To start a security guard company in Maine, you apply to the Maine State Police for a contract security company license, issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Public Safety under 32 MRSA chapter 93. You file a sworn application with a list of your guards, pass the background review, post a surety bond of $10,000 (resident) or $50,000 (non-resident), and renew every year. Maine does not issue a separate state guard card to an unarmed officer working for a licensed company: the company vets each guard itself and reports them to the state. CGuardPro is software that keeps those officer records and dates in one place; it does not file anything for you.
The forms are on the Maine State Police Professional Investigator and Contract Security Licenses page, handled by the Weapons and Professional Licensing unit in Augusta. The statute sections are linked below from the Maine Legislature’s official site. Everything here was checked against those sources as of October 2026. Fees and forms change, so confirm with the unit before you file. This is not legal advice.
Maine at a glance
| Item | Maine requirement |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Commissioner of Public Safety, administered by the Maine State Police (Weapons and Professional Licensing) |
| Who needs a license | Any person who acts as a security guard, unless employed by a licensed contract security company or a proprietary security organization (§9404) |
| Company license term | One year, renewable annually (§9408) |
| Bond | $10,000 resident, $50,000 non-resident (§9409) |
| Liability insurance | Not set in chapter 93; ask your clients and insurer |
| Individual guard card | None for guards employed by a licensee; the company vets and reports each guard |
| Guard minimum age | 18 (§9410-A) |
| State training hours | No hour minimum appears in chapter 93 |
| Local guard licenses | None found in the sources we checked; check local business permits |
| Overtime | Over 40 hours in any one week (26 MRSA §664) |
Who regulates security companies in Maine?
The law gives licensing to the Commissioner of Public Safety, and the State Police Weapons and Professional Licensing unit runs it, with new and renewal applications and a surety bond form on its licensing page.
The trigger is broad. Under §9403, a security guard is anyone who, for any consideration, protects people or property, prevents or detects unauthorized activity on private property, or prevents intrusion, theft, vandalism or trespass. A contract security company is anyone in the business of providing a security guard to another person. §9404 then says no one may act as a security guard without a contract security company license, with two important exceptions: a proprietary security organization (a department that provides full-time guards solely for itself) and anyone employed by a licensed contract security company.
If you sell guard services to clients, you need the license; your officers work under it.
What does the Maine company license require?
§9405 sets the criteria. The applicant must show good moral character and be:
- 18 or older;
- a US citizen or resident alien;
- not dishonorably discharged from military service;
- free of convictions for crimes punishable by a year or more, and of certain listed crimes in the past five years.
The application itself carries a set of disqualifying questions, five years of addresses, a recent photograph, and a list of every employee who will perform security guard functions in Maine, with each person’s addresses for five years and physical description. For a corporation, §9407 requires the application to be sworn by a principal corporate officer and, if different, by the agent who meets the qualifications. Maine’s statute does not set a years-of-experience requirement for that person, which is unusual compared with most licensing states.
Fees. §9407 sets the original license fee at $400: $100 with the application and $300 on issuance. The current State Police application form lists $121 with the application ($100 plus $21 for the background check) and $300 once approved, and a renewal fee of $221 ($200 plus the $21 check). The form says processing can take about six to eight weeks, and an approval letter and bond form arrive after processing. Confirm the amounts on the day you file.
Bond. Under §9409, the licensee gives the commissioner a surety bond of $10,000 if a resident and $50,000 if not. A corporation counts as a resident if it is incorporated in Maine; any other applicant counts as a resident if the person who qualifies for the license lives in Maine. A company expanding from New Hampshire or Massachusetts under an out-of-state entity should price the larger bond.
Insurance. We did not find a liability insurance minimum in chapter 93. Your clients will set one in their contracts.
Changes. §9413 requires you to notify the commissioner within 30 days of any change in your qualifying agent, officers or directors, or any material change in the information you filed. The license is not transferable (§9410).
How do guards get registered in Maine?
There is no state guard card for an unarmed officer employed by a licensee, but there is a reporting duty, and it is strict on timing. §9410-A sets the minimum qualifications for every guard a contract security company employs: 18 or older, citizen or resident alien, no felony-level conviction, no three or more lesser convictions in five years, not a fugitive, not a drug user, and several others.
The duties that follow land on the company:
- Report before the first shift. Any guard not listed on your license application must be reported to the commissioner on the prescribed form before the date they begin performing security guard functions in Maine.
- Investigate the background. You check each guard against the §9410-A qualifications yourself.
- Sign the statement within 60 days. Within 60 days of the guard starting, you submit a signed statement that you investigated and that the guard meets the requirements.
- Statement first for firearms and strikes. That signed statement must be submitted before the guard may wear, carry or use a firearm on duty, and before the guard works at the site of a labor dispute or strike.
In practice, your hiring file is your compliance file.
How many training hours does Maine require?
Chapter 93 does not set a training-hour minimum for security guards, and we found none on the State Police licensing page. Clients and insurers will still expect training, so keep a record of what each officer completed and when. If you see a Maine hour figure quoted elsewhere, ask for the rule behind it.
What about armed guards?
Maine does not issue a separate armed guard license under chapter 93. What the chapter does require is that the signed background statement for a guard reaches the commissioner before that guard wears, carries or uses a firearm on duty (§9410-A). §9416 also lets a guard carry a loaded, unconcealed weapon in a vehicle used for armored car service or transporting valuables. Beyond that, carrying a firearm falls under Maine’s general firearms law, so confirm the current rules with the State Police before you staff an armed post.
When do Maine licenses renew?
The company license is issued for one year and renews annually under §9408. The current form lists the renewal fee. If a license expires and is not renewed within 60 days, §9407 treats the next application as an original one, with original fees and requirements. Since there is no individual guard card, there is no officer renewal cycle to track at state level, but the new-guard notices and 60-day statements keep coming as long as you hire.
What are Maine’s overtime rules?
Under 26 MRSA §664(3), an employer may not require more than 40 hours in any one week unless it pays one and a half times the regular rate for the excess. There is no daily overtime threshold in that section, so the weekly total is what a scheduler watches.
How does software help keep the records?
Maine puts the burden on the company: a pre-start notice for every new guard, a signed background statement within 60 days, a statement before anyone carries a firearm or works a strike, and a company license that renews every year. In CGuardPro, each officer’s record holds credentials and documents with expiry dates, and license tracking alerts your office on a window you choose, from 7 to 120 days ahead, repeating weekly until the item is renewed. You can store the hire date, the date the state notice went out and the date the signed statement was sent as dated records against each guard, along with training completions. CGuardPro warns rather than blocks scheduling, and it does not file anything with the State Police or verify anything with the state.
Hours are tracked against a weekly threshold, which matches Maine’s 40-hour rule, and approved hours can go to Gusto as time sheets if you run payroll there. For the Maine view of scheduling, offline reports and guard apps, see CGuardPro for Maine security companies. CGuardPro is used by 600+ security companies and costs $5 per user per month with a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Does a security guard in Maine need a state license?
Not if they work for a licensed contract security company or a proprietary security department. §9404 requires the contract security company license; guards employed by a licensee are exempt from holding their own. The company must report each new guard before they start and file a signed background statement within 60 days.
How much is the bond for a Maine security company?
$10,000 for a resident licensee and $50,000 for a non-resident, under 32 MRSA §9409. A corporation is a resident if incorporated in Maine.
How long does a Maine contract security company license last?
One year. It renews annually under §9408. If it lapses for more than 60 days, the next application is treated as an original application.
Does Maine require training hours for security guards?
We found no training-hour minimum in 32 MRSA chapter 93 or on the State Police licensing page as of October 2026. Confirm with the Weapons and Professional Licensing unit, and expect clients to ask for your own training records.
Can a new guard carry a firearm right away?
No. The licensee’s signed background statement for that guard must reach the commissioner before the guard wears, carries or uses a firearm on duty, and before working at a labor dispute or strike (§9410-A).