Reliable Guard & Patrol Service places licensed security officers, armed and unarmed, at Houston commercial properties. We were first licensed by the state in 2018, under guard company license B07315701, and about 150 of our officers now cover more than 100 sites. You set the post and the hours. We hire, screen, schedule and supervise the officers who stand it.
What a security guard staffing agency is in Texas
In Texas, a security guard staffing agency is legally a guard company, and it needs a state license before it places a single officer. A business that provides guards or patrol officers to another business under contract is a guard company under Texas Occupations Code Section 1702.108. Section 1702.102 bars it from doing that work, or even offering it, without a license from the Department of Public Safety. DPS issues that license as the Class B Security Contractor Company License. Ours is B07315701.
The officers carry their own state credentials on top of the company license. An unarmed officer holds a non-commissioned security officer license. An armed officer holds a security officer commission.
3 ways to staff guards in Texas, and the rule for each
You can contract a licensed guard company, hire officers onto your own payroll, or bring them in through a staffing firm. Texas sets a different licensing rule for each.
1. Contract a licensed guard company
The guard company holds the license and employs the officers. It also has to keep a certificate of liability insurance on file with DPS, and Section 1702.124 sets the minimum limits, which our guide to Texas security guard insurance requirements lists. Your part is checking: look up the company and the officers on the DPS license search before the first shift.
2. Hire your own officers
Chapter 1702 generally does not reach an employee who works exclusively and regularly for a single employer on that employer’s own business (Section 1702.323). 2 limits cut into that exemption.
An in-house officer who carries a firearm on duty still needs a security officer commission, and your security department has to apply for it.
The exemption also ends for an employee who has contact with the public, wears a uniform, badge or patch associated with security or law enforcement, and performs guard duties. Under Section 1702.108, a business that employs that person is acting as a guard company, and the license requirement comes back with it. If you’re weighing in-house officers against a contract, our page on outsourcing security guards in Houston lists the work that moves to the contractor.
3. Use a staffing firm without a guard license
A staffing firm can place guards only if it holds a guard company license itself. Supplying guards without one is barred by Section 1702.102, and the risk reaches the buyer. Contracting with or employing a person who must hold a license or commission, when you know the person does not, is a Class A misdemeanor under Section 1702.386. Texas punishes a Class A misdemeanor with a fine of up to $4,000, up to a year in jail, or both (Penal Code Section 12.21).
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We Cover Houston, TX, Sugar Land, TX, Pearland, TX, Conroe, TX
How we staff a post
Most officers on our posts work 40-hour weekly schedules, and part-time officers take the shorter shifts. Each account also has an assigned supervisor who checks in on the post.
Construction sites, warehouses, buildings and retail shopping centers make up most of our work. Posts run on foot or by vehicle, armed or unarmed, set to what the site needs.
Every officer clears these before standing a post:
- a background check and a drug test
- a check of the officer’s state license or commission
- an interview and required references
- Level II training if unarmed, or requalification and firearm proficiency every 2 years if armed
Our GPS guard-tour system documents each patrol round, and incident reports reach you in real time.
Language matters on a Houston post. According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 47.1% of Houston residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (2020-2024). We staff officers who work in English and Spanish, so a delivery driver or a visitor at the gate gets an answer in either language.
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Free Armed & Unarmed Security Proposal
Why Houston businesses choose Reliable Guard & Patrol Service
Why Choose Our Armed Guards:
01. Fully Licensed to Carry in the State of Texas
02. Background-Checked and Drug Tested
03. Trained in Firearms Handling and De-Escalation
04. Experienced in High-Risk Property Protection
05. Serving Houston Businesses for Over 20 Years
06. Corporate, Construction, Retail, and Event Coverage
07. 24/7 Coverage Including Holidays
Commissioned or non-commissioned officers
Staff a commissioned officer when the post calls for a firearm, and a non-commissioned officer when it doesn’t. The commission takes the longer state course, Level III with a firearms qualification, while the non-commissioned license runs through Level II. Our guide to Texas armed guard training requirements lays out both courses hour by hour.
Starting a post
We respond the same day you call. That first call covers the site and the coverage you need. You get a free proposal next, a site assessment if the property calls for one, and then officers on post. Contracts can run by the week or month to month, or be set for a short or long term, and you can start without a long-term commitment.
Where we staff officers
We place officers in the Energy Corridor and Katy to the west, Sugar Land to the southwest, Pearland to the south, Spring, The Woodlands and Conroe to the north, Humble to the northeast, and Downtown and the Medical Center inside the 610 Loop.
We staff armed and unarmed security guard services at construction sites, warehouses, buildings and offices, shopping centers, stores and vacant buildings. Residential properties, HOAs and events are outside what we staff, and so are fire watch, parking enforcement, alarm response and K-9 units.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a staffing company need a license to place security guards in Texas?
Yes. Supplying guards to another business under contract is guard company work under Section 1702.108, and Section 1702.102 bars it without a DPS license. Look up the company on the DPS license search before the first shift.
Can we hire our own security officers instead?
Yes, with limits. In-house officers fall outside Chapter 1702 while they work only for you on your own business. An armed in-house officer still needs a commission, and an officer who has public contact in a security uniform while doing guard work brings the chapter back into play (Section 1702.323).
Are your officers covered by workers' compensation?
Yes. Every officer we place is covered by our policy, and it’s listed on the certificate of insurance we send you. Texas lets most private employers go without it, and the Texas Department of Insurance calls those employers non-subscribers. If an injured employee sues a non-subscriber, the employer can’t argue contributory negligence, assumed risk or a co-worker’s negligence (Texas Labor Code Section 406.033).
How many officers does a 24-hour post need?
More than 4 full-time officers. A 24/7 post is 168 hours a week against a 40-hour schedule, and that’s before vacations and call-outs.
Get a staffing proposal for your site
Tell us where the site is and which hours need an officer. We respond the same day, and the proposal is free.