What is a Class B security license in Texas?

Company licenses and individual licenses

Texas regulates private security at two levels. Individuals hold registrations and commissions: Level II for unarmed work, Level III for armed, Level IV for personal protection. Companies hold contractor licenses by class, and Class B is the class for security services contractors, the companies that provide guards, patrols and related services. An officer’s registration is tied to the company that employs them, so the two levels are checked together.

What the license requires of the company

A licensed manager who has passed the state’s examination. Department of Public Safety fingerprint background checks on every officer before they work. Approved training and records of it. The insurance the statute and the department’s rules require, kept current. The license number displayed on vehicles and advertising. Reporting of certain events to the department. The license can be suspended or revoked for failing those duties, and a company that loses it takes its officers’ registrations down with it.

How to check one

Ask for the number and look it up on the Department of Public Safety’s public license search for private security. Confirm the legal name matches the name on your proposal and contract, that the class is B, and that the status is active. Then check the officers’ credentials the same way. Repeat at renewal. Price Protection’s number is in the footer of every page for this purpose.

Why the class matters

A company licensed for a different class of security work, such as alarm installation or investigations, is not licensed to provide guards. The class on the record is the check that the company can lawfully do the work you are buying. The Class B article goes into the license in more detail, and the verification article walks through the search.