1.3 Training, Testing, Application, Cards & Renewal

Training comes before testing

Administrative Code Section 4 requires every security guard to complete a training program approved by the Board and any additional training the Board requires. The rule does not prescribe a universal number of classroom hours. An older DSP PDF is stored under a filename containing "16-hour," while the current 2026 Delaware Technical Community College (DTCC) catalog describes its own course as 13.5 hours. Treat the approved provider's current program as controlling; do not turn an old filename into a statewide hour requirement.

Section 4.1.1 names nine required subject areas:

1. Rules and regulations
2. Legal requirements and limitations
3. Use of force
4. Ethics
5. Emergency services
6. Diversity
7. Communication
8. Asset protection
9. Terrorism

Training may be completed through a Board-approved training facility or through the employing Class B or Class C agency when it offers approved instruction. Current DSP guidance lists approved options and formats. Completion produces a training certificate needed for the separate test.

What Delaware publishes about the test

The mandatory test is administered by DTCC under the current DSP process. DSP says it is taken on site and offered at the Dover, Stanton, and Georgetown campuses. A candidate must present the training certificate and valid photo identification. Administrative Code Section 4 sets the passing grade at 75%.

Neither the current DSP FAQ, current DTCC catalog, Administrative Code, nor DSP study guide publishes the number of test questions or the time limit. Therefore, calculate no "45 of 60" score and promise no 90-minute session. Those details may exist in a local appointment confirmation, but they are not verified public statewide facts. Use the registration notice for arrival time, allowed materials, and testing-room rules.

The current July-December 2026 DTCC catalog lists a $59 exam fee. The DSP FAQ page contains inconsistent entries: one says $59 and another says $49. The dated 2026 DTCC catalog is the newer applicable fee source, but candidates should confirm the checkout amount because fees can change. DSP says a failed candidate may retest on a separate date, pay the fee again, and make unlimited attempts within one year of the training date. The training need not be repeated during that one-year window.

Academic integrity matters. Under Administrative Code Section 4.1.2, a validated integrity violation requires repeating the testing process and paying the additional cost. A subsequent validated violation bars further testing and can result in denial or suspension, subject to the right to request due process before the Board.

Application and fingerprint sequence

After training and testing, follow the current DSP application instructions. The main checkpoints are:

• Schedule the Yellow Card fingerprint and photo appointment through IdentoGO with DSP service code 27RVNN.
• Provide the application materials and training/test certifications in the manner DSP currently directs. Administrative Code Section 4.4 requires the training to be completed no more than one year before the application is submitted.
• Pay the $105 nonrefundable initial or renewal Yellow Card charge identified by DSP. This is separate from the DTCC testing charge and from any provider's training tuition.
• Respond promptly if Professional Licensing requests additional information. DSP warns that an application may not be processed when required information is missing or when a request goes unanswered for 30 days.

Fingerprinting is not merely a local name check. Section 1313 authorizes collection of identifying information needed to obtain state and federal criminal-history reports. Never search for or reuse another occupation's IdentoGO code.

Card validity and possession

Under 24 Del. C. §§ 1324-1326, the identification card expires and is renewable on the fifth anniversary of the applicant's birthdate next following issuance; a February 29 birthdate uses February 28. DSP summarizes this as a card valid for five years that expires on the actual birthdate. The exact date printed on the card controls.

The guard must physically possess the card while performing duties and show it when requested. A photograph on a phone is not a substitute. DSP describes a limited initial temporary email-approval period, but after that period the physical card is required. A person may not work with an expired card.

Delaware does not recognize another state's security license as a substitute. A Delaware application is required. If a card is lost or stolen, use DSP's current replacement process; do not keep working indefinitely without the required credential.

Renewal repeats the process

DSP states that renewal uses the same basic process as an initial application: approved retraining, retesting, fingerprints/photo, certifications, and the renewal application. DSP recommends starting at least two months before expiration; it does not describe that recommendation as a statutory 60-day filing deadline. Begin early because an expired card cannot be used for work.

This distinction between verified and unpublished facts is exam preparation discipline: memorize what the regulator actually publishes and verify changeable logistics at registration.