What insurance does a security guard company need?

At minimum: general liability with assault & battery coverage (most client contracts require $1M per occurrence), workers compensation for W-2 guards, and errors & omissions. Firms with patrol vehicles also need commercial auto, and armed firms need firearms liability included or endorsed.

How fast can I get a certificate of insurance?

OnPost provides same-day quotes, and once bound we issue certificates of insurance the same day — often within hours — so you never lose a contract waiting on paperwork.

Can armed security companies get insurance?

Yes. Armed operations are harder to place because many standard carriers decline them, but OnPost works with specialty and surplus-lines carriers that insure armed guards, and maintains a 100% placement rate.

Security Guard Insurance

You stand post.
We stand behind you.

Q: How much does security guard insurance cost?

Most small unarmed guard companies pay $2,000–$6,000 per year for general liability. Armed guard firms typically pay $5,000–$15,000+ per year depending on payroll, contracts, and claims history. OnPost clients save an average of 30% versus their prior premium.

OnPost insures one industry: security. Guard firms, patrol routes, event teams, executive protection — armed or unarmed. Quotes back the same day. Every applicant placed. Switchers save 30% on average.

Get My Same-Day Quote See Real 2026 Costs →

100%Placement rate

30%Avg. savings

Same-dayQuotes & COIs

A&BReal limits, in writing

Same-day response

Get Your Free Quote

60 seconds. A licensed security specialist replies today — with numbers, not a callback queue.

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A security insurance specialist will contact you today with your quote.

Unarmed patrolArmed static postsEvent & crowd securityExecutive protectionCannabis facility securityAlarm responseBank & jewelry postsConstruction sitesHOA & residentialBar & nightclubOff-duty LEO programsFirst-year firms Unarmed patrolArmed static postsEvent & crowd securityExecutive protectionCannabis facility securityAlarm responseBank & jewelry postsConstruction sitesHOA & residentialBar & nightclubOff-duty LEO programsFirst-year firms

The gap nobody shows you

The #1 lawsuit against guard firms is the one your policy probably excludes.

Excessive force. Assault & battery. It's the allegation in nearly every serious claim against a security company — and many general liability policies sold to guard firms exclude A&B entirely or cap it at $25,000. That's not coverage. That's a receipt.

Every OnPost quote shows the A&B limit in writing. If a competitor's quote is cheaper, check this line first — it's where cheap policies hide.

Read the A&B breakdown →

// Typical "cheap" GL policy

Assault & battery ............ EXCLUDED

A&B sublimit ................. $25,000

// OnPost-placed policy

Assault & battery ............ INCLUDED

Limits shown in writing ...... $1M/$2M

Additional insured ........... PER CONTRACT

Coverage

Everything your contracts require. Nothing you don't need.

One package, built around how guard companies actually get sued — and what client contracts actually demand.

Required by contracts

General Liability

$1M/$2M limits that satisfy client contracts, with additional-insured wording issued same day.

The one that matters

Assault & Battery

Real A&B limits — not stripped-down sublimits — for the claim guard firms actually face.

Required by law

Workers Comp

Security class codes priced by carriers that want them — not surcharged by ones that don't.

Judgment calls

Errors & Omissions

Failure-to-detect, missed rounds, negligent-security claims — the suits GL doesn't touch.

Patrol fleets

Commercial Auto

Patrol vehicles plus hired & non-owned auto for guards using personal cars between posts.

Armed operations

Firearms Liability

Specialty markets for armed guards and executive protection that standard carriers decline.

60-second estimate

What should you be paying?

Rough your annual general-liability premium right now. Then let us beat it.

Number of guards 10 Operation type

Highest-risk work you take

Estimated GL premium

$3,400–$5,800

per year, before OnPost shops it

Beat This Number →

Market estimate from our 2026 placement ranges — not a quote. Your real number comes from carriers competing for your file, which is how clients average 30% savings.

Why specialists win

The OnPost standard vs. the generalist down the street

Security is a niche class. A generalist places it a few times a year and takes whatever one carrier offers. We place it every day and make carriers compete.

	OnPost	Typical generalist agency
Quote turnaround	✓Same day	✗5–10 days, then maybe a decline
A&B limits disclosed up front	✓In writing, on every quote	✗Discovered at claim time
Armed operations	✓Our specialty — 100% placed	✗"Sorry, that's uninsurable"
Markets shopped	✓Every specialty security carrier	✗One or two general markets
COI for a new contract	✓Same day, often within hours	✗"We'll get to it this week"
Renewal strategy	✓Re-shopped every year, automatically	✗Auto-renewed with the increase

The process

From form to certificate, in one business day

Takes 60 seconds

Tell us about your operation

Guard count, armed or unarmed, the work you take. If you've been declined before, say so — that's our favorite kind of file.

Same day

We make carriers compete

Your file goes to every specialty security market at once. They price to win it. You get real quotes with A&B limits in writing.

Often within hours

Bind & get your COI

Certificates with your client's additional-insured wording, same day. Sign the contract. Post the guards.

Two uniformed security officers reviewing a post order outside a commercial building — **Static posts** · Corporate & commercial

Security guard in uniform standing watch on a city street — **Patrol & events** · Street-level coverage

Security guard standing alert at a building entrance — **Access control** · Lobbies & entrances

What placement looks like

Real shapes of files we place every week

Illustrative examples from our 2026 placement ranges — every firm's number is its own.

Armed · 14 guards · Texas

32% below prior premium

Armed patrol firm non-renewed by a standard carrier. Placed with a specialty market, full A&B limits, COI out the same afternoon.

Events · 40 guards · Nevada

Same day quote to bound

Event security company needed a $1M/$2M COI to sign a venue contract by Friday. Quoted Tuesday morning, bound Tuesday night.

New venture · 3 guards · Utah

First-year firm, placed & priced

Newly licensed owner, declined twice as a "startup risk." Placed with a market that writes new ventures — at a rate that let him bid competitively.

Questions

Straight answers

The full list lives on our FAQ page.

How much does security guard insurance cost?

Most small unarmed firms pay $2,000–$6,000/year for general liability; armed firms typically $5,000–$15,000+. Payroll, armed exposure, and claims history drive it. Our clients save 30% on average — see the full cost guide.

What do client contracts require?

Almost all require $1M per occurrence GL with assault & battery included, additional-insured status, and a COI before you start. Many add workers comp and $1M commercial auto. We build the package to the contract.

Can you cover armed guards?

Yes — armed is our specialty. Standard carriers decline it; the specialty markets we work write it daily. We've placed 100% of the armed firms that have come to us. How armed placement works.

How fast can I get proof of insurance?

Quotes same day. Once bound, COIs same day — often within hours, with your client's required additional-insured wording.

You stand post.We stand behind you.