1.3 Application, Fees, and Fingerprints

Passing the walk-in exam does not print a license. Form DOS-1587-f-a (Rev. 12/24) is the application, and the path you check on page 1 controls the fee, whether you needed the exam, and whether IdentoGo fingerprints are required. OpenExamPrep independent study material that helps candidates prepare for the NY DOS Security or Fire Alarm Installer exam includes this paperwork because candidates lose months on the wrong path—especially the rumor that 3,500 hours is a current general prerequisite.

Why the path letters matter

The application offers three qualification methods:

• A. Examination and Education — the typical 2026 path
• B. Experience and Education — a closed historical window
• C. Master Electrician Waiver — statewide license or local-only registration

Do not present 3,500 hours as a current general prerequisite. Path B is available only if those hours were obtained in New York State between October 1, 1989, and September 30, 1992 (described as two years / 3,500 hours at 35 hours per week for 100 weeks). A technician with 3,500 hours of 2024–2026 New York service time still uses Path A unless a master-electrician waiver applies.

All applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application. A Child Support Statement is mandatory under the General Obligations Law even if you have no children or support obligation.

Path A — Examination and Education ($185)

If you are new to the industry, you pass the written exam and complete the required education. The application states that this examination is administered on a walk-in basis and is taken PRIOR to submission of an application.

The Path A packet is:

• The completed, signed application
• The applicable fee payable to the New York State Department of State ($185)
• Your PASSED notification (the original, not a copy)
• A receipt that provides proof of electronic fingerprinting by an approved vendor
• Evidence of completion of education requirements (submit all completion certificates)
• Any additional documentation requested in response to specific questions on the form

Path B — Experience and Education without exam ($200)

Path B omits the written exam only for the 1989–1992 New York hour window. You still submit education evidence, experience proof, fingerprints, and $200. This is not a "two years on the truck in 2026 and skip the exam" path.

Path C — Master electrician waiver

Individuals licensed as master electricians who wish to engage in the installation, servicing, or maintaining of security or fire alarm systems are not exempted from filing with the Department of State. Two waivers exist.

Statewide license ($200): Master electricians who wish to practice outside their licensing jurisdiction must be licensed by DOS. Education, experience, and examination are waived. You still submit fingerprints, Attachment A listing the jurisdictions in which you are licensed, and copies of current master-electrician licenses.

Local-only registration ($50): Licensed master electricians who wish to practice only in their local jurisdiction must register with DOS. By virtue of the master-electrician license, all licensing requirements, including the submission of fingerprints, are waived. Persons designated "local" may engage in the alarm installer business only in municipalities where they are licensed as master electricians.

Fee table you should be able to quote

Pay by check or money order payable to the Department of State, or by Visa or Mastercard using the credit-card authorization form. Do not send cash. Application fees are nonrefundable. A $20 fee is charged for any check returned by your bank.

The license term is two years. DOS says you may renew beginning 90 days before expiration; renewal forms are mailed about 90 days out. If renewal is filed in the year after expiration, add the $60 late penalty. After two years, you must requalify—do not treat a lapsed license as a cheap late fee forever.

GBL §69-r(2) is the statutory reason the Path A application is $185 rather than $200: the $15 exam fee is included in the license fee when you qualify from that exam. You still physically pay $15 to sit and $185 to apply. The Get a License page lists both figures side by side for that reason.

The Get a License page also currently lists $88.50 payable to IDEMIA for fingerprinting / support-staff employee statement. The application text is more precise for a qualifier: Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) $75.00 plus the applicable fingerprint vendor fee, which is subject to change in January and July. Use the DCJS-plus-vendor rule at the IdentoGo counter, and treat $88.50 as the published DOS list amount for that fingerprinting line item, not as a substitute for the $75 DCJS figure.

IdentoGo fingerprints

Electronic fingerprinting is through IdentoGo by IDEMIA. Schedule at www.identogo.com (select New York) or call 877-472-6915. You must visit a site in New York. Rolled fingerprints are not acceptable. An out-of-state IdentoGo appointment is the wrong product for this license.

Service codes:

• 1545SG — Security or Fire Alarm Installer applicant / qualifier
• 1545TY — alarm installer employee

Using the employee code on a qualifier application can force a reprint. Security-guard code 1545R1 and private-investigator / watch-guard code 1545QJ belong to other licenses.

Bring acceptable identification and pay IdentoGo by check, money order, or credit card payable to IDEMIA. Fingerprint fees are in addition to the DOS application fee.

You receive two receipts. Include one with the application; keep the second (the instructions say the employer retains a copy). Fingerprint receipts are valid for 5 months from the date of fingerprinting. If you miss that window, you must complete the fingerprint process again.

If you intend to employ staff to assist in installation, servicing, or maintaining of systems, each such person needs a completed Employee's Statement and IdentoGo proof under 1545TY.

Where to file

Mail: New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, P.O. Box 22001, Albany, NY 12201-2001. Express carriers should use the physical address: 1 Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Albany, NY 12231. The general information number is (518) 474-4429.

Realistic application scenarios

Scenario 1 — The 3,500-hour myth. A 2025 helper documents 3,500 hours on Long Island service calls and checks Path B to skip the exam. Path B hours had to be earned in New York between October 1, 1989, and September 30, 1992. DOS will not treat recent hours as Path B. The helper needs Path A: 81-hour modules, walk-in exam, $185, and 1545SG fingerprints.

Scenario 2 — Expired prints. A candidate fingerprints in January, passes the exam in April, and mails the application in July. The IdentoGo receipt is older than five months. DOS requires a new fingerprint event.

Scenario 3 — Wrong service code. A shop fingerprints a future qualifier under 1545TY because "everyone at the shop uses the employee code." The qualifier must use 1545SG or risk a reprint.

Scenario 4 — Local master electrician who bids statewide. A city master electrician files Path C local-only for $50, skips fingerprints, then bids a fire-alarm job in another county. Local-only registration authorizes alarm work only where the person is licensed as a master electrician. Statewide work needs the $200 statewide path and fingerprints.

Scenario 5 — Photocopied pass letter. The candidate emails a photo of the PASSED notice. The bulletin and application require the original notice with the $185 Path A filing.

Scenario 6 — Lapse past two years. An installer ignores renewal mail, waits 30 months, and sends $100 plus $60. After two years the person must requalify; the late fee is for a renewal filed in the year after expiration, not a perpetual shortcut.