Clipboard with a blank form, a pen and a small plant on a desk, How to Start a Security Company in Nevada: PILB Licenses

How to Start a Security Company in Nevada

Last verified: November 5, 2026

Nevada does not have a "security company license" as such. The business you are starting is a private patrol officer company, and the Private Investigators Licensing Board (PILB) licenses it under NRS chapter 648. That is the gate to plan around: the license needs a qualifying person with 5 years of private patrol experience, so the first question is who that person is, not which LLC name you want. Form the company second.

What You Need Before You Start

Settle these before you file anything:

  • Your qualifying person: someone with at least 5 years of private patrol experience (see Step 1). It can be you, or a licensed person you bring in under contract.
  • A Nevada principal place of business: a PILB licensee must keep one in the state and file its address with the Board (NRS 648.148).
  • Liability insurance: a policy of at least $200,000 for liability to third persons, or proof you can self-insure (NRS 648.135). The Board asks for proof before it issues the license.
  • Your service model: unarmed guards, armed guards, or patrol. Armed work needs extra steps for every guard (Step 5).
  • Clean records for everyone on the application: the applicant and each director and officer must be 21 or older with no disqualifying conviction (NRS 648.110).

Step 1: Work Out Who Can Hold the License

For a private patrol officer license, the applicant, or the qualifying agent of a corporate applicant, needs at least 5 years of experience as a private patrol officer, or the equivalent as the Board decides (NRS 648.110(2)(c)). The PILB's first-time licensee information sheet puts that at 2,000 hours a year, 10,000 hours in total, certified by your employer on the Board's forms.

  • Degree credit: an associate degree in police science or criminal justice counts as 8 months (1,333 hours); a bachelor's degree in either counts as 18 months (3,000 hours). Other degrees do not count (PILB sheet; NAC 648.275).
  • If you do not have the experience: a corporation can be licensed through a qualifying agent. The agent files a contract of employment with the application, and a person can be the qualifying agent for only one corporation in the same license category (NAC 648.250 and 648.265).
  • Licensing before the agent is approved: the Board may license a corporation with no qualifying agent if it files for one within 6 months and does not operate until the agent is approved (NAC 648.235).

The rules are written for corporate applicants. We found no sentence in NRS 648 or NAC 648 that says how the Board treats an LLC, so ask the PILB ([email protected]) how it wants an LLC applicant structured before you pay for anything. Our reading, not the Board's: a qualifying person you can keep for years matters more than the entity type.

Step 2: Apply to the PILB for the Company License

You cannot advertise or run a patrol business without a license (NRS 648.060). The first violation is a misdemeanor and later ones are gross misdemeanors (NRS 648.210). The Board can also fine up to $2,500 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second and $10,000 for a third or later (NRS 648.165).

  • Who qualifies: the applicant, and each director and officer of a corporate applicant, must be 21 or older, a U.S. citizen or lawfully entitled to work, of good moral character, and have no felony or moral-turpitude conviction. A criminal history check runs through the FBI and the Nevada Department of Public Safety.
  • Exam: individual and qualifying-agent applicants pass a written exam with 75% or more. The PILB sheet says exams are given in January, April, July and October. Check the exam dates page before you plan a launch date.
  • Corporate officers: the application needs a background biography and an FBI fingerprint card for each of the three principal officers (NAC 648.230).
  • Where to apply: start from the PILB licensing page. Licenses run July 1 to June 30 and are prorated by the month if issued later, and renewal runs May 15 to June 30.

The Board's page does not spell out the company-application steps beyond this. Email the PILB at [email protected] or call the Las Vegas office at 702-486-3003 with questions that this page does not answer.

Step 3: Choose Your Business Structure and File With the Secretary of State

Most new owners choose an LLC, but see the PILB question in Step 1 first. The state filing fees are set by statute.

ItemLLCCorporationSource
Articles filing fee$75$75 if authorized shares total $75,000 or less, more above thatNRS 86.561; NRS 78.760
Initial list of managers or officers$150$150NRS 86.263; NRS 78.150
State business license$200$500NRS chapter 76
Total at formation$425$725 at the lowest share tierSum of the rows above
Each year after$350 ($150 list plus $200 license)$650 at the lowest share tierNRS 86.263; NRS 78.150; NRS 76

The Secretary of State handles the filings and the state business license through the ORION portal, which replaced SilverFlume. The Secretary of State state business license page covers the license, not the Department of Taxation. Rush service is capped by statute at $125 for 24 hours, $500 for 2 hours and $1,000 for 1 hour (NRS 225.140). Confirm the current charge on the Secretary of State's site.

Search the Nevada entity search before you pick a name. A name reservation costs $25 and holds the name for 90 days. For the full formation walkthrough, see how to start an LLC in Nevada or how to start a corporation in Nevada. If you would rather hand off the filing, compare LLC formation services in Nevada.

Step 4: Cover the PILB Fees and Insurance

These are the published amounts. The information sheet is dated 11/2023, so confirm each with the PILB before you budget.

ItemAmountSource
Application processing fee$20 per application, non-refundablePILB information sheet (11/2023)
Exam$100 per category, non-refundablePILB information sheet (11/2023)
Background investigation deposit$750 for the first category, $250 for each added one; you owe the full cost of the investigationPILB information sheet; NRS 648.100
License feeUp to $500 per category, prorated by the month for a license issued after July 1NRS 648.120; PILB information sheet
Liability insurancePolicy limits of at least $200,000; the premium is not set by the stateNRS 648.135
Branch office$50 a year per registered branchNRS 648.149
Late renewal$100 to reinstate within 30 days of forfeitureNRS 648.146

The fees and deposit above come to $870 before the license fee and insurance, and $1,295 with the $425 LLC formation total in Step 3. The $200,000 insurance figure is a legal floor, not a recommendation: a client's contract often asks for more, so read the insurance clause before you sign.

If your insurance lapses, the license is suspended automatically 10 days after the Board's notice unless you give proof of cover in that time (NRS 648.135(2)).

Step 5: Register Every Guard You Hire

A person may not work for a licensee unless registered with the Board (NRS 648.060(2)), and allowing an unregistered employee to work is itself unlawful (NRS 648.203). The PILB issues this as a work card.

  • Eligibility: 18 or older, of good moral character, with no felony, moral-turpitude or dangerous-weapon conviction (NRS 648.1493).
  • What each guard submits within 30 days: a 2x2 inch photo, two forms of identification, a fingerprint receipt or cards, an arrest disclosure form, and a passing exam score of 100% if working for a private patrol licensee. A late file counts as withdrawn with no refund. See the PILB work cards page.
  • Timing: the PILB says a provisional document usually arrives in about 1 to 2 weeks and the permanent card can take 30 to 90 days after fingerprint results arrive. A guard must have the provisional document on them while working.
  • Fee and validity: NRS caps the application and renewal fee at $135, and a registration lasts 5 years. The PILB page does not state the current amount.
  • Supervision: each registered employee must be supervised by the licensee or the qualifying agent, who must be physically present in Nevada (NRS 648.140).

Armed Guards

Armed work needs a hard plastic permanent card first, then employer sponsorship and a firearm course run by a PILB certified firearm instructor. The course includes 8 hours of instruction with a written exam (75% to pass), and at least 5 hours of range instruction. Guards requalify every 6 months, and a missed month makes the card invalid for armed work until they requalify. The armed work cards page has the steps and NAC 648.350 has the rule.

Our reasoning, not a PILB statement: armed posts mean a recurring training and requalification workload for your office on top of the payroll, so price armed contracts above unarmed ones.

Step 6: Handle the Local Licenses and Advertising Rules

See also the Nevada business license guide for the general local and state steps.

Step 7: Plan Payroll and State Taxes

BLS counts 26,680 security guards (SOC 33-9032) in Nevada in May 2025, with an annual mean wage of $39,770 and a median of $37,310 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). That is the wage floor your hourly bill rate has to cover before payroll taxes, insurance, supervision and uniforms.

Who This Is Not For

  • In-house security: a guard employed directly by a business, in connection with that employer's own affairs, is outside the chapter's licensing, except for the registration and supervision sections (NRS 648.018(4)). Your market is the clients who contract security out.
  • Owners without a qualifying person: if you cannot name someone with 5 years of patrol experience or equivalent credit, expect a longer path or a different business, such as a staffing or consulting company that does not place guards.
  • Anyone who cannot clear the background check: a felony or a dangerous-weapon conviction bars the application and the work card.

Common Mistakes

  • Letting a guard start before registration: NRS 648.203 makes that unlawful for you, not just for the guard.
  • Missing the June 30 renewal: the license is forfeited, with a 30-day reinstatement window and a $100 fee.
  • Skipping the principal place of business: the Board needs a Nevada address on file.
  • Advertising without the license number: NRS 648.148 requires it on every ad.
  • Treating the state license as the end: the local city or county license is separate.

Disclaimer

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Licensing rules and fees change, and the PILB sets some amounts by its own schedule. Confirm every figure with the Private Investigators Licensing Board and the Secretary of State before you file, and ask a Nevada attorney about your structure.

Next Steps

  1. Name your qualifying person and confirm their 5 years of experience.
  2. Email the PILB to confirm how it handles an LLC applicant and which exam date you can make.
  3. Check your business name on the Nevada entity search.
  4. File the Articles, initial list and state business license through ORION.
  5. Submit the PILB company application and get insurance proof ready.
  6. Register every guard before their first shift.
  7. Get your city or county business license and put your license number on every ad.

Sources

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides