Guard card tracking for security companies: a manager's checklist

At hire: before the first shift

• Look the applicant up on the state licensing agency's lookup (table below) and save a screenshot or printout with the date.
• In New York, also run the applicant through the Online Security Guard Registry, which employers use for the due diligence required by 19 NYCRR §174.6. DOS advises keeping the printed summary (NY DOS).
• Photograph the front and back of the guard card and any firearm or baton permit.
• Record license type, number, and expiration date for each credential.
• Collect training certificates and note when the next required training is due. In Georgia, unarmed guards are not registered with the state, so the 24-hour training record is the credential to keep on file (Georgia Board FAQ).
• If the applicant is not yet licensed, check the state's rules on working before licensure. Texas, for example, allows unarmed work before licensure only under specific conditions and does not allow armed work (Texas DPS).
• In Illinois, a new hire may work while the PERC application is pending only if the agency meets the statute's conditions, including IDFPR verification of a clean criminal history check and a roster of pending applicants (225 ILCS 447/35-30).
• File any required employer notice. New York requires written notice to DOS within 15 calendar days of a hire (GBL §89-g), and Florida requires an online Employee Action Report within 15 days (Rule 5N-1.142).

Official license lookup tools

Every week

• Sort the roster by next due date and review four groups: expired, due within 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days.
• Pull anyone with an expired credential from posts that require it. California, Florida, New York, and Texas all bar guards from working on an expired registration or license, and Illinois treats work on an expired PERC as unlicensed practice.
• Chase anyone in the 30-day group who has not sent proof of renewal.
• Check that new hires from the past week have complete records.

Before each renewal

Lead times differ by state, so set the first reminder from the strictest rule you operate under:

• At 90 days, book any required training or range qualification.
• At 60 days, confirm the guard has filed the renewal, and pay it if your company covers the fee.
• At 30 days, escalate anything still open and plan coverage for the post.
• When the new card arrives, photograph it, check it on the state lookup, and update the expiration date.

Once a year

• Check annual training. California requires eight hours of security skills training each year, Illinois requires eight hours of refresher training each calendar year, and New York requires an 8-hour annual in-service course. Armed officers in Florida need four hours of firearms requalification every year of the Class G license, and Georgia weapon permit holders must qualify annually with the weapon they carry.
• Spot-check ten records against the state lookup to catch typos in expiration dates.
• Make sure training records are where the state expects them. California requires the employer to keep a training record for each guard at its principal place of business or branch office (B&P 7583.6).

When a guard leaves

• File any required notice. New York requires written notice to DOS within 15 calendar days of a retirement, resignation, or termination (GBL §89-g).
• In Florida, file the Employee Action Report within 15 days of a termination. In Georgia, notify the Board within 30 days and mail in the registration and any weapon permits (Rule 509-2-.03). In Illinois, collect the agency ID card (35-30(h)), and if the guard was armed, terminate the firearm control card in IDFPR's online system (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1240.530).
• Keep the file for as long as your state requires. Texas rules require employee records to be kept two years after the last date of employment (37 TAC §35.111), New York one year after the guard leaves, and Illinois five years.
• Mark the record inactive instead of deleting it, so the history is there for an audit.