License check
How to check a security installer's license in Suffolk or Nassau
A license number takes a minute to check and tells you the company can legally do the work. Here is who issues it in each county, where to look it up, and what else to ask, from the official pages we read on 2026-11-03.
What New York State and federal rules say
- New York's Department of State licenses security and fire alarm installers: anyone who offers or undertakes to install, service or maintain a system that detects intrusion, break-in, movement, sound or fire. A license runs two years.
- Applicants for the state license must be 18, show proof of fingerprinting, pass an alarm installer examination and complete prescribed courses of four 15-hour modules and one 21-hour module.
- No license is needed when an owner personally installs an alarm system on their own property or place of business, or has an employee install it there.
- An electrician who installs security or fire alarm systems is licensed for that work through the Department of State's Division of Licensing Services.
In Suffolk County
- 1Step 1The Department of State's license page gives its Division of Licensing Services, (518) 474-4429, as the number to call for alarm installer license information.
In Nassau County
- Nassau's Administrative Code leaves automatic fire alarm systems and burglar alarm systems out of its definition of home improvement.
- Installing smoke or carbon monoxide detectors is part of Nassau's definition of home services, and no one may run a home service business in the county without a license.
- Nassau's Administrative Code calls for a valid alarm permit issued by the police department, and under the current code the permit expires after two years.
- 1Step 1Nassau homeowners can reach the state Division of Licensing Services at (518) 474-4429 for information on an alarm installer's license.
Towns with a license of their own
- Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island's notice to contractors says every contractor or subcontractor working on the island, landscapers included, needs a town license.
Beyond the license
- Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder.
- Ask who files the permit and books the inspections, and get it in the contract.
- Get the price, the scope, the start and finish dates and the payment schedule in a written contract.
Related
Questions homeowners ask
Do security system installers need a license in New York?
New York State licenses security and fire alarm installers through the Department of State. Ask for the license.
Should I sign a long monitoring contract?
Read the term, the cancellation rules and who owns the equipment before signing.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these official pages. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the office before you file anything.
- NYS Department of State, Security or Fire Alarm Installer (read 2026-11-03)
- NYS Department of State, Get a Security or Fire Alarm Installer License (read 2026-11-03)
- NYS Department of State, alarm installer licensing questions (read 2026-11-03)
- NYS Department of State, Division of Building Standards and Codes FAQ (read 2026-11-03)
- Nassau County, Administrative Code (PDF) (read 2026-11-03; page dated January 1, 2026)
- Town of Shelter Island, Notice to All Contractors (read 2026-11-03)
Checked 2026-11-03. Facts come only from the official pages listed, read on that date.
Talk the job through before you call anyone
Tell us about the house and the job in about four minutes. Revival calls you, free, to go over the scope, the budget, the timing and your town's permit office. Contractor matches open as our first licensed partners sign.