In the state of Utah, certain professions and businesses focused on security require licensing, a process governed and regulated by the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. There are four license types you may possess in this industry, and happily enough the process required to obtain each is relatively pain-free. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps required to become a licensed security professional in the state of Utah.

Obtaining a License

We mentioned above that there are four basic license types: unarmed private security officer, armed private security officer, armored car security officer, and contract security company. The differences between the first three licenses are contained right there in the name: essentially, will you carry a gun when performing your duties? The fourth type is required for starting a corporation in the business of providing security. We'll get in that last one shortly, but first, let's look at the process for becoming a solo security officer.

• First, whether you wish to carry a gun or not, you must complete a course consisting of at least 24 hours of instruction in security work. Note that this is not 24 “classroom hours,” but 24 hours in total. You can look at a breakdown of what this course will consist of here. There are many options for fulfilling this requirement, and you can check a few out by doing this Google search.

• Successful completion of this course entails passing a final in-course examination with a grade of 80 percent or higher.

• If you want to obtain an armed security guard license, you'll also need to take a firearms training course, which consists of 8 hours of instruction with topics detailed here. This course will include a final “pistol range” test, conducted in the field, on which you will need to score at least 80 percent.

• Finally, complete the application. This requires certifying passage of the educational requirements, and detailing background information, much of which is focused on previous arrests, crimes, or public censures. The cost for this application is 100 dollars, and also requires a fingerprint check.

The process to form a licensed security contract company – in which you can then hire security officers – is a little bit more complicated.

• First, you must become what Utah calls a “qualifying agent” - one who is legally allowed to form a security company. You do this by passing an exam. Helpfully, Utah has provided this detailed examination booklet to guide you through this process. Every security company in Utah requires at least one shareholder to be a qualifying agent. The exam fee is 72 dollars.

• Second, once one of your shareholders has passed this exam, you'll fill out this application, which has a 330 dollar fee. Many of the background questions are similar to the ones found on the application for becoming a solo officer. However, you'll also have to detail the company's corporate status (sole proprietorship, corporation, etc.), list each and every shareholder of the company including their address, submit to both a fingerprint and FBO background check, and certify that you have obtained liability insurance and, if required (because you have employees), worker's compensation insurance.

Both of the above applications must be mailed in to the Department, the address of which is on the application – no online submissions are permitted.

Maintaining a License

Each of the above-described licenses expires on November 30 of even-numbered years, which makes it fairly convenient to ensure all your licensing is up to date if you run a big security firm. You can find all the renewal applications and fee information here, and as usual, you may not submit renewal applications online.

In Utah, discipline in all licensed professions is handled directly by the Department of Occupational and Professional Licensing, which may suspend or revoke licenses if it finds misconduct has occurred. Such a process usually begins by the filing of a complaint by a member of the public. For the security professions, it is extremely important to voluntarily keep the Department apprised of any arrests or convictions, of either yourself or one of your officers, to keep your license in good standing. While an arrest or conviction does not mean an automatic revocation of a license, concealing such is a serious offense.