How to verify an Illinois security or private detective license
To verify an Illinois security or private detective license, ask the firm for its agency license number and look it up through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which runs a free public license search. It takes a few minutes and it is the single most useful thing you can do before hiring anyone. A firm that cannot produce a number has answered your question.
What Illinois actually licenses
People assume there is one security license. There are several, and they cover different things.
- Private Security Contractor Agency. The license a firm needs to provide security officers and protective services. It is held by the agency.
- Private Detective Agency. A separate license covering investigative work. A firm doing both protection and investigations needs both, and plenty of firms hold only one.
- Permanent Employee Registration Card. Held by the individual employee. Anyone working unarmed for a licensed agency needs a valid card.
- Firearm credentials. An armed officer additionally needs a valid FOID card and must meet the state's firearm training and qualification requirements, working through a licensed agency.
The distinction matters because the answer to "are you licensed" can be technically true and still not cover the work you are buying. A detective agency license does not authorize a protective detail. A firm quoting you armed coverage needs the agency license and personnel who individually hold the firearm credentials.
How to look it up
IDFPR publishes a license lookup that is open to the public and free. Search by the licence number the firm gives you, or by the business name if you do not have a number yet. What you want to see is the license type matching the work, a status of active, and a name matching the entity you would actually be contracting with.
That last point catches more problems than the others. A firm may market under one name and hold its license under another. That is not automatically a concern, but the entity on the license should be the entity on your contract and your certificate of insurance, and if it is not, ask why before you sign.
What to ask before you hire
- What is your agency license number, and which license type is it?
- If the work is investigative and protective, do you hold both licenses?
- Are the specific people assigned to me registered, and if armed, individually qualified?
- Who is the licensed entity on the contract?
Clear answers are a good sign. Evasive ones are the whole answer.
What a clean license does not tell you
Verification is a floor, not a recommendation. A current license establishes that a firm has met the state's baseline and stayed in good standing. It says nothing about whether the people assigned to you have done work like yours, whether the firm plans before it deploys, or whether it will tell you when you do not need what you are asking to buy.
Check the license first because it is fast and it eliminates the worst options. Then ask the harder questions about who specifically will do the work and how they think about it.
Ours
TB Defense holds Illinois Private Security Contractor Agency licence No. 122-001362 and Private Detective Agency licence No. 117-001769. Both numbers are at the bottom of every page on this site, and you can look them up the same way you would check anyone else.
Common questions
How do I check if an Illinois security company is licensed?
Ask for the agency license number and search it through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's free public license lookup. Confirm the license type matches the work, the status is active, and the licensed entity matches the entity on your contract.
What is the difference between a Private Security Contractor Agency and a Private Detective Agency license in Illinois?
They are separate licenses covering different work. A Private Security Contractor Agency license covers security officers and protective services. A Private Detective Agency license covers investigative work. A firm offering both needs both.
What credentials does an armed security officer need in Illinois?
An armed officer needs a valid FOID card in addition to employee registration, must meet the state's firearm training and qualification requirements, and must work through a licensed agency.