BLOG · CALIFORNIA SECURITY GUIDES

Compliance notes and cost guides for California security buyers.

Mission Protection Services writes the guides we wished existed before we earned our BSIS Private Patrol Operator license — what each standard actually requires on a project site, what a California guard post typically costs, and what to ask for in writing before you sign anything.

  • Written by the team that runs the posts
  • Cal/OSHA, NFPA, DCC, and CCR §5040 referenced
  • Each post closes to a scoped quote form

Latest posts

Six evergreen posts. The cluster is complete.

Six evergreen posts covering the briefs we run most often — a contractor’s fire-watch impairment window, a site manager’s armed-versus-unarmed decision, a cannabis operator’s compliance pull and first quote, a facilities lead’s mobile-patrol scoping, and a buyer’s first vendor-vetting pass.

COMPLIANCE
7 min read

Fire Watch Requirements in California — A Contractor Guide

What Cal/OSHA Title 8 §3220 and the NFPA standards actually require when a project goes under fire watch — the four triggers, who is qualified to staff it, and what the AHJ expects to see in your log book.

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DECISION GUIDE
6 min read

Armed vs. Unarmed Security Guards — Which Does Your Business Need?

When an armed California security guard is the right call, when unarmed coverage is enough, and why the most common California post is a hybrid of both — written for site managers, HOA boards, and retail operators.

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COST GUIDE
7 min read

How Much Does a Dispensary Security Guard Cost in California?

What a California dispensary post actually runs per hour — unarmed concierge, armed concierge, 24/7 armed officer, and the line items most operators miss on the first quote.

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COMPLIANCE
7 min read

Cannabis Dispensary Security Guard Requirements in California

What California cannabis operators actually need on a dispensary post — DCC / CCR §5040 conformance, BSIS guard registration, firearms-permit overhead, and the post-order doc pack that survives an audit pull by the local AHJ.

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EXPLAINER
6 min read

What Is Mobile Patrol Security and How Does It Work?

How California mobile-patrol security runs in practice — marked vehicles, GPS-stamped checkpoints, randomized vs. scheduled routes, and how dispatch designs a portfolio rotation across one or seven metros.

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BUYER GUIDE
7 min read

How to Choose a Licensed Security Company in California

How to vet a California security vendor before you sign — BSIS PPO license verification, guard registration, firearms permits on file, insurance posture, and the post-orders doc pack.

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From the Soro blog

Have a specific brief already?

Skip the reading and request a quote today.

Three minutes of filling out the form and dispatch knows enough to quote — site geometry, hours of operation, license tier, and the regulator pulls you’ve already cleared. Same-day reply, usually within the hour during business hours.