Hiring a security guard or alarm company: a checklist for businesses and HOAs
License, branch, insurance, officer registration and training, post orders, alarm monitoring, contract terms and records, for California and Illinois.
Most security contracts are bought by businesses, homeowner associations, property managers, schools, churches and event organizers, often under time pressure after an incident. A license check takes minutes and protects you: in California it is a misdemeanor to knowingly engage an unlicensed private patrol operator. This checklist pulls together what to ask before you sign a guard or alarm contract in California or Illinois.
1. Confirm the company's license, not just its name
In California, guard companies hold a private patrol operator (PPO) license and alarm companies an alarm company operator license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). In Illinois, they hold a private security contractor agency or private alarm contractor agency license from IDFPR. Check the license number on the proposal against this site and the official lookup, the DCA License Search in California or IDFPR License Look-Up in Illinois. Make sure the legal name on the contract matches the license; a trade name should appear as a DBA.
2. Check the branch that will serve you
Both states license branch offices separately. In Illinois an agency may not operate a branch without a branch office license for each location (225 ILCS 447/10-5). If the proposal comes from a regional office, look up that office; our listings link each branch to the main license with the same name.
3. Get the insurance in writing
California PPOs must keep at least $1,000,000 of commercial general liability insurance on file with BSIS (Bus. & Prof. Code 7583.39–7583.40), and the license is automatically suspended if they don't. Illinois security and alarm contractors must carry general liability insurance and prove it to IDFPR (225 ILCS 447/20-10, 25-10). Neither state's public file shows the policy, so ask for a certificate of insurance listing your organization, check the limits against your contract and lease, and ask about workers' compensation and any professional liability cover.
4. Ask about the officers
- Registration. California guards must carry a BSIS registration card on duty (Bus. & Prof. Code 7583.3); Illinois employees need a PERC card (225 ILCS 447/35-30).
- Training. California requires a power-to-arrest and use-of-force course before registration, 32 hours of skills training within six months and 8 hours a year after that (7583.6). Illinois requires 20 hours of basic training within 30 days and 8 more within six months for guard employees (225 ILCS 447/25-20). Ask what the company adds on top.
- Firearms. Armed officers need a BSIS firearms permit in California or an IDFPR firearm control card in Illinois. Decide deliberately whether you need armed coverage.
- Turnover and supervision. Ask how officers are assigned, how often they rotate, who supervises them and how you reach that supervisor at 2 a.m.
5. Define the work
Agree in writing on the post orders: hours, patrol routes, access-control duties, what officers may and may not do, and how they escalate to police. Agree on incident reporting: format, timing and who receives reports. California PPOs must report firearm discharges and many physical altercations to BSIS within seven business days (7583.2); ask for a copy of any report that concerns your site.
For a one-off event, settle staffing numbers, arrival times, uniforms, radio channels and the chain of command with your venue and local police before the day. Ask whether officers will be employees of the licensed company or of a subcontractor; California defines a security guard as an employee of a private patrol operator or of the business or agency that uses the guard (Bus. & Prof. Code 7582.1(e)), so if officers come from a subcontractor, that subcontractor needs its own PPO license, which you can check the same way.
6. Alarm and monitoring contracts
For alarm systems in California, the written agreement must show the company's license number, the selling agent's registration number, the work and price, a description of the system and the monitoring, and a BSIS disclosure (Bus. & Prof. Code 7599.54). Ask who operates the central station that monitors your system, what the response procedure is, and whether your city charges false-alarm fees or requires an alarm permit.
7. Read the term, renewal and termination clauses
Multi-year terms, automatic renewals and early-termination fees are common in both guard and alarm contracts. Note the notice period for non-renewal, what happens to leased equipment, and whether the price escalates each year. If you sign a residential alarm contract at home, you generally have three business days to cancel (five for seniors) under Civil Code section 1689.6.
8. Check the record
In Illinois, IDFPR's file records disciplinary actions, and each Illinois listing here shows them exactly as published. In California, the DCA License Search shows any disciplinary action against a BSIS license. A long license history is reassuring but not a guarantee; references from similar sites are worth asking for.
9. Watch for red flags
- No license number on the proposal, website or advertising. Illinois requires it in every ad (225 ILCS 447/35-15), and California requires it in every alarm agreement (Bus. & Prof. Code 7599.54).
- A price far below other bids, which can mean unregistered or untrained officers, or no insurance.
- Reluctance to name the officers' supervisor, provide a certificate of insurance or show registration cards.
- A contract that cannot be cancelled without a large fee, or an automatic renewal you were not told about.
- Claims that a system is "UL listed" or "police approved" without written proof; in California that is prohibited unless true (7599.55).
10. Keep records
Keep the license numbers, the insurance certificate, the contract, post orders and incident reports. If something goes wrong, you can complain to BSIS in California or IDFPR in Illinois, and the records make the complaint concrete.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Security Company Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.