Florida Class D Security License: Training, Costs, and Renewal

To work as an unarmed security officer in Florida, you need a Class D security license from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Getting one takes three things: meeting the eligibility rules in Chapter 493 of the Florida Statutes, finishing 40 hours of approved training, and filing a complete application with fingerprints, a passport-style photo, and the $45 license fee. One detail that surprises most applicants: once you submit a complete application, you can legally start working right away, before FDACS finishes processing it.¹

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18. You also have to be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or hold valid work authorization from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Non-citizens submit proof of their current status with the application.²

Florida also requires “good moral character,” which the statute defines as a personal history of honesty, fairness, and respect for the rights and property of others. FDACS checks this through a criminal background check and your own disclosures. You must report every criminal conviction, guilty plea, and nolo contendere plea, even if adjudication was withheld.³

Mental Health and Substance History

FDACS will deny your application if you have been adjudicated incapacitated under Florida’s guardianship laws (or a similar law elsewhere), unless your capacity has been judicially restored. The same is true if you were involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, unless a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist certifies you no longer suffer from the condition.²

Alcohol and drug history matter as well. You cannot be a habitual user of alcohol to the extent it impairs your normal faculties. Two or more DUI convictions in the three years before your application will disqualify you unless you can show you’re no longer impaired and have completed rehabilitation. The same three-year lookback applies to controlled substance offenses under Florida Chapter 893 or similar laws in other states.²

Felony Records

A felony conviction is a serious barrier, but not always a permanent one. FDACS must deny your application if you have a felony conviction unless your civil rights have been restored and at least 10 years have passed since your final release from supervision. The clock starts the day you finished probation, parole, or any other court-ordered supervision, not the date of conviction.⁴

If you pleaded guilty or were found guilty of a felony but adjudication was withheld, the waiting period is three years from your final release from supervision. That applies to any felony where adjudication was withheld, not just certain categories.⁴

The 40-Hour Training Requirement

Before you apply, you must complete at least 40 hours of professional training at a school that holds a Class DS license from FDACS. Self-study doesn’t count, and neither does a program from an unlicensed school.⁵

The curriculum covers the core skills of the job: legal issues and liability so you understand the boundaries of your authority, access control, public relations and communication, patrol techniques, and emergency response. You’ll take an exam at the end. Once you pass, the school issues a certificate that goes with your application. If you completed training on or after July 19, 2023, you can look up and print your certificate directly through FDACS instead of relying on a paper copy.⁵

Courses generally run $100 to $300 depending on the school. Shop around, but confirm the program you pick has a current DS license from FDACS.

Who Can Skip the Training

Florida recognizes several categories of applicants whose prior training already meets the standard:

Current law enforcement or correctional officers certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission submit a copy of their valid agency-issued ID.
Former law enforcement, correctional, or correctional probation officers who completed a Commission-approved training program submit their certificate of completion.
Military veterans who received relevant training or education during service in the U.S. Armed Forces submit proof under Rule 5N-1.119(4) of the Florida Administrative Code.
Applicants who qualify for a Class DI security officer instructor license under Rule 5N-1.138(1)(e)-(g) can use that qualification in place of the training.

⁵

Veterans also get a break on the fee. If you apply within 24 months of being discharged from any branch of the Armed Forces, the $45 license fee is waived. Include a copy of your DD Form 214 or another acceptable form of military ID to claim the waiver.⁶

What to Submit and What It Costs

The application is FDACS Form 16007, available from the FDACS website or through the online portal.⁷ You’ll file it with:

A passport-style color photo taken within the last six months.
Your 40-hour training certificate, or documentation of an applicable exemption.
Electronic fingerprints submitted through a Livescan provider. File your application with FDACS within 90 days of the scan so you don’t have to redo it.
Your Social Security number or alien registration number, used for identification, background checks, and child support enforcement.
A full statement of all convictions, guilty findings, and nolo contendere pleas, whether or not adjudication was withheld.
A signed personal inquiry waiver authorizing FDACS to run the background investigation.

There is no separate application fee. FDACS charges only the $45 license fee, due when you submit. You’ll also pay your Livescan provider a fingerprint processing and retention fee, commonly $12 to $50 on top of the state and federal charges.³⁶

How to File, and When You Can Start Working

You have three ways to submit:

Online through the FDACS application portal at laso.fdacs.gov, paying by credit card or electronic check.
In person at a regional FDACS office or a participating county tax collector’s office.
By mail to the Division of Licensing, P.O. Box 5767, Tallahassee, FL 32314-5767.⁸

Here is the timing point most applicants miss. You can legally begin working as an unarmed security officer the moment you file a complete application. You don’t need to wait for your physical license card. But if FDACS finds a defect, they send a Notice of Errors or Omissions to you and your employer, and your work has to stop until the problem is fixed.¹

That makes getting the application right on the first try worth real care. Check every field, confirm your photo is recent, and make sure your fingerprints have already gone through Livescan before you file.

Penalties for Working Without a License

Working as a security officer without a valid Class D is a criminal offense. A first violation is a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to a year in jail and a fine up to $1,000. A second or later violation becomes a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, and FDACS can pursue a civil penalty of up to $10,000 on top of the criminal charge.⁹

There is one narrow carve-out. If your license recently expired and you keep working within 90 days of that expiration date, the criminal penalty provision does not apply. You still cannot legally perform security work between the expiration date and the date your renewal is processed, so treat this as a cushion against accidental lapses, not permission to keep working on an expired license.⁹

Keeping the License Current

A Class D license is valid for two years. The renewal fee is up to $45, and you must complete a refresher training course before you file the renewal.¹⁰

Missing the renewal deadline creates real problems. You cannot work between the day your license expires and the day the renewal is processed. Let it slide more than three months and FDACS will not renew it at all; you have to start over as a new applicant and pay every fee again. If the license has been expired a year or more, you’re treated as a first-time applicant and must repeat the full 40-hour training.⁴

If You Want to Carry a Firearm on the Job

The Class D covers unarmed work only. To carry a firearm as a security officer, you need a separate Class G Statewide Firearm License in addition to your Class D. The Class G requires an extra 28 hours of classroom and range training covering legal use of force, firearms safety and mechanics, and a live-fire range qualification, and armed officers must complete annual firearms requalification at an approved range to stay current. Current and former law enforcement officers certified by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, and certified federal officers who received agency firearms training, may qualify for a waiver of the training.¹¹

1
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Security Officer License Application New Applicant
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 493 – License Requirements
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 493 – Initial Application for License
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 493 – Private Investigative, Private Security, and Repossession Services
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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Class D Security Officer License Requirements
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 493 – License Fees
7
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Forms
8
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Contact the Division of Licensing
9
Florida Senate. Florida Code 493 – Violations and Penalty
10
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Renewing Your Private Security License
11
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Class G Statewide Firearm License Requirements