Effective 1/1/2025, all Professional Licensing applications (including Security Guard, Private Detective, Security System Technician, Special Police, Railroad Police, Security Guard Agency, Security Guard Employer, Private Detective Agency, Dual Agency, Security Systems Agency and Bullet Proof Body Armor) and application fees shall be submitted electronically in the Licensing Portal. Additional information, issued Advisories, training videos and a registration link for virtual training can be found on the Security Guard page at the following link: Security Guard
Application Process Changes/Updates
- January 2025 - All Professional Licensing applications are converted from a paper application submission process and fee collection to an electronic submission and fee collection process in the Licensing Portal.
Who Should Apply
The Maryland Railroad Police Act states that each railroad company located wholly or partly in the State may apply for the appointment of railroad police officers:
- to protect property, patrons, passengers, tenants, employees, equipment, and services; and
- to preserve peace and order on railroad premises, easements, appurtenant property, trains, cars, and other vehicles.
Qualifications for Appointment as a Railroad Police OfficerA Railroad Police Officer applicant:
- shall be at least 21 years old;
- shall be of good moral character;
- may not have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; and
- shall meet all the educational and training requirements required by the Police Training and Standards Commission; or
- be a full-time police officer employed by a railroad company on July 1, 1979.
Prerequisites for Appointment as a Railroad Police Officer
How To Apply
The Maryland State Police application for Railroad Police Officer appointment can ONLY be completed through the Licensing Portal. Applicants for Railroad Police Officer appointment will be required to submit the above prerequisites and required documentation.
Application Process
Once a Railroad Police Officer applicant has submitted Livescan fingerprints, they should access the
Licensing Portal and begin the application for Railroad Police Officer appointment.
Applicants who do not have a Licensing Portal account will be required to create one in order to access the Railroad Police Officer application.
You are required to have your own personal account in the Licensing Portal. Do Not Share Your Portal Account with anyone - there are specific details tied to the expiration of YOUR licenses and YOUR demographic information. Once you have created your account, you will be able to login and start your Railroad Police Officer application. Upon completing the application and uploading the required documents, you will electronically submit the application along with the required fees to the Licensing Division.
The Licensing Division will review the application for completion and accept all complete applications. Should an application not meet the minimum requirements for acceptance, the application will be sent back to the applicant for corrections. After the corrections have been made, the application can be resubmitted for review and acceptance.
Accepted applications will be submitted into the queue for a criminal history background investigation to be completed on the applicant.
Once the background investigation is complete, the Licensing Division will forward a recommendation to the Governor for a final disposition. The Governor will notify the Railroad Police Officer applicant of the final disposition of the application. If the appointment is granted, the Railroad Police Officer applicant will be required to take the oath required by Article I, § 9 of the Maryland Constitution before the clerk of the court where the appointment is received. After swearing in, the Railroad Police Officer shall submit a signed copy of the District Court Special Police Officer Certificate received from the clerk of the court to the Licensing Division. The Licensing Division will print and send, via US mail, the Railroad Police Officer certification card to the Railroad Police Officer's employer within 14 days.
If the Railroad Police Officer application is disapproved, you may contact the Maryland State Police Licensing Division for more information regarding the disapproval. The Railroad Police Officer applicant may log into their Licensing Portal to view the current status of their application at any time.
Please allow 90 days for completion of the application process.
When Should I Renew
There is no renewal required for an appointed Railroad Police Officer. The Railroad Police Officer appointment remains in effect until:
- the railroad police officer retires, resigns, or is terminated by the railroad company that employs the railroad police officer; or
- the railroad police officer appointment is revoked for cause by the Governor.
Employment of a railroad police officer ends on the retirement, resignation, or termination of the railroad police officer; the powers granted to a railroad police officer under this subtitle end when the employment of the railroad police officer ends; and within 10 days after the employment of a railroad police officer ends, the railroad company that employed the railroad police officer shall file notice with the Governor that the employment has ended.
Application Fees
Application fees will be collected electronically in the Licensing Portal.
Acceptable forms of payment include Visa and MasterCard.
Original/Initial - $160
How Long is the Application Process
APPLICANT - After all perquisites have been completed, the Railroad Police Officer application can be completed in the Licensing Portal within 45 minutes - 1 hour.
PROCESSING TIME - Once the Licensing Division electronically receives and accepts the completed Railroad Police Officer application and the required application fee, the applicant will be notified of the final disposition within 90 days.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS - Applications received by the Licensing Division will typically be reviewed for completeness within 5-10 business days. Applicants who submitted incomplete applications will be notified of the status of their application via email within 5 business days of the review.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS MAY BE EMAILED TO THE LICENSING DIVISION PROFESSIONAL LICENSING UNIT
Frequently Asked Questions
