To start a security guard company in North Dakota, you need a private security agency license from the North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board (PISB), a qualifying agent who answers for all agency personnel, and a certificate of $300,000 general liability insurance with errors and omissions coverage. The agency then registers every officer with the board as an apprentice, security officer or commissioned security officer, and each rank has its own training and experience hours. Licenses last one year and expire on September 30. This guide covers each step, and the last section shows how CGuardPro, the guard management software used by 600+ security companies, tracks ranks, training and renewals per officer.
Everything below was checked against North Dakota Administrative Code chapter 93-02-02.1 (Private Security Services) and the PISB website as of October 2026. The underlying law is North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-30. This is not legal advice.
Who regulates security companies in North Dakota?
The Private Investigation and Security Board licenses private investigators, private security agencies and individuals who provide private security services, and registers the employees and contractors of licensed agencies. It also certifies security trainers and armed instructors. Its FAQ says processing takes about 30 business days once all applications, fees and documents are in.
How do you get a private security agency license?
Under 93-02-02.1-03, any individual or entity that hires another person to perform private security services must hold a private security agency license. The requirements depend on who applies:
- An individual applying for an agency license must already be licensed in North Dakota to provide private security services. To earn that individual license, a person must currently be a commissioned security officer and pass a board exam taken within the previous 12 months (93-02-02.1-02).
- An entity must name at least one qualifying agent, responsible for all agency personnel providing security services. The qualifying agent must be an officer, director, partner, proprietor or manager who exercises material authority over the agency’s business and has no conflicting employment.
The qualifying agent, and all unlicensed officers and owners of at least 10 percent of the entity, are listed on the application and must meet the basic qualifications in 93-02-02.1-01: at least 18 years old, a high school diploma or equivalent, no disqualifying convictions, and good moral character.
Insurance. Before any license is issued, 93-02-02.1-12 requires a certificate of insurance for $300,000 of general liability with errors and omissions insurance. The insurer must give the board 30 days’ written notice before cancelling.
After licensing. Display the license at each place of business (93-02-02.1-13). A license is not transferable; notify the board in advance of any ownership change, and report any other change to the application within 14 days (93-02-02.1-15). Fees are set by the board; check the current amounts on the PISB site.
What do security officers need?
Under 93-02-02.1-04, every employee or independent contractor who provides security services for an agency, and is not individually licensed, must be registered with the board, and the agency is responsible for registering them. An agency may not use an unregistered person, and every registrant must work under the supervision of a licensed individual. The agency is also answerable to the board for what its registered people do.
The board issues each licensee and registrant a pocket card that must be carried while on duty (93-02-02.1-14). When an officer leaves, they return the card to the agency, and the agency mails or delivers it to the board within seven days with a letter stating the termination date.
How many training hours do North Dakota officers need?
North Dakota uses a rank system with training and experience hours at each step:
- Apprentice security officer (93-02-02.1-05): within 30 days of registration, at least 12 hours of in-person, live remote or online classroom instruction, or 12 hours of supervised field training at no more than four trainees per officer. Until then, the apprentice may work only under direct, onsite supervision. Online courses must be board-approved and at least 12 hours long (93-02-02.1-17).
- Security officer (93-02-02.1-06): 1,000 hours of service as a registered apprentice plus 32 hours of in-person or live remote classroom instruction. Active or honorably discharged military service counts as meeting the 1,000 hours.
- Commissioned security officer (93-02-02.1-07): 3,000 more hours as a security officer, in addition to at least 1,000 as an apprentice, plus 80 hours of classroom instruction.
The board can waive part or all of the training or experience for equivalent experience elsewhere, such as security work in a state with similar requirements, law enforcement or military security (93-02-02.1-10).
What do armed officers need?
Under 93-02-02.1-08, an officer may carry a firearm on duty only if they have completed the same firearms training required of North Dakota peace officers, have reached at least the rank of security officer, and hold an armed private security certificate from the board. An applicant who fails the written exam or shooting course twice waits 30 days to retake it, and after a third failure waits a full year. An apprentice cannot be armed.
When do North Dakota licenses renew?
The PISB’s FAQ says licenses are valid for one year and expire September 30 each year. Every agency in the state renews on that date, so treat August and September as renewal season.
North Dakota security licensing at a glance
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Regulator | North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board |
| Law and rules | NDCC 43-30; N.D. Admin. Code 93-02-02.1 |
| Company license | Private security agency, with a qualifying agent |
| Insurance | $300,000 general liability with errors and omissions |
| Officer status | Registered by the agency: apprentice, security officer, commissioned |
| Apprentice training | 12 hours within 30 days of registration |
| Security officer | 1,000 hours + 32 classroom hours |
| Commissioned officer | 3,000 more hours + 80 classroom hours |
| Armed | Peace-officer firearms training, security officer rank, armed certificate |
| Renewal | Yearly; licenses expire September 30 |
| Overtime | Over 40 hours in a workweek |
How does overtime work for North Dakota guards?
North Dakota’s Department of Labor and Human Rights applies overtime on a weekly basis: time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek (N.D. Admin. Code 46-02-07; see the department’s wage and hour FAQ). There is no daily overtime rule.
How does software help keep the records?
North Dakota asks a lot of the agency’s records: which rank each officer holds, how many service hours they have toward the next rank, whether an apprentice finished 12 hours within 30 days, who is supervised by whom, and a card return within seven days of a departure. CGuardPro keeps approved worked hours per officer from GPS and selfie clock-in, which gives you a running record of service time. Each officer and supervisor record holds credentials such as the registration, the armed certificate and course certificates, with number, issue and expiry dates and photos, and a daily check alerts the office on a window you choose, from 7 to 120 days ahead, repeating weekly until renewed. It warns rather than blocks, and it does not check with the board. Learn more about security guard license tracking, and see North Dakota security guard software for scheduling and patrol records across the state.
For payroll, CGuardPro sends approved hours per officer to Gusto as time sheets split into regular and overtime hours under the federal weekly 40-hour rule; payroll itself is run in Gusto.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses security companies in North Dakota?
The North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board, under NDCC chapter 43-30 and N.D. Admin. Code chapter 93-02-02.1.
Does the agency or the officer register with the board?
The agency. It must register every employee and contractor who provides security services as an apprentice, security officer or commissioned security officer (93-02-02.1-04).
How much training does a new North Dakota apprentice need?
At least 12 hours of classroom instruction or field training within 30 days of registration, working only under direct onsite supervision until it is done.
How much insurance does a North Dakota security agency need?
A certificate of $300,000 of general liability with errors and omissions insurance (93-02-02.1-12).
When do North Dakota security licenses expire?
Every year on September 30, according to the board’s FAQ.
Can an apprentice carry a firearm?
No. Armed officers must hold at least the security officer rank, complete peace-officer firearms training and hold an armed private security certificate.
See also our security guard license requirements by state and the license renewal checklist.