How to Verify a California Security Company's License, Insurance & Contract Before You Sign

Ask the company for its PPO (private patrol operator) license number, then search that number on the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services' public license lookup tool, which shows current status and any disciplinary history. Do this before signing anything, not after. Our number is BSIS PPO #122730, and we'd rather you verify it independently than take our word for it. If a company hesitates to give you a PPO number at all, that alone is a reason to keep looking.

A PPO number is the license identifier BSIS assigns to a private patrol operator — the company itself, not an individual guard — authorizing it to legally provide contract security services in California for a fee. It matters because operating as a security company without one is illegal, and a company without a valid PPO number has no real accountability to the state if something goes wrong on your property. Always ask for the number and verify it on BSIS's lookup rather than assuming a uniform and a logo mean the company is licensed.

A guard card is the individual registration BSIS issues to each security officer after a background check and required training — it's what makes that specific person legally allowed to work as a guard. It's separate from the company's PPO license: a licensed company can still employ an officer whose guard card is expired or was never properly registered. If you want to check both, ask the company for its PPO number for the business and confirm officers on your site are registered, current employees rather than unverified subcontractors.

At minimum, ask for proof of active general liability insurance with limits you're comfortable with, and request to be named as an additional insured on the certificate, which extends part of that coverage to protect your property directly. Also require proof of current workers' compensation insurance — without it, an officer injured on your site could pursue you, the property owner, for their medical costs. Get both certificates in writing before the first shift and check the expiration dates; an expired certificate protects no one.

Usually because the numbers aren't measuring the same thing. One company's quote might be a bare base rate with fuel surcharges, dispatch fees, holiday multipliers, and minimum-hour charges added later, while another quotes the true all-in hourly rate up front. Ask each company directly whether their number is the full invoiced rate and request a sample itemized invoice from a similar job. Summit Force quotes a flat $28-$45 per officer hour in writing with nothing added later, which makes comparing against a padded quote straightforward once you ask the right question.

There's no single right length, but shorter terms with clear cancellation terms protect you more than a long-term agreement with a low rate and a rigid lock-in. Whatever length you choose, pay closer attention to the notice period and whether there's an auto-renew clause or early termination penalty than to the term length itself — a one-year contract with 30-day written notice to cancel and no penalty is far less risky than a six-month contract that auto-renews and charges a fee to exit early.

It depends entirely on what you signed. Most contracts specify a required written notice period, and some include auto-renew clauses or early termination penalties that make cancelling expensive or slow even when the service is genuinely bad. Read that section before you sign, not when you want out. Summit Force's standard terms are 30-day written notice, no auto-renew, and no early termination penalty specifically so a client isn't trapped in a service that isn't performing.

We provide both, and which one fits your site depends on the risk profile, site type, and what you're trying to accomplish — most retail, apartment, and HOA posts are unarmed, while certain high-risk sites request armed coverage. Armed officers carry additional state licensing and training requirements beyond a standard guard card, and armed posts are generally priced toward the higher end of our $28-$45 per officer hour range. We'll walk through which makes sense for your property honestly rather than upselling armed coverage a site doesn't need.

Our quoted $28-$45 per officer hour is the full invoiced rate — it includes the officer's time on your site, dispatch, and standard written reporting, with nothing added afterward for fuel, holidays, or minimum-hour penalties. Where you land in that range depends on factors like armed versus unarmed, shift timing, and site complexity, and we tell you which apply before you commit. Always ask any company you're comparing us against the same question directly: is this the whole rate, or a starting number.

Ask for their BSIS PPO number and verify it on the state lookup, ask for current general liability and workers' compensation certificates, ask whether their quoted rate is the full invoiced rate or a base rate with add-ons, and ask specifically about auto-renew clauses, early termination penalties, and the required notice period to cancel. Get all of it in writing before the first shift. A company willing to answer every one of those questions clearly and quickly is telling you as much about how they operate as their actual answers are.