Georgia Private Security and Private Investigation Licensing Guide

Georgia regulates private detective and private security businesses through the Secretary of State’s Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies. The Board licenses companies and administers role-specific individual registration and weapons permit requirements under O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 38, implemented through the Board’s administrative rules.

A key structural feature is that Georgia does not require Board registration for all guard roles. Board guidance states that **unarmed security guards are not required to be registered** with the Board, while **private detectives and armed security guards** are subject to employee registration. Unarmed guards are still subject to Board standards through training and recordkeeping requirements, but they are not registered through the employee registration process.

Georgia also uses Board-issued weapons permits for armed roles. Operationally, Georgia should be treated as a company-licensing regime with targeted employee registration and weapons-permit overlays, rather than a universal statewide “guard card” model.

Georgia’s compliance obligations are role-dependent. Firms should align company licensing with the applicable employee registration category (private detective and armed guard roles) and maintain weapons permit status separately for armed deployments, while also tracking training/recordkeeping requirements for unarmed guards.