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Security Guard Refresher Course: How Many Hours Your State Needs

A security guard refresher course ranges from 2 hours every two years in Tennessee to 8 hours a year in California, and armed guards often owe more, so check your state first.

By Sharon DeCet, Founder · Updated 27 Oct 2026

A security guard in uniform studies an online training course on a laptop at a desk in a quiet building lobby.

Key takeaways

No national refresher number exists. Your state sets the hours and the clock, from 8 hours every year in California to a 2-hour course every two years for Tennessee unarmed guards.
Check three things: the hours, the clock (annual, before renewal, or every two years), and whether your provider holds your state's approval.
Finishing a course is not the same as renewing. In some states you submit proof, in some the school reports it, and in some your employer attests to it.
We publish refresher courses for Tennessee unarmed guards (2 hours, $45) and Minnesota protective agents (6 hours, $120) as of October 2026.

In this article

1How many hours does a security guard refresher course require?
2Is annual refresher training the same as renewing a guard license?
3How do you check that a refresher course will count before you pay?
4What does a refresher course for security guards cost?
5Which security guard refresher courses does Learningshopusa offer?
6Frequently asked questions

Two guards doing the same job can owe very different training, and the difference is not only in the hours. One guard owes training every year, another only within a window before filing for renewal, and another every two years.

That gap is why searches for a refresher course return pages that each assume a single state. A course built for California's annual requirement does nothing for a Minnesota protective agent (the state's licensed security role), and the hours are only part of the problem. The timing, the approval of the provider and the person who reports your completion decide whether the course counts.

Below is a table of eight states' rules, a five-step test to run before you pay, the prices of our two refresher courses, and a plain account of the two states where our courses apply. The table's figures come from regulators' own pages and rules, linked in each row. Armed guards often owe more, and the table shows where.

How many hours does a security guard refresher course require?

There is no national number. Each state sets its own hours and its own clock. California requires 8 hours every year, Washington 4 hours each year after the first, Minnesota 6 hours every year, and Arizona 8 hours within 90 days before a renewal filing. The table covers eight states as of October 2026.

State	Refresher hours	Clock	Source
California	8 hours, at least 2 on appropriate use of force	Every year	Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), training requirements
Washington	4 hours; at most 1 on customer service, the rest on emergency response	Each year after the first	Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 18.170.105
Minnesota	6 hours of board-certified training; armed staff add 6 hours on their weapons	Every year	Minn. R. 7506.2700
Arizona	8 hours from a department-certified instructor	Within 90 days before you file for renewal	Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) 32-2632
Florida, armed (Class G, the armed guard license)	4 hours of requalifying training	Each year	Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
New York, unarmed	An 8-hour annual in-service course	Yearly	Division of Criminal Justice Services
Tennessee, unarmed	2 hours	Every two years	Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-05-02
Oregon	4 hours (unarmed refresher course and exam); armed guards add a firearms qualification and armed refresher each year	Unarmed every two years, armed refresher every year	Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), training and fee requirements

We compiled this table ourselves in October 2026 from the regulators' pages and rules linked in each row.

The pattern in the table is the point: the clock matters as much as the hours. Four hours a year and 8 hours before renewal are different obligations, and a course bought on the wrong schedule can leave you short on the date that counts. Armed guards usually carry an extra layer: Florida's 4 hours, Minnesota's additional 6 and Oregon's armed refresher all sit on top of whatever the unarmed rule requires.

Is annual refresher training the same as renewing a guard license?

No. Training is one input to renewal, and each state attaches it differently. In Arizona the 8 hours must fall within 90 days before you file. California lists 8 hours as a standing annual requirement. In New York, renewal depends on training being on file with the state, and the school reports it.

The difference shows up in the details:

California: the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) lists the 8 hours under the annual continuing training requirement, separate from renewal. It also says guards must submit renewal at least 60 days before expiration, and that registrations not renewed within 60 days of expiration are canceled and cannot be renewed (BSIS guard fact sheet). A refresher bought after that cutoff cannot bring back a canceled California registration.
New York: a security guard registration is good for two years and can be renewed 90 days before expiration. The mandatory training courses must be completed and on file, and the training school, not the guard, submits the completion record to the state (New York Department of State).
Minnesota: at renewal, the license holder submits an affidavit listing all employees and attesting that they met the training requirements (Minn. R. 7506.2700). Your employer carries that paperwork, so your certificate has to reach them.
Oregon: renewal documents can be received up to 180 days before expiration, and a late-submission penalty applies if you reapply after expiration (Oregon DPSST).

Our recommendation: put the training window and the renewal filing date on one calendar entry, and work backward from whichever comes first. If your card has already expired, ask your regulator before buying a course, because a refresher alone may not reinstate you.

How do you check that a refresher course will count before you pay?

Run five tests, each with a pass or a fail, before you pay for any refresher course. The tests cover your rule, your hours, the provider's approval, who reports your completion, and the terms of the sale.

A guard's hands rest on a renewal letter and a checklist beside a laptop showing a course page. — Checking your state's rule, the provider's approval and who reports your hours takes a few minutes before any payment.

1
Name your rule.
Find the rule for your state and license type (armed or unarmed) on the regulator's own page. Pass: you can state the hours and the cycle from that page. Fail: your only source is the course seller.
2
Match the hours and content.
Pass: the course hours equal or exceed your requirement, and any content limit is met. In Washington, for example, no more than 1 of the 4 hours may be customer service. Fail: the course is shorter than your requirement.
3
Confirm the provider's approval.
The approval that counts depends on the state. California allows a private patrol operator, a Bureau-certified training facility or a Bureau-approved course provider (BSIS guard fact sheet). Arizona requires a department-certified instructor, and Washington requires a department-certified trainer to attest to the training. Minnesota requires board-certified programs. Pass: the seller names the approval it holds in your state and you can check it with the regulator. Fail: the seller cannot say.
4
Find out who reports your completion.
Pass: you know whether you, your school or your employer sends the proof, and the certificate will reach them. Fail: you cannot say.
5
Read the terms.
Pass: the access period is at least as long as your study time and your renewal deadline, and the refund policy lets you recover payment if the provider is not accepted. Fail: access expires before your deadline or all sales are final.

Our guide to online guard training and state approval walks through the approval check in more detail, and why course completion is not a guard license explains why finishing a course never ends the process.

What does a refresher course for security guards cost?

As of October 2026, a 2-hour Tennessee unarmed refresher costs $45 from Learningshopusa and a 6-hour Minnesota protective agent refresher costs $120. Learningshopusa publishes this page and sells the two courses below.

Our Tennessee course: 2 hours, $45, self-paced with rolling access.
Our Minnesota course: 6 hours, $120, self-paced with rolling access.

Prices can change, so check the live course page before you pay.

Which security guard refresher courses does Learningshopusa offer?

We offer a refresher course for Tennessee unarmed guards and one for Minnesota protective agents. Both are self-paced online courses with rolling access and a certificate of completion. As of October 2026 they cost $45 and $120.

206. TN Refresher Training Course for Unarmed Security Guards (2 hrs): $45, 21 lessons. It covers the use of force continuum, observe and report practices, deadly force, personal safety, search procedures, self-defense principles, and medical emergencies including CPR and severe bleeding response. You need a minimum of 70% on the exam, and if you do not pass on the first attempt you get a second opportunity to retake it. Confirm with the Tennessee regulator, as with any course, that the provider is accepted for your renewal.

204. Minnesota Protective Agent Refresher Course: $120, 6 hours, 49 lessons and 4 assessments with 36 questions. It covers protective agent duties, physical security and access control, patrol procedures, use of force and legal authority, report writing, ethics and conflict of interest, and emergency management. The course is designed for Minnesota-licensed protective agents seeking license renewal. Its 6 hours match the annual 6-hour figure in Minnesota's rule, which asks for board-certified training, so confirm board certification with the board using test 3 above.

Call us at (706) 268-2221 or (832) 922-1215 with questions about either course or about corporate accounts.

A uniformed security guard works through a self-paced online course on a tablet at home in the evening. — Self-paced online courses let a guard finish the required hours around shifts, at home and at their own speed.

Take a refresher course for Tennessee or Minnesota

Learningshopusa offers a 2-hour Tennessee unarmed refresher for $45 and a 6-hour Minnesota protective agent refresher for $120, both self-paced.

View our courses

Frequently asked questions

Often yes, but only when the provider holds your state's approval. California lets Bureau-certified facilities and Bureau-approved course providers deliver the training, and Arizona requires a department-certified instructor. Ask the seller to name its approval in your state before you pay.

Sometimes. In California, BSIS (Bureau of Security and Investigative Services) lets a licensed private patrol operator provide the 8 annual hours, so some employers provide the training at no charge to the guard. A free course from any other source counts only if the provider holds your state's approval.

Armed guards owe extra training on top of the unarmed requirement in the states we list. Florida's Class G (armed guard) license requires 4 hours of requalifying training each year. Minnesota armed staff add 6 hours on their weapons to the 6-hour annual requirement. Oregon armed guards complete a firearms qualification and an armed refresher each year.

A refresher course takes as long as your state's required hours: 2 hours in Tennessee for unarmed guards, 4 in Washington and for Oregon unarmed guards, 6 in Minnesota, and 8 in California, Arizona and New York. Our courses are self-paced with rolling access, so you finish on your own schedule.

Sources

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