Texas · Private Security
Texas security guard license lookup on the DPS TOPS licence search.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) regulates the private security profession. Its Licensing and Registration page links a Search Licenses option in the Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) portal; this page explains the route and links to it.
Short answer: open Search Licenses from the DPS Licensing and Registration page, which goes to the TOPS self-service search. This page does not look anyone up.
What DPS regulates
The DPS Private Security page says the department regulates the private security profession in Texas, including fingerprint-based background checks on applicants, investigating and resolving complaints, and related duties.
The Licensing and Registration page lists licence-type groups (company and school licence types, governmental and political subdivision with internal security, individual licence types, and private business with internal security) alongside a Search Licenses link and the TOPS application portal. The search and the application portal are separate links: the public search is for checking, the application side is for applicants.
Open the official search
Search versus application
DPS lists “Access TOPS Now” and “Application Instructions” for people applying, and a separate Search Licenses link for checking. A person checking a guard or company only needs the search.
Company and individual licences differ
The DPS page groups licence types into company and school licences and individual licences, so a company licence and an individual’s registration are different records.
What this page does not do
It does not check anyone’s status and does not publish a number-format rule, because none is documented on the pages read.
Official sources used
- www.dps.texas.gov/section/private-security (read November 2, 2026)
- www.dps.texas.gov/section/private-security/licensing-and-registration (read November 2, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedThe Texas TOPS portal is one page for both applying and checking.
What the source saysThe DPS Licensing and Registration page lists a Search Licenses link and the TOPS application portal as separate links: the public search is for checking, and the application side is for applicants. [1]
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Often assumedTexas DPS only deals with armed guard licences.
What the source saysDPS says it regulates the private security profession in Texas, including fingerprint-based background checks on applicants and complaint investigations. Its licensing page groups company, school, individual and internal-security licence types. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
How do I check a Texas security guard licence?
Open Search Licenses from the DPS Licensing and Registration page, which goes to the TOPS self-service search.
Who regulates private security in Texas?
The Department of Public Safety, which also runs fingerprint-based background checks on applicants.
Is TOPS the same as the search?
TOPS is the online system for applications; the Search Licenses link is the separate lookup.
Does this page verify a licence?
No. It describes the official search and links to it.
Guide only — not a verification tool
This page describes official registers and links to them. It does not check anyone’s licence status, does not copy or proxy any register, and nothing you might type here is transmitted anywhere. Registers change and licensing rules differ by state and city; use the official source linked above and contact the regulator to confirm anything that matters. This is general information, not legal advice.