entry-level course

The unarmed course covers the core security officer subjects: orientation and the role of security, law and legal authority, patrol and observation, access control, emergency response, report writing, communications and professional conduct. Many Virginia schools run it over two or three days.

Armed: 50 hours

Armed officers take the same 18 hours of core subjects, plus 8 hours of arrest authority and 24 hours of handgun training, ending in a range qualification. If you will carry a shotgun, add 3 hours of shotgun training. Patrol rifle training is separate where applicable. Personal protection specialists have their own advanced curriculum.

Retraining

You must complete in-service training once during each 24-month registration period, before your registration expires. Armed officers also complete firearms retraining every year: 4 hours of handgun retraining (plus 3 hours of shotgun retraining if applicable). Firearms retraining only counts if it is completed within the 90 days before your endorsement expires. If you miss it, you must take the full entry-level firearms training again.

How to register, step by step

1. Get hired by a DCJS-licensed private security business, or line up a job offer.
2. Submit your fingerprints for the Virginia and national criminal history search, on or before your first day of work. The processing fee is $50.
3. Complete the entry-level training at a certified school. Unarmed officers can be working during this time, within the 90-day limit.
4. Apply for registration through the DCJS online system and pay the $25 registration fee. Add the $10 firearms endorsement if you will be armed. Paper applications add a $5 manual processing fee.
5. Use a temporary registration letter if one is issued. DCJS can issue a letter valid for up to 120 days while your fingerprint results are pending, if you have completed (or been exempted from) training and met all other requirements.
6. Receive your registration card and carry it on duty.

What it costs

Fee	Amount
Fingerprint processing	$50
Initial registration	$25
Firearms endorsement	$10
Additional registration category	$20
Registration renewal	$20
Late renewal (reinstatement)	Renewal fee + 50%
Replacement card	$20
Manual (paper) processing	$5
Training	Set by the school

Virginia’s state fees are among the lowest in the country: $75 for a new unarmed officer, or $85 with a firearms endorsement. Tuition is the bigger cost, especially for the 50-hour armed course with range fees and ammunition.

Working while your registration is pending

Unarmed officers may work for up to 90 consecutive days while completing their entry-level training, as long as fingerprints were submitted on or before the hire date, and they must be registered by their 120th day of employment. This allowance is not available if you previously failed to complete training on time with another employer.

Armed officers get no such window. You must complete all training and hold a current registration and firearms endorsement before you carry a firearm or have access to one on duty.

Arrest authority for armed officers

Virginia is unusual in giving registered armed security officers limited arrest powers. Under Code §9.1-146, an armed security officer who has completed the required training and is on duty at their assigned location may arrest for offenses committed in their presence on that property, and must turn the person over to a law enforcement officer. That is why the armed curriculum includes 8 hours of arrest authority. Unarmed officers have the same arrest authority as any private citizen.

In retail, Virginia’s shoplifting law (Code §18.2-105.1) protects a merchant, agent or employee who detains a suspected shoplifter for a reasonable time with probable cause to believe the person is concealing or attempting to take merchandise. Your company policy may be stricter. Many contracts are observe-and-report only, so follow your post orders and document every detention in a written report.

Renewal

• Registration term: up to 24 months.
• When to file: at least 30 days before expiration.
• Requirements: in-service training, plus annual firearms retraining if you hold an endorsement.
• Fee: $20.
• Late renewal: within 60 days after expiration you can reinstate by meeting all renewal requirements and paying the renewal fee plus 50%. After 60 days, you must meet all initial requirements again. You may not work during the lapse.
• Firearms endorsements cannot be reinstated. If one lapses, you retake the entry-level firearms training.

DCJS allows renewal extensions only for extended illness or injury, military or foreign service, or an emergency temporary assignment, requested in writing before the deadline, for no more than 12 months in total.

Choosing a Virginia training school

DCJS publishes a searchable directory of certified private security training schools. Before you enroll, check these points:

• Certification: confirm the school and the instructor are certified by DCJS for the course you need. Training from an uncertified provider does not count.
• Reporting: the school, not you, reports completion to DCJS. Ask how fast they report, since your 90-day work window is running.
• Armed courses: ask what the 50-hour price includes. Range fees, targets, ammunition, eye and ear protection and gun rental can add a lot.
• Combined courses: many schools let you start with the 18-hour unarmed course and add the 32 armed hours later. That lets you work an unarmed post while you finish.
• Retraining: pick a school that also offers in-service and annual firearms retraining, so renewal stays simple.

If your employer is paying, ask whether it has its own certified training school. Larger Virginia security companies often train in-house, which can be faster and free.

Moving to Virginia from another state

Virginia does not accept other states’ guard cards. You need a DCJS registration. However, DCJS offers an entry-level training exemption ($25) and evaluates alternative credit for prior training, which can help experienced officers and former law enforcement. Apply before you pay for a full course.

Common reasons Virginia registrations stall

• Fingerprints submitted after the hire date, which removes the 90-day work allowance.
• Training older than 12 months when the application is filed.
• Firearms retraining completed more than 90 days before the endorsement expires.
• A disqualifying misdemeanor (such as assault and battery) without a waiver request.
• Renewal filed after 60 days past expiration, which forces a full restart.