If you are searching for Level 3 security classes near you, you are almost certainly trying to do one specific thing: carry a firearm on duty legally in Texas. That is what a security officer commission allows, and Level 3 is the training course tied to it. This page explains what the commission is, who needs it, and how the class is actually structured so you know what you are signing up for before you pay for anything.

What a security officer commission is

A commission is the credential that lets a security officer work armed. An unarmed officer works on a non-commissioned registration. A commissioned officer carries a firearm on post. Those are two different credentials with two different training requirements, and employers treat them as two different jobs.

The Texas Administrative Code sets out the training. Under 37 TAC §35.141(a)(2), the Level III training course is required for a security officer commission and for personal protection officers. So there are two groups of people who need this class: officers who will be armed on a standard security post, and anyone heading toward personal protection work.

You need both certificates, not just Level 3

This is the part that trips people up most often, and it costs them time. Level 3 does not replace Level 2. Under §35.81(a), copies of both the Level 2 and the Level 3 certificates go on the commission application. If you show up with only the Level 3 certificate, you do not have a complete application.

Level 2 is the entry-level, unarmed course. Under §35.141(a)(1) it is required for a non-commissioned security officer licence and is the first step toward a commission. There is no firearms training or qualification in it at all. It covers Texas security law, professional responsibilities, emergency procedures, and ethics. If you have not taken it yet, start with the online Level 2 class and then move to Level 3.

If you took Level 2 years ago and still have the certificate, keep it somewhere you can find it. You will need the copy.

Who is allowed to teach it

The Level 3 material is prepared by and obtained from DPS. It may only be taught by a DPS-approved school using a DPS-approved instructor. There is no in-house designee option for Level 3, which is a real difference from Level 2, where a licensee’s own designee may teach the course.

Practically speaking, that means your employer cannot hand you a packet and sign you off. If someone offers to, that is not a Level 3 course. ETXSTA is a DPS-approved school, and you can see everything we run on the class list.

How the class is split into two parts

Level 3 has a classroom side and a hands-on side, and we deliver them separately.

• Part 1, online. Law, use of force, officer duties, and the written exam. You work through this at your own pace from home. This is the online Level 3 class.
• Part 2, in person. Defensive tactics, firearms handling, and the firearms proficiency exam. This has to be done with an instructor, in person, with a firearm in your hands.

Part 2 is scheduled separately from Part 1. Finishing the online portion does not put you on a range date. You book the in-person day on its own, and the date depends on the range calendar. Plan for that gap rather than assuming you can finish everything in an afternoon.

The proficiency course of fire is set by rule, not by the school. §35.145 allows the DPS Primary Issued Handgun Qualification Course or the DPS Approved LTC Course, and §35.146 provides a shotgun course of fire. Under §35.144(c), the minimum passing grade on a Level III or Level IV school examination is 75%.

Level 4 is a different course, not the next rung

People assume Level 4 is a promotion above Level 3. It is not. Level 4 is the personal protection officer course under §35.141(a)(3), with a minimum of fifteen classroom hours. It is the course for close protection work, and it sits alongside Level 3 rather than above it. You are not a more advanced commissioned security officer because you took it. If personal protection is where you are headed, look at the Level 4 personal protection officer class after your commission training.

After you qualify

Under §35.147, the school issues the original certificate within seven days of qualifying and keeps records for twenty-four months. The Level 3 certificate is PSP 30. Keep your copy, and keep the Level 2 copy with it, since both go on the application.

If you are unsure which part you still owe, or whether an old certificate still counts for your application, read through the FAQs or get in touch and tell us where you are in the process. It is a short conversation and it usually saves a wasted trip.