Security licensing ยท Texas
Texas security officer license renewal: what employers need to track
Texas DPS licenses individual officers and the companies that employ them, on different cycles. Here is how each one expires, what renewal takes, and what it costs to miss a date.
Who issues the license
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) regulates private security, including armed and unarmed security officers and personal protection officers, under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1702 (DPS Private Security overview). Applications and renewals go through DPS's online licensing system, Texas Online Private Security, or TOPS (DPS licensing and registration).
The training level depends on the license. Non-commissioned (unarmed) officers need Level II training. Commissioned (armed) officers need Levels II and III, and personal protection officers need Levels II, III, and IV (DPS individual license FAQ).
How long a Texas license lasts
- Individual licenses. A person new to private security gets a license that expires two years after it is issued. Licenses added later take the expiration date of the license already held, so there is one shared date for unarmed licenses and one for armed licenses. The date is printed on the pocket card (DPS FAQ).
- Company licenses. A company license expires every year on the last day of its expiration month, and branch offices renew with it (DPS company FAQ).
The renewal window and late fees
Individual and company licenses can be renewed online starting 180 days before expiration and up to one year after, with late fees once the license has expired (DPS FAQ; company FAQ).
The statute sets the cost of being late: 1½ times the normal renewal fee if the license has been expired 90 days or less, and twice the fee if it has been expired longer than 90 days but less than a year. After a year, the license cannot be renewed and the person must apply for a new one (Occupations Code §1702.302). DPS's published fee schedule turns that into these totals, which include the pocket card and subscription fees (DPS fee schedule, revised 2019):
| When the renewal is filed | Non-commissioned | Commissioned or PPO |
|---|---|---|
| Before expiration | $37 | $57 |
| Up to 90 days late | $52 | $82 |
| More than 90 days late, under 1 year | $67 | $107 |
| 1 year or more late | No renewal. Apply for a new license. | |
TOPS shows the amount due at checkout, so confirm there if the schedule has been updated.
Section 1702.302 also says a person whose license has expired may not engage in activities that require a license until it has been renewed, and that DPS must send written notice of an upcoming expiration at least 30 days ahead to the license holder's last known address. That notice goes to the officer, not to you.
The employer can pay. DPS accepts renewal payment from the individual or from the affiliated employer through its employer pay option (DPS FAQ).
Continuing education and firearm proficiency
- Non-commissioned officers are exempt from continuing education (DPS CE requirements chart).
- Commissioned officers and personal protection officers need six hours of continuing education every two years, made up of the renewal portions of Level III or Level IV training (DPS CE chart). It must come from a licensed school and instructor (DPS training page).
- Firearm proficiency. To renew, commissioned officers also submit a firearm proficiency certificate that is no more than 90 days old (DPS FAQ). The statute requires proficiency to be demonstrated within the 90 days before the commission is renewed (§1702.309).
- Personality test. Since House Bill 3424 (2023), all original and renewing applicants for a commissioned security officer license must complete the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, or MMPI (DPS: 88th Legislature changes).
Continuing education counts only if it is completed within the two years before the current expiration date, and attendees and companies must keep completion certificates for two years (DPS CE chart). DPS also expects the employer to keep proof of continuing education in the officer's personnel file (DPS training page).
Timing is tightest for armed officers. Range qualification has to land inside the 90 days before the renewal is filed, or the officer qualifies twice.
Penalties for using unlicensed officers
Chapter 1702 (Texas Legislature) includes these provisions:
- Knowingly contracting with or employing someone who is required to hold a license or commission and does not is a Class A misdemeanor (§1702.386).
- The same conduct can bring a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation, once the person has had at least 30 days' notice of the requirements (§1702.381).
- No one may hire an individual as a security officer to carry a firearm unless that individual holds a security officer commission (§1702.161).
New hires get limited room. After a substantially complete application is on file, an applicant may work in an unarmed capacity if the employer runs a background check that includes the DPS criminal history and sex offender databases, and keeps a record of it. DPS states that these provisions do not allow armed work before licensure (DPS: working prior to licensure).
A tracking routine that fits Texas rules
- Keep one record per officer: license type, number, and expiration date. For armed officers, add the last CE course and proficiency certificate dates. Add the company license and branch offices too.
- Set reminders at 180 days (the window opens), 90 days (book CE and range time), 60 days, and 30 days.
- When an officer renews, collect a photo of the new pocket card and update the record. Check TOPS if a status is unclear.
- Once a week, review everyone who is expired or due within 30, 60, or 90 days.
Rules change. This guide summarizes public sources and is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the Texas DPS Private Security Program before acting on them.