Frequently Asked Questions

You complete 8 hours of BSIS-required training, get fingerprinted, apply to BSIS, and wait for the background check to clear. Here is the whole path through Valley Guard Training:

– Be 18 years old at the time of training, not just at the time you apply.
– Complete the 8-hour course. That is approximately five hours of Power to Arrest online at your own pace, then just under three hours of Appropriate Use of Force in person at our Van Nuys location — eight hours in total. The price is $150, paid when you sign up at Classes.
– Get your Live Scan fingerprints rolled. We do this on site — see Live Scan and fingerprinting.
– Apply to BSIS through BreEZe, the state’s online licensing system.
– Wait for approval. With a clean background and an electronically submitted application, 15 to 20 business days is typical.

We can handle the Live Scan and the BSIS application for $146 on top of the $150 class, which is $296 all-in.

The in-person half is walk-in — no appointment. Arrive at least 3 hours before we close, and note that we are closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bring a valid physical photo ID and know your Social Security number or ITIN.

Once your registration shows APPROVED on the BSIS site, an employer can put you to work. You do not have to wait for the card to arrive in the mail.

After the card is issued, BSIS requires 32 more hours of training and then 8 hours every year.

Eight hours before your registration is issued, then 32 hours after.

The first 8 hours cover Power to Arrest and Appropriate Use of Force. Through Valley Guard Training that is approximately five hours online at your own pace, then just under three hours in person at our Van Nuys location — eight hours in total. You must pass the exam to complete the training.

All 8 hours have to come from one training facility on one certificate. We do not sell the hours separately, and we cannot certify hours you took somewhere else.

Once you have your guard card, BSIS requires 32 more hours of training within six months. That splits evenly:

– 16 hours of mandatory courses
– 16 hours of electives you choose

You do not have to work out which is which. Our 32-hour bundle is $176 and covers the whole requirement, with the mandatory courses and the electives already selected for you. If you would rather choose your own electives, you can buy the courses individually instead.

Start them early rather than leaving them to the last month. The courses are self-paced and there is nothing to gain by waiting.

Year one is the heaviest — the 8 hours up front plus the 32 hours after your card is issued. From your second year onward, it is 8 hours of continuing training every year for as long as you hold the card, which must include at least 2 hours reviewing appropriate use of force.

Every 4-hour course we offer has one hour of Appropriate Use of Force built into it. So any two of our 4-hour courses give you the full 8 hours and the 2 hours of use-of-force review at the same time. There is nothing extra to buy and no separate course to add on — our training is compliant as it is delivered.

The 32 hours and the annual 8 hours are all online through GuardBoss. The 32-hour bundle is $176 and the annual refresher is $44.

It depends on how long it has been expired.

– Up to 60 days past the expiration date: you can still renew. The BSIS fee is $69 instead of the usual $44.
– More than 60 days past the expiration date: the registration is canceled. There is no renewal to pay for.

If it has been canceled, you start over as a new applicant. That means the full 8 hours of training again, a new Live Scan, and a new application to BSIS — the same process as someone getting their first guard card. We can do that training. See “How do I get a California guard card?”

If your card is still renewable, you have two options.

We can submit the renewal for you if you did your initial training with us in store, meaning you completed the in-person portion at our Van Nuys location. We charge a $12 service fee on top of the BSIS fee:

– $56 if your card has not expired ($44 BSIS + $12)
– $81 if you are within 60 days past expiration ($69 BSIS + $12)

Or you can renew it yourself through BreEZe and pay BSIS directly. It is up to you. If BreEZe gives you trouble, the help desk is (916) 557-1208.

One thing people forget at renewal: the card renews every two years, but BSIS requires 8 hours of continuing training every year in between. Renew the card first, then catch up on any hours you are behind on. Those are online at GuardBoss for $44.

$44 if you renew it yourself, or $56 if we submit it for you.

– Renewing yourself: $44, paid directly to BSIS through BreEZe or by mail.
– Renewing through us: $56 — the $44 BSIS fee plus a $12 service fee. We can do this if you did your initial training with us in store, meaning you completed the in-person portion at our Van Nuys location.

Either way works. It is up to you.

Those prices are for a card that has not expired yet. Once you are past the expiration date the BSIS fee goes up to $69, and after 60 days the registration is canceled and cannot be renewed at all. See “Can I renew an expired California guard card?”

Renewing the card is a separate thing from your training obligations. The card renews every two years, but BSIS requires 8 hours of continuing training every year in between. Those are online at GuardBoss for $44.

If BreEZe gives you trouble, the help desk is (916) 557-1208.

No. California has no reciprocity with any other state. A guard card, license, or registration from somewhere else does not transfer, and years of experience do not shorten anything.

You start from the beginning:

– 8 hours of BSIS-required training — approximately five hours online, then just under three hours in person at our Van Nuys location
– Live Scan fingerprinting and a background check
– An application to BSIS through BreEZe

The same applies to prior military or law enforcement training. BSIS sets the requirements and we cannot waive any part of them.

Living outside California does not stop you from holding a California guard card. The training requirement is what does not change — just under three hours of it must be completed in person at our Van Nuys location, and there is no remote, proctored, or video option for that portion.

Yes. We teach the full 8-hour guard card class in Spanish at our Van Nuys location.

It is the same course at the same price — $150. Approximately five hours online at your own pace, then just under three hours in person, all delivered in Spanish. The certificate is identical and BSIS treats it exactly the same as the English course.

Sign up the same way as anyone else at Classes. Select the Spanish version before you pay.

If you would rather speak to someone in Spanish first, call (818) 989-7825 and press 0 when the recording starts. That connects you to a Spanish-speaking employee.

Spanish is the only language other than English that we currently offer the guard card class in.

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Ofrecemos la clase de 8 horas para la tarjeta de guardia en español, en nuestra oficina de Van Nuys.

Es el mismo curso al mismo precio: $150. Aproximadamente cinco horas en línea a su propio ritmo, y luego un poco menos de tres horas en persona, todo en español. El certificado es el mismo y BSIS lo trata igual que el curso en inglés.

Para inscribirse, visite Classes y seleccione la versión en español antes de pagar.

Para hablar con alguien en español, llame al (818) 989-7825 y presione 0 cuando empiece la grabación.

Yes. You do not have to live in California to hold a California guard card. But part of the training has to happen here, and there is no remote alternative, so it takes a little planning.

Finish the online portion before you travel. Your 8 hours of guard card training break into approximately five hours of Power to Arrest online, self-paced, and just under three hours of Appropriate Use of Force in person at our Van Nuys facility. The online half has to be complete before you come in. If you fly out here without finishing it, we cannot start your in-person session and the trip is wasted.

Plan one visit for everything. Once the online portion is done, walk in any day we’re open — no appointment, no scheduled start date. Budget about three hours for the class. We do your Live Scan fingerprinting on site during the same visit, so you leave with the training and the prints both handled. From there you submit your application through BreEZe.

Check our schedule before you book travel. We are closed every Tuesday and Wednesday. We also close for the full seven days before July 4 and before January 1, along with Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Arrive at least three hours before closing for your class, and Live Scan has to be started at least an hour before we close.

If Van Nuys is not practical for you, BSIS keeps a list of licensed training facilities throughout California at bsis.ca.gov — the in-person requirement applies wherever you train, but another location may be an easier trip.

One thing worth knowing: a security guard registration from another state does not transfer. California has no reciprocity, so you start fresh here regardless of what you hold elsewhere.

With a clean background and an application submitted electronically, expect 15 to 20 business days from submission to approval. The card itself arriving in the mail adds several more weeks on top of that.

When it does arrive, it comes as a printed paper card, not a plastic one. You trim it out yourself, and you can laminate it if you want something that holds up in a wallet.

You do not have to wait for it to start working. Once your registration shows APPROVED at search.dca.ca.gov, print that page or take a screenshot. That printout plus your valid photo ID is enough while the card is in the mail, and employers verify registrations on that same site.

What slows things down:

– Anything on your record that the Department of Justice or FBI flags for review
– A paper application instead of an electronic one
– A name, date of birth, or Social Security number that does not match between your application and your fingerprints

We submit applications the same day we roll your prints, once your balance is paid in full. After that the timeline belongs to the state.

For the status of a specific application, contact BSIS at (916) 322-4000 or bsis@dca.ca.gov. The BreEZe help desk is (916) 557-1208.

Two years from the date BSIS issues it. It expires on the last day of the expiration month printed on the card — so a card showing March 2027 is good through March 31, 2027.

You can check your expiration date any time at search.dca.ca.gov.

To keep working, renew before it expires. Renewing is on you, not on us and not on your employer, and BSIS does not always reach people who have moved. See “How much does it cost to renew a California guard card?”

Your training runs on a separate clock. The registration renews every two years, but BSIS requires 8 hours of continuing training every year in between. Letting the training slide does not change your renewal date, but it does put you out of compliance.

If it has already lapsed, see “Can I renew an expired California guard card?”

Partly, yes. BSIS grants specific exemptions to active full-time peace officers and to Level I and Level II reserve officers who hold peace officer status under Penal Code sections 830 through 832.6.

For the guard card, two exemptions apply:

– Fingerprinting. You may begin working after submitting your Security Guard Registration application, without completing Live Scan. The documentation is a photocopy of the front and back of your peace officer identification card.
– Power to Arrest training. If you completed POST-approved arrest training, or a federal law enforcement equivalent, you are exempt from that portion. The documentation is your peace officer ID photocopy plus one of the following: a letter from your commanding officer, your POST completion certificate, or a POST profile showing completion of basic training.

Exemptions for the exposed firearm permit are different, and one of them runs the other way — firearms permit fingerprinting is not exempt. See the Firearm Permit section.

BSIS makes these determinations, not us. We do not grant exemptions and cannot waive any requirement. Submit your documentation with your application and BSIS decides.

Current details and documentation requirements are on the BSIS peace officer exemptions page at bsis.ca.gov. You can also call BSIS at (916) 322-4000.

If BSIS tells you the training is required in your case, the process is the same as for anyone else. See “How do I get a California guard card?”

Three things:

– A valid physical state-issued photo ID. A DMV printout or temporary paper license is not accepted — it has to be the actual card, current and not expired.
– Your Social Security number or ITIN. Bring the card or just know the number. It goes on the BSIS application.
– Payment, if you still owe a balance. The card must be in the name of the student or the person paying, and that person has to be present.

Finish your online hours before you come in. The in-person session is the second half of the course, not a separate class, and we cannot seat you for it until the online portion is done.

Bring your notes if you took any. The test is open note.

Arrive at least three hours before we close so there is time to finish. Walk-in, no appointment needed. We are closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

One practical note: bring a jacket if you run cold — the office can get chilly — and a drink or a snack if you want one during training.

If you are coming for the firearms course instead, the requirements are different. See “What do I need to bring to the firearms course?”

It depends on who is employing you — and that is decided by your employer’s license type, not by how many places you work.

– If you work for a licensed security company that contracts you out to clients, you need a security guard registration. That is the guard card. One client or twenty, it is the same requirement.
– If a business hires you directly as its own in-house officer, that falls under a different BSIS registration — Proprietary Private Security Officer, or PSO. It is a separate credential and it is not interchangeable with a guard card.

Ask your employer which one they are registering you under before you pay for training. We cannot tell you which category you fall into, and neither can BSIS until they know who is hiring you.

We train for both. The 8-hour guard card course is at Classes, and PSO training is at PSO training.

If you have a genuine choice, the guard card is usually the better buy. A PSO registration only lets you work for the one employer who registered you — leave that job and it goes with it. A guard card belongs to you and works for any licensed security company or proprietary employer anywhere in California.

Questions about which registration applies to your situation go to BSIS at (916) 322-4000 or bsis.ca.gov.

No. By the time a denial comes back, most of the money is already spent — and not by us.

Where it goes:

– $60 is the BSIS application fee. That goes to the state when the application is submitted, and the state does not return it if you are denied.
– $74 covers Live Scan fingerprinting, which has already been processed by the Department of Justice.
– $150 covers the 8-hour class you attended and the certificate you earned. That certificate stays valid whether or not the application is approved.

So a denial is not a service we failed to deliver. The training happened, the prints were rolled, the application was filed.

If your background is a concern, look into it before you pay for fingerprinting and an application rather than after. You can request your own California criminal history record first — see “Can I find out in advance if my record will disqualify me?”

And if you are denied, that is not necessarily the end of it. BSIS sends a written notice explaining why, and you have 30 days to appeal in writing. See “What do I do if BSIS denies my guard card or permit?”

If something went wrong with your order rather than your application, call us at (818) 989-7825 and we will look at it.

You have 30 days to appeal, in writing. Do not let that lapse — missing the deadline generally ends the appeal option for that application.

How it works:

– BSIS mails you a written notice stating the reason for the denial
– You have 30 days from that notice to appeal in writing
– If the appeal does not resolve it, you can request an administrative hearing and make your case in person

At a hearing you can present evidence supporting your eligibility — documentation of rehabilitation, character references, court records showing a matter was resolved, employment history. The point of the process is that a denial is a first decision, not a final one.

Read the notice carefully and write down the date you received it. The reason BSIS gives is what you are answering, so it decides what evidence is worth gathering.

This applies to the guard card and the exposed firearm permit alike.

We do not file appeals, do not represent students at hearings, and cannot reverse a BSIS decision. Take the notice and your questions to BSIS at (916) 322-4000 or bsis.ca.gov. For a denial you intend to fight seriously, an attorney who handles professional licensing is worth a conversation.

They can hold things up. Unpaid court debt can result in a hold on your application, which stops BSIS processing it until the hold is released.

Deal with it before you apply if you can. If you cannot pay in full, contact the court that issued the ticket and set up a payment agreement — being on an agreement is generally enough, and it is far quicker than sorting it out after your application is already stuck.

If a hold has already been placed, call BSIS at (916) 322-4000 and ask exactly what they need to release it. Then take that to the court. Nobody can tell you from the outside which agency placed a hold or what will clear it.

We do not contact courts, pay balances, or clear holds on a student’s behalf. Your training and fingerprinting are not affected either way — a hold sits on the application at the state end, not on anything we do.

Possibly, but a hold may need clearing first. If you are in arrears, BSIS may place a hold on your application or your registration.

The agency that placed the hold is the one that can release it — that is your county child support agency, not BSIS and not us. Contact them and ask exactly what they need. Usually that means setting up a payment arrangement rather than clearing the whole balance.

Once the agency releases the hold, BSIS can continue processing.

We do not get involved beyond pointing you to the county agency. We do not contact child support agencies, negotiate arrangements, or clear holds for students.

Two practical notes. Handle it before you apply if you can — clearing a hold after the application is in usually costs more time than starting clean. And a hold does not stop you training: you can complete the course and hold the certificate while you sort the arrears out.

If you are not sure which agency placed the hold, BSIS at (916) 322-4000 can tell you.

If you owe money to the State of California, it may affect whether your guard card can be issued. In many cases, you may need to enter into a repayment agreement with the appropriate agency before the state will issue your guard card.

Once the debt is resolved or a payment plan is in place, the hold may be released so BSIS can proceed with processing your application.

Yes. The eight hours you finished is the training BSIS requires before you can apply for your guard card. Once your card is issued, there are two more rounds of continuing education:

Within 30 days of your card being issued — 16 hours
Within six months of your card being issued — another 16 hours

That is 40 hours of training in your first year as a security guard in California: the 8 hours you already have, plus 32 hours of continuing education.

Both deadlines run from the date your guard card is issued, not from the day you finished your first eight hours. All 32 hours are done online, at your own pace, and you can start as soon as your card comes through.

After your first year, you need 8 hours of refresher training every year to keep your registration current.

Yes. Once your guard card has been approved by BSIS, you may print a temporary guard card from the BreEZe system while you wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail.

The temporary printout will display your name, guard card number, and expiration date, and it can be used as proof that your registration has been issued. You must carry the printout along with valid photo identification when working until the official card arrives.