Washington Security Guard License Requirements

In Washington, security guards are licensed by the Department of Licensing (DOL) under RCW 18.170 and WAC 308-18. You need a private security guard license to work as an unarmed guard, and an armed private security guard license to carry a firearm on duty. Washington is one of the few states where your license renews every year and where you must complete refresher training every year. On the other hand, it lets you start working quickly on a temporary registration card from your employer. This guide covers the 8-hour pre-assignment course, the follow-up training, the fees, the armed license and the criminal history standard.

Unarmed vs. armed license

	Private security guard license	Armed private security guard license
Minimum age	18	21
Training	8 hours pre-assignment + 8 hours post-assignment + 4 hours yearly	All of the above + CJTC firearms certificate and annual shooting requirement
Fees	$101 original, $95 renewal	Plus $10 armed endorsement
Temporary card	Allowed for up to 60 days	Temporary card does not allow carrying a firearm
Term	1 year	1 year

Who can be licensed

Under RCW 18.170.030, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old (21 for an armed license).
• Be a U.S. citizen or resident noncitizen.
• Complete the training required by DOL.
• Submit fingerprints for a state and FBI background check.
• Be employed by, or have an offer from, a licensed private security company (or be licensed as one).
• Pay the fee and file a complete application.

Criminal history

Washington does not publish a list of automatically disqualifying crimes. Under RCW 18.170.030, DOL may withhold a license because of a conviction in any jurisdiction only if the crime directly relates to a security guard’s duties and DOL determines that withholding the license is needed to protect the public. That is a more individual review than many states use. Be completely honest on the application. Hiding a conviction is unprofessional conduct and can cost you the license even if the conviction itself would not have. Armed applicants must also be legally allowed to possess firearms.

The training

Training must be given by a DOL-certified trainer. Your employer keeps proof of your training on file.

8-hour pre-assignment training and exam

Before you work, you complete 8 hours of pre-assignment training: at least 4 hours in a formal classroom setting, and 4 more hours of classroom or individual instruction. The course covers the role of a guard, legal powers and limits, emergency response, observation and reporting, and customer service. It ends with a multiple-choice exam. Washington’s standard is unusual: you must answer every question correctly, or review each missed question with the trainer and initial it.

8-hour post-assignment training

After you are licensed, you complete 8 hours of post-assignment training. The deadline depends on when you were first licensed: if licensed between January 1 and June 30, by June 30 of the following year; if licensed between July 1 and December 31, by December 31 of the following year.

4-hour annual refresher

Every year after that, you complete at least 4 hours of refresher training. No more than 1 hour can be customer service; the other 3 hours must cover emergency response topics.

Armed: the CJTC firearms certificate

To be an armed guard you need a current firearms certificate from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), earned through an approved firearms course and qualification, plus the armed license from DOL. Your employer must keep proof that you meet the annual shooting requirement. Non-citizen residents must also provide a copy of their current alien firearm license.

How to get licensed, step by step

1. Get a job offer from a DOL-licensed private security company.
2. Complete the 8-hour pre-assignment training and exam with a certified trainer.
3. Receive a temporary registration card from your employer if it uses them. The company must mail your license application to DOL within 3 business days of issuing the card.
4. Submit fingerprints for the background check. The $101 original license fee includes the background check.
5. Receive your license from DOL. Carry it on duty.
6. For armed work, earn your CJTC firearms certificate and apply for the armed license and $10 endorsement. You must be 21.

What it costs

Fee	Amount
Original guard license (includes background check)	$101
Armed endorsement	$10
Annual renewal	$95
Late renewal penalty	$15
Transfer to a new employer	$25
License print	$5
Training and firearms course	Set by the trainer

Because the license renews every year, budget for the $95 renewal and 4 hours of refresher training annually. Many Washington security companies pay both.

Working on a temporary registration card

Under RCW 18.170.090, a licensed company can issue you a temporary registration card once you have completed pre-assignment training and your application has been submitted. It is valid for up to 60 days, and only official DOL-supplied cards with a preprinted number can be used. The card shows your name, the issue and expiration dates, and the certified trainer’s name and signature. A temporary card never allows you to carry a firearm.

Your authority as a Washington security guard

A DOL license does not make you a police officer. Washington relies largely on common law for private-person arrests, which generally allows a citizen’s arrest for a felony, or for a misdemeanor that breaches the peace committed in your presence. In retail, RCW 9A.16.080 gives a merchant or the merchant’s employee a defense against claims of false arrest when they detain a suspected shoplifter on the premises in a reasonable manner, for a reasonable time, with reasonable grounds, to investigate or wait for police. Your company’s policy is often stricter, and many Washington contracts are observe-and-report only. Write a detailed report whenever you act.

Renewal

• Term: one year from the date of issue.
• Fee: $95, due on or before your renewal date. A $15 late penalty applies after that.
• Training: stay current on your 4-hour annual refresher (and annual shooting requirement if armed).
• Cancellation: if the renewal fee is not received within one year after expiration, your license is cancelled and you start over.
• Changing jobs: transfer your license to your new employer for $25.

Choosing a trainer and employer

Ask whether the company’s trainers are DOL-certified, whether it issues temporary registration cards so you can start right away, and whether it pays for your license, renewal and refresher training. For armed work, ask which CJTC-approved firearms course the company uses and who pays for range time. Security employers are concentrated around Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Spokane and Vancouver, with large in-house programs at hospitals, tech campuses, ports and distribution centers.

Preparing for the pre-assignment exam

Washington’s pre-assignment exam is open to review: every wrong answer must be gone over with your trainer before you can pass. That makes it less about memorizing and more about understanding. Focus on these areas, which come up again and again on the job:

• Your legal limits. Know the difference between observing and reporting, and when, if ever, your employer allows you to detain someone.
• Use of force. Only the force that is reasonable and necessary, and only as your company policy allows.
• Emergency response. Fire, medical, bomb threat, active threat and evacuation procedures, including who you call first.
• Report writing. Facts, times and names, written so a stranger can understand what happened.
• Customer service. Most of your shift is helping people, not stopping them.

Ask your trainer for the post orders of your first site before your first shift, and keep a pocket notebook for times and details. It makes your reports much easier to write.

Moving to Washington from another state

Washington does not accept other states’ guard licenses. You need the Washington pre-assignment training and a DOL license. For armed work, you need a CJTC firearms certificate. A concealed pistol license (CPL), from Washington or elsewhere, does not replace the armed security guard license for on-duty carry.

Common reasons Washington applications stall

• The employer did not mail the application within 3 business days of issuing a temporary card.
• A temporary card that expires after 60 days before the license is issued.
• Missing the post-assignment training deadline.
• An undisclosed conviction.
• Letting renewal lapse for more than a year, which cancels the license.