Arizona Security Guard License (DPS Guard Card) as a Side Hustle: Requirements, Training, and Fees

TL;DR

• You can't be a freelance security guard in Arizona. State law says you may act as a security guard only if you're registered with DPS and working within the scope of your employment for a DPS-licensed agency. A licensed agency that lets a registered guard work "on an independent contractor basis" can be disciplined. (A.R.S. §§ 32-2608, 32-2621, 32-2636(A)(19).)
• So the side hustle is a part-time W-2 job with a licensed guard company, or in-house security for a business that hires guards only for itself. Expect regular paycheck withholding, not a 1099. (A.R.S. §§ 32-2601, 32-2606.)
• Basic requirements: at least 18, a U.S. citizen or legal resident authorized to work, no felony convictions, and no listed misdemeanors in the past five years, plus fingerprints for a state and FBI background check. (A.R.S. §§ 32-2622, 32-2623.)
• Training: 8 hours of pre-assignment training from a DPS-registered instructor. Armed guards add 16 hours of firearms training and 8 hours every year after. (A.R.S. § 32-2632.)
• DPS fees: $50 for an unarmed registration or $100 armed, plus a $22 fingerprint processing fee. Fees aren't refundable. Some first-time applicants qualify for a fee waiver. (AZ DPS Licensing; A.A.C. R13-6-103.)
• Your card lasts four years. Renewal needs another 8 hours of refresher training within 90 days before you apply. (A.R.S. §§ 32-2624, 32-2632.)
• Starting your own guard company is a separate agency license: you must be 21 or older with three years of full-time security-management or law enforcement supervisory experience, pay $500 + $500 in DPS fees, and carry liability insurance and, if you'll have employees, workers' compensation. (A.R.S. §§ 32-2612, 32-2613; A.A.C. R13-6-103, R13-6-202.)

Who this guide is for

You might want weekend shifts at events, overnight hours at a construction site or apartment complex, or a few evenings a week of patrol work alongside a day job. Or you might be a veteran or retired officer thinking about starting a small guard company. This guide covers how Arizona's guard registration ("guard card") works, what it costs, and what's different about security compared with most side hustles.

It doesn't promise income, and we don't publish pay estimates. What you make depends on the employer, the post, and your hours, and we can't verify typical pay on an official source.

Who needs a guard card in Arizona

Arizona law defines a security guard as anyone employed by a private security guard service or a proprietary company "as a watchman, patrolman, bodyguard, personal protection guard or private security guard or any other person who performs security guard services." Regularly commissioned police and peace officers aren't included. (A.R.S. § 32-2601(23).)

The core rule: "No person, except a regularly commissioned peace officer, shall act, attempt to act or represent himself as a security guard unless such person is registered as a guard pursuant to this chapter and acting within the scope of his employment for an agency licensed pursuant to article 2 of this chapter." (A.R.S. § 32-2621(A).) Knowingly violating it is a class 1 misdemeanor. (A.R.S. § 32-2608.)

Who the guard rules don't cover (A.R.S. § 32-2606):

• Federal, state, and local government officers and employees performing official duties.
• People doing security work at a commercial nuclear generating station subject to federal rules, or at a company subject to Department of Defense regulatory requirements.
• Proprietary companies: a company that "employs security guards solely for use of and service to itself and not for others," if it meets three conditions. Armed guards must complete 16 hours of firearms training initially and 8 hours of refresher training each year, uniforms or badges must meet DPS standards, and the company must file an annual affidavit with DPS confirming it runs background investigations on its guards.
• The Arizona Rangers, in the situations the statute describes.

If a store, venue, or apartment owner hires you directly as its own in-house security, ask the employer whether it operates under the proprietary-company exception. Whether a particular role, such as door staff or event crowd control, counts as "security guard services" depends on the facts. If you're unsure, ask AZ DPS before you take the job.

Why you can't work as a 1099 security contractor

This is the biggest difference from most side hustles on this site.

• An Arizona guard may work only "within the scope of his employment" for a licensed agency. (A.R.S. § 32-2621(A).)
• The chapter defines an employee as someone who "is listed on the employer's payroll records and is under the employer's direction and control," and an employer as a licensee who pays wages or salary, keeps the person on payroll, "and who withholds all legally required deductions and contributions." (A.R.S. § 32-2601(11)–(12).)
• A registrant is "an employee of a licensed agency." (A.R.S. § 32-2601(20).)
• An agency can be disciplined for "permitting, authorizing, aiding or in any way assisting a registered employee to conduct services as described in this chapter on an independent contractor basis and not under the authority of the licensed agency." (A.R.S. § 32-2636(A)(19).)

So a guard card doesn't let you sell security services directly to a bar, an HOA, or a wedding on your own. To do that, you'd need your own agency license (see below). If someone offers to pay you cash or on a 1099 to "do security," that's a red flag worth checking with DPS.

Requirements for an unarmed guard registration

To get a security guard registration certificate, you must (A.R.S. § 32-2622(A)):

1. Be at least 18 years old.
2. Be a U.S. citizen or legal resident authorized to seek employment in the United States.
3. Not have been convicted of any felony, or currently be under indictment for one.
4. Not have been convicted, within the five years before you apply, of a misdemeanor involving personal violence or threats of violence, misconduct involving a deadly weapon, dishonesty or fraud, arson, theft, domestic violence, offenses under A.R.S. Title 13, Chapter 34 or 34.1 (drug offenses), or sexual misconduct.
5. Not be on parole, community supervision, work furlough, home arrest, or any other release, or be named in an outstanding arrest warrant.
6. Not be on probation for an act of personal violence or domestic violence.
7. Not have been adjudicated mentally incompetent or found to be a danger to yourself or others under A.R.S. § 36-540.
8. Not have been convicted of acting as a guard without a required license.
9. Not be a registered sex offender.

The statute also lists a disability item, tied to the definitions in A.R.S. § 41-1461. Read the statute or ask DPS if it may apply to you.

If you're denied. DPS says you may be able to seek a good cause exception through the Arizona Private Investigator and Security Guard Hearing Board, depending on the offense. (AZ DPS Licensing.) By statute, the board may grant one for a misdemeanor if you've completed all terms of your sentence, or for a felony if ten or more years have passed since you completed all terms of sentencing. It isn't available for the offenses listed in A.R.S. § 41-1758.03(B). The board weighs factors such as the nature of the offense, how long ago it was, and evidence of rehabilitation. (A.R.S. § 32-2609.)

Armed guard registration

To carry a firearm on duty, you need an armed security guard registration and your employer's authorization. "A security guard employee may not possess or carry a firearm while on official duty unless the employee is currently registered as an armed security guard and is authorized by the person's employer to possess or carry the firearm." (A.R.S. § 32-2624(C).)

On top of the unarmed requirements, an armed applicant must (A.R.S. § 32-2622(B)):

• Complete all background screening and training requirements.
• Not be a prohibited possessor under A.R.S. § 13-3101 or 18 U.S.C. § 922.
• Not have been discharged from the U.S. armed services under other than honorable conditions.
• Not have been convicted of any crime involving domestic violence (with no five-year limit).

The application must include a statement from your employer requesting and authorizing armed status. (A.R.S. § 32-2623(B).) You need a separate armed registration and ID card for each sponsoring employer. (A.R.S. § 32-2624(B).) If you work armed for a second agency, DPS charges a $10 additional armed employer registration fee. (AZ DPS Licensing; A.A.C. R13-6-104, R13-6-301(C).)

Training: 8 hours unarmed, 16 more for armed

(A.R.S. § 32-2632(A), (B), (D); A.A.C. R13-6-601 through R13-6-603.)

• Who trains you. The agency must provide the 8-hour pre-assignment training using an instructor certified by DPS and the DPS curriculum. Firearms training must come from a DPS-certified firearms safety training instructor. (A.R.S. § 32-2632.) DPS says the agency's registered instructors "are the only individuals who are authorized to sign" the Training Verification Forms. (AZ DPS Licensing.)
• What the 8 hours cover: orientation, criminal law and laws of arrest, uniform and grooming, communications, use of force, general security guard procedures, crime scene preservation and first response, ethics, and emergency response procedures. (A.A.C. R13-6-601(B).)
• Training cost isn't set by DPS, and we can't cite a typical price. Ask the employer whether it provides and pays for training before you accept a job.

How to apply for an Arizona guard card

In practice, you apply through your employer. Before a registration application is submitted, the agency's qualifying party must determine that you meet the requirements, check your information, and verify your work authorization using Form I-9 documents. (A.A.C. R13-6-301(A).)

DPS's Security Guard Application Checklist lists what goes in the packet (AZ DPS, Security Guard Application Checklist, rev. 09/2026):

1. The signed and dated Security Guard Application (DPS has separate unarmed and armed applications).
2. The $50 application fee and the fingerprint fee, by money order, cashier's check, agency business check, or cash. The checklist notes that armed applicants may owe additional fees, so verify the amount first.
3. The Training Verification Form (DPS 802-03917), completed by you, the trainer, and the agency.
4. A legible photocopy of your driver's license or other government-issued ID.
5. A passport-style 2x2 color photo with a white background.
6. An FD-258 fingerprint card ($22 processing fee), sealed in one envelope with the fingerprint affidavit form.
7. Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residence with authorization to work.

DPS says packets missing items 1, 2, or 6, or with those items incomplete, are returned without processing. (Checklist.) Since July 8, 2026, DPS rejects fingerprints that aren't sealed in a single envelope with the completed affidavit. (AZ DPS Licensing.)

This is not the fingerprint clearance card. The guard application uses its own fingerprint card and DPS background check for state and FBI records. (A.R.S. § 32-2623(A)(2).) It's separate from the DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card used for jobs like child care. Don't buy one thinking it replaces the guard process.

Timing. DPS asks applicants to allow at least 15 business days after submitting before contacting the unit about status. Once approved, the ID card is generally printed and mailed within two business days, and DPS says to allow up to 14 business days for delivery by first-class mail. (AZ DPS Licensing.)

System change this fall. As of October 28, 2026, DPS's licensing page says the Licensing Unit is moving to a new processing system, that electronic applications and fingerprint submissions will be suspended on October 30, 2026, and that it will keep accepting paper applications and fingerprints. It recommends renewing early if you're due in October or November. Check the DPS page for the current status.

Contact. DPS Licensing Unit, (602) 223-2361, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Public Services Center, Window 2, 2222 W. Encanto Blvd., Phoenix. (AZ DPS Licensing.)

Fees

(AZ DPS Licensing, fees table; A.A.C. R13-6-103.) That puts a typical first unarmed application at $72 in DPS fees ($50 + $22). For an armed application, the posted fees are $100 + $22, but DPS's checklist says armed applicants may owe more, so confirm the total with AZ DPS before you pay. Licensing fees and fingerprint fees are non-refundable. (AZ DPS Licensing.)

Fee waiver for first-time applicants. Under A.R.S. § 41-1080.01, Arizona agencies must waive the fee for an initial license if you're applying for that specific license in Arizona for the first time and you're one of these:

• An applicant whose family income doesn't exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
• An active-duty military service member's spouse.
• An honorably discharged veteran discharged not more than two years before applying.

DPS says the $22 fingerprint fee still applies and has a Licensing Fee Waiver Form on its licensing page. (A.R.S. § 41-1080.01; AZ DPS Licensing.)

Recently discharged veterans can also get started sooner. Before background screening is complete, DPS may issue a 45-day security guard or armed security guard registration certificate to an honorably discharged veteran discharged not more than three years before applying. You can work only for an agency that gives you the pre-assignment training. (A.R.S. § 32-2624(A).)

On the job: your card, uniform, and authority

• Carry your card. A guard must have the DPS ID card on them and show it when DPS or any peace officer asks. (A.A.C. R13-6-104(F); A.R.S. § 32-2636(A)(24).)
• No police powers. "A person employed as a security guard or armed security guard shall not possess the authority of a regularly commissioned police or peace officer." You act as a private citizen. (A.R.S. § 32-2634.)
• Uniforms and badges. Uniforms must not look identical to law enforcement uniforms. Shoulder patches with the agency's name, at least 2 by 3 inches, go on uniform jackets, coats, and shirts. You can't wear a badge or shield unless the DPS director approved it. (A.R.S. § 32-2635.)
• Report changes. Tell DPS within 15 calendar days after you change your name or home address. (A.R.S. § 32-2624(D).) DPS says you can't use your employer's address as your residential or mailing address. (AZ DPS Licensing.)
• Employers check status online. DPS says a photocopy of your card isn't proof your registration is valid. Employers verify through the DPS Public Services Portal. (AZ DPS Licensing.)

Renewing your guard card

• Guard registrations are valid for four years. (A.R.S. § 32-2624(A); AZ DPS Licensing.)
• Complete 8 hours of refresher training within 90 days before submitting your renewal, plus the annual firearms training if you're armed. (A.R.S. § 32-2632(B), (D).)
• When to file: DPS's licensing page says it accepts renewals up to 180 days before expiration and returns earlier applications. The older rule text says up to 60 days. Follow DPS's current page, and confirm with AZ DPS if you're unsure. (AZ DPS Licensing; A.A.C. R13-6-302(A).)
• Don't work on an expired card. If you don't submit a renewal before the expiration date, you must stop performing regulated guard services. (A.A.C. R13-6-302(C); A.R.S. § 32-2607(E).)

Moving here with another state's card? DPS says security guard registrations "are not transferable between states or persons," so you must meet Arizona's requirements. (AZ DPS Licensing.) The statute allows only limited recognition for multi-state agencies, capped at 30 days a year in Arizona. (A.R.S. § 32-2610.)

Starting your own security guard agency

If you want to contract directly with clients, the business needs a DPS agency license. "A person shall not engage in a business regulated by this chapter … unless the person is licensed." (A.R.S. § 32-2611.)

• Qualifying party. Every agency needs one. For a sole proprietorship, it's the owner. For a partnership, corporation, or LLC, it's the individual liable for managing the agency, and other partners or officers register as associates. (A.R.S. § 32-2616.)
• Experience. The qualifying party needs at least three years of full-time experience as a manager, supervisor, or administrator of a security guard agency, or three years of full-time supervisory experience with a federal, military, state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, documented on a DPS form. (A.R.S. § 32-2612(B).)
• Age and background. The applicant must be at least 21 and meet background requirements like those for guards. (A.R.S. § 32-2612(A).)
• Insurance. When DPS says the license is ready, you have 90 days to pay the license fee and provide a certificate of liability insurance showing at least $100,000 for any one person and $300,000 for any one event, naming DPS as certificate holder. If you'll have employees, you also need workers' compensation coverage. DPS says not to buy or submit insurance until it notifies you that the agency is approved. (A.A.C. R13-6-202(A); AZ DPS Licensing.)
• Name first. DPS says to get your agency name approved by the Licensing Unit before contacting the Arizona Corporation Commission or Secretary of State. (AZ DPS Licensing; A.A.C. R13-6-207.)
• Training program. The application must describe the agency's training program and identify the registered instructors it uses. (A.R.S. § 32-2613(C)(4).)
• Term. An agency license is issued for four years. (A.R.S. § 32-2614(A).)

(A.A.C. R13-6-103; AZ DPS Licensing.)

Cities may add their own requirements for guard agencies, but state law says a city may not charge an additional fee for them. (A.R.S. § 32-2605.) A new agency also has the usual business steps. See How to Start an LLC in Arizona, Arizona Business License for Side Hustles, and, if you'll run the office from home, Arizona Home Occupation Permits. An agency must post its license in a conspicuous place in its principal business office. (A.A.C. R13-6-202(E).)

Taxes: guard pay is W-2 wages

Because Arizona guards must be on an agency's payroll with legally required withholding, guard pay is generally wages, not self-employment income. (A.R.S. § 32-2601(11)–(12).)

• Federal. You'll fill out Form W-4 for your employer. If you also have a day job, the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator can help you check whether the combined withholding is enough. (IRS, About Form W-4; IRS, Tax Withholding Estimator.) The IRS looks at behavioral control, financial control, and the relationship of the parties to decide whether a worker is an employee. (IRS, Independent contractor or employee?)
• Arizona. New employees must complete Arizona Form A-4 within five days of starting. You choose a withholding rate from 0.5% to 3.5% of gross taxable wages, or zero if you expect no Arizona tax liability. If you don't turn it in, your employer must withhold at the default 2.0%. The form goes to your employer, not ADOR. (ADOR, Withholding Tax – Individual; ADOR Form A-4.)
• No self-employment tax on wages. Your employer withholds Social Security and Medicare and pays its matching share. Self-employment tax applies to net self-employment earnings, such as from an agency you own as a sole proprietor. (IRS, Self-Employment Tax.)
• Agency owners are running a business with payroll. See Side Hustle Taxes in Arizona and the free Arizona side hustle tax set-aside calculator for self-employment planning, and talk to a tax professional about payroll.

A simple decision path

1. Want occasional security shifts? Apply to a DPS-licensed agency (or a business that hires its own in-house guards). Expect W-2 pay.
2. Check your background against A.R.S. § 32-2622 before you pay for anything. If you have a disqualifying offense, ask about a good cause exception.
3. Complete the 8-hour pre-assignment training with the agency's registered instructor.
4. Submit the packet: application, $50 fee (or a fee waiver), FD-258 fingerprint card with the sealed affidavit and the $22 fee, training verification, ID copy, photo, and proof of work authorization.
5. Want to carry a firearm? You need your employer's authorization, the armed registration ($100, or $50 to upgrade), and 16 hours of firearms training, then 8 hours a year.
6. Want your own clients? That's an agency license: three years of qualifying experience, $1,000 in initial DPS fees, insurance, and a training program.
7. Not sure? Call the DPS Licensing Unit at (602) 223-2361, or try our Arizona side hustle license & permit checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a security guard license in Arizona? Get hired by a DPS-licensed security agency, complete the 8-hour pre-assignment training with the agency's DPS-registered instructor, and submit the DPS security guard application with the $50 fee, an FD-258 fingerprint card with the sealed affidavit and $22 fingerprint fee, the training verification form, an ID copy, a 2x2 photo, and proof of work authorization.

How much does an Arizona guard card cost? DPS charges $50 for an unarmed registration and $100 for armed, plus a $22 fingerprint processing fee. Some first-time applicants, including recently discharged veterans, military spouses, and lower-income applicants, can get the license fee waived, but the fingerprint fee still applies. Training costs are set by the employer or trainer.

How long is the security guard training in Arizona? Eight hours of pre-assignment training for all guards. Armed guards also need 16 hours of initial firearms training and 8 hours of continuing firearms training every year. Renewal requires another 8 hours of refresher training.

Can I work as a security guard as an independent contractor in Arizona? No. Arizona law allows guards to work only as employees of a DPS-licensed agency (or for a proprietary company that hires guards for itself), and agencies can be disciplined for letting guards work on an independent contractor basis. To sell security services directly, you need your own agency license.

How long does an Arizona guard card last? Four years. DPS says it accepts renewal applications up to 180 days before expiration.

Can I be a security guard in Arizona with a misdemeanor? It depends on the offense and timing. Misdemeanors involving violence, weapons, dishonesty or fraud, arson, theft, domestic violence, drug offenses, or sexual misconduct within the past five years are disqualifying. Any felony conviction is disqualifying, though the Hearing Board may grant a good cause exception in some cases.

Does my guard card from another state work in Arizona? No. DPS says registrations aren't transferable between states. You must meet Arizona's requirements.

How old do you have to be? At least 18 for an unarmed or armed guard registration, and at least 21 to hold a security guard agency license.