What is Texas Occupations Code 1702?

What the chapter does

It defines who must be licensed to provide security services in Texas and what they must do to hold the license. Companies hold contractor licenses by class, Class B for guard companies. Individuals hold registrations for unarmed work, commissions for armed work and endorsements for personal protection. The chapter sets the training required at each level, the fingerprint background check, the insurance a company must carry, the display of license numbers, the reporting of certain events and the grounds on which the department can deny, suspend or revoke a license.

What it means for a client

Every security company you consider must hold a current license under this chapter, and every officer it sends must hold a current registration or commission tied to that company. Both can be looked up on the department’s public license search. The chapter is why a licensed officer has passed a background check and completed a state course, why an armed officer has proved firearms proficiency, and why a company that cuts corners has something to lose.

What it does not do

It does not give security officers police powers. An officer’s authority to detain, arrest or use force comes from the same general law that applies to any private person: the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Civil Practice and Remedies Code and the Penal Code. The chapter regulates who may do the work and how they are trained; it does not expand what they may do.

Where to read it

The statute is published by the Texas Legislature and administered by the Department of Public Safety’s private security program, formerly the Private Security Bureau. The chapter 1702 article walks a client through the parts that matter, and the licensing page shows how Price Protection meets them. This is a summary, not legal advice.