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Gate post
Standing guard at your gate, armed or unarmed.
- Best for
- Active gates, subcontractor traffic, deliveries, stored materials
- You receive
- Daily activity reports with time-stamped photos
- Priced by
- Hours and officer type
For general contractors, developers and site superintendents
Construction Site Security Guards in California
Construction site security for contractors: standing guards, mobile patrol, fire watch. Citiguard is a licensed California Private Patrol Operator (PPO #121572).
4.7
Yelp aggregate · 133 reviews
4.0
Aggregate Google score · 121 reviews
4.9
Trustpilot · 14 reviews
INC. 50002025 & 2026
Two years on the list
Construction site security: who owns what
Contractors, developers and superintendents own different duties; post orders, the written shift instructions, should match.
General contractors on active sites
Crews, subcontractors and deliveries share the gate by day; after-hours coverage watches tools and materials.
Usual starting point
Gate post by day, mobile patrol after hours.
What you're accountable for
- Fencing, lighting and locked tool storage
- Asset lists, serial numbers and equipment keys
- Gate rules and subcontractor access lists
- Repairing damage the officer reports
What the officer takes on
- Checks workers, subcontractors and deliveries at the gate
- Walks the perimeter, fence and gates
- Watches for trespassing and vandalism after hours
- Checks agreed equipment and material areas
- Daily activity reports with time-stamped photos
Developers and project owners
Owners need proof of what happened on site, especially on phased or paused projects.
Usual starting point
Patrol visits during pauses, posts once materials arrive.
What you're accountable for
- Budget and the security plan's coverage phases
- Insurance and contract requirements
- Who authorizes officers to enter private buildings
- Owner, lender and neighbor communication
What the officer takes on
- Follows post orders set for each project phase
- Checks fencing, gates and boundary lines on rounds
- Files GPS-verified patrol reports
- Flags open gates, damage and lighting faults
- Enters private buildings only with authorized consent
- Reports neighbor complaints and public-access problems
Project managers and site superintendents
Your schedule changes daily. Patrol timing is the client's choice: set times, randomized times, or both.
Usual starting point
Gate post plus patrol, adding fire watch when required.
What you're accountable for
- Daily gate and delivery schedules
- Hot work permits and fire authority calls
- Post-order change requests
- After-hours escalation contacts
What the officer takes on
- Keeps gate check-in matched to the day's schedule
- Covers impaired-system and hot-work fire watch
- CitiTrac reporting, free of charge
- Calls your escalation contacts after incidents
Where incidents happen on job sites
Construction security guards cover six zones, numbered below.
- 1
Main gate and deliveries
Checks workers, subcontractors and deliveries against your access list.
- 2
Perimeter fence and gates
Walks fence lines; reports cuts and open gates.
- 3
Laydown and material yards
Checks stored copper, lumber and pallets after hours.
- 4
Equipment and tool storage
Inspects parked machinery and tool lockups; reports vandalism.
- 5
Buildings under construction
With authorized consent, checks doors and openings for trespassing.
- 6
Hot-work areas
Fire watch scans for sparks during hot work.
Construction security: post, patrol or both
Pick by gate traffic and empty hours; unarmed guards suit most sites.
Mobile patrol
Visits check perimeter and gates after hours.
- Best for
- Paused projects, spread-out sites, nights and weekends
- You receive
- time-stamped photos and GPS at checkpoints
- Priced by
- Number of patrol visits per night
Post + patrol
Day post, night patrol, plus fire watch.
- Best for
- Phased projects, hot work, multiple active gates
- You receive
- CitiTrac reporting, free of charge
- Priced by
- Post hours plus patrol visits
Typical security costs in California
Typical California ranges from the Citiguard cost guide. Every property is priced individually; these are typical ranges, not a quote.
Unarmed officer
$25–$40
per hour
Typical for gate posts, access control and standing coverage.
Armed officer
$40–$100+
per hour
Typical where cash, high-value goods or a known threat calls for an armed officer.
Marked vehicle patrol
$25–$60
per visit
Typical for timed after-hours checks of fences, gates and lots.
| Coverage | Hours or visits | Typical monthly range |
|---|---|---|
| Post, 8 hours a day | 240 hours | about $6,000–$9,600 |
| Post, 24 hours a day | 720 hours | about $18,000–$28,800 |
| Patrol route, 1 visit a night | 30 visits | about $750–$1,800 |
- Armed or unarmed, and how many officers per shift
- Hours per week and the number of posts on the property
Figures come from Citiguard's security guard cost guide and are typical ranges, not a quote. Read the full cost guide
Get a written quoteOvernight on your job site
Example after-hours post; your post orders set actual times.
- 5:00 PM
Shift handoff
Officer reads post orders and the superintendent's notes.
- 6:30 PM
Gate and deliveries
Last crews out; late deliveries matched to schedule.
- 8:00 PM
Fence line
Perimeter walked; cut fencing and open gates reported.
- 10:30 PM
Laydown yard
Stored materials and parked equipment checked for tampering.
- 1:00 AM
Building shell
With authorized consent, openings checked for trespassing.
- 5:30 AM
Shift report
Daily activity report with time-stamped photos, delivered through CitiTrac.
Hot work tonight? Add fire watch to post orders.
What you get from each shift
After hours, you're not on site; reports show what happened.
- Daily activity reports: CitiTrac reporting, free of charge
- Mobile patrol: time-stamped photos and GPS at checkpoints
- Incident reports with time-stamped photos for vandalism, trespassing
- Post-order option: cut fencing, open gates, lighting faults
- A consultant on call 24/7 for post-order changes
Example job-site patrol entryIllustration
- Project
- Example Project, Phase 2
- Visit
- 10:30 PM, second of three visits
- Checkpoints
- Main gate, north fence, material yard, tool storage
- Observed
- Cut fence panel; side gate found open.
- Action
- Gate closed, photos taken, repair request noted.
- Notified
- Superintendent (text, 10:41 PM)
What you get with every Citiguard assignment
Citiguard publishes the same commitments for every post in California.
Screened, licensed officers
Every officer holds a California BSIS Guard Card. Screening includes a BCI background check, civil and criminal court search, drug testing (including random), DMV record, references, prior employment and workers' compensation history. The majority of officers also hold Power to Arrest, Baton, Pepper Spray, Firearms and CPR/First Aid certifications.
Supervision you can see
Field supervisors with 15+ years of experience visit each post at least twice per 8-hour shift.
CitiTrac reporting, free of charge
Daily activity reports, incident reports and patrol logs with time-stamped photos, delivered through CitiTrac — included with every assignment at no extra cost.
A consultant on call 24/7
A security consultant is reachable around the clock for post-order changes, schedule changes or incidents.
30-day trial, no overtime surprises
Start with a 30-day trial. Citiguard does not charge overtime except on major holidays.
Licensed and insured
California Private Patrol Operator #121572, with liability and workers' compensation coverage above the state-required minimums.
What job-site clients say about Citiguard
Construction clients and a warehouse fire watch client, quoted as published on Google and Yelp. Excerpts are marked with …
-
I work in construction and some guys came in and tried to steal some of our equipment and they couldn't even leave the property because the guards were already surrounding the whole site.
-
My construction site in san Diego had a few theft issues so i hired armed security guards from them.Since,then nothing has gone missing.They check every corner and report anything odd.i am satisfied with their services.
-
Not a shift was missed and we were able to rest assured that someone would be here on time and ready to work. … The team provided fire watch while also helping protect our 100,000-square-foot warehouse and the inventory inside.
Protecting the Places That Matter
Some of the California organizations we’ve worked with.
California rules contractors should know
Three state rules that shape who may guard a construction site and what officers may do there. Each links to the official source; this is general information, not legal advice.
Guards work for a licensed Private Patrol Operator
Generally, a California security guard works as an employee of a licensed Private Patrol Operator, the licensed business that furnishes guards or patrol officers to protect persons or property. A guard registration alone does not allow someone to contract guard services. In practice: the company named on your security contract should hold its own PPO license, which you can look up on the state license search.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §7582.1 (leginfo)Each guard is registered and carries the card on duty
Generally, to register as a California security guard a person must be at least 18, pass DOJ and FBI criminal history checks and complete Power to Arrest training before registration is issued. A guard must carry a valid registration card while on duty. In practice: your superintendent can ask to see it at the gate.
BSIS fact sheet (bsis.ca.gov)Uniform patches and entry to closed buildings
Generally, uniformed California guards wear shoulder patches reading “private security” with the company name, plus a badge or patch on the upper left breast, in a state-approved design. The same law bars a security company's staff from entering a private building or unit, other than areas open to the public, without the consent of the owner or the person in legal possession. In practice: name in your post orders who authorizes entry to closed buildings on the project.
Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §7582.26 (leginfo)In depth
Construction site security: plans, equipment theft and fire watch
A construction site security plan should change with the job, because your exposure during grading differs from your exposure at rough-in. Before mobilization, do a site risk assessment: walk the perimeter, entrances and storage areas at the hours the site empties, and note fence gaps, dark spots and where equipment sits. Revisit coverage when the fence moves, a new gate opens or copper arrives. Put the changes in post orders, so each shift works from the current plan. If you run remote camera monitoring, write down who receives each alert and what the officer does next. Request a quote with your phase schedule. Citiguard offers a free, no-obligation consultation.
Equipment theft gets harder when your team and the officer split the work clearly. Your team keeps an asset list with serial numbers, pulls keys from machines and locks tools away at day's end. Duties you can ask to include in post orders are yard checks, fence rounds and reports of anything out of place. Share where high-value items sit, so rounds cover the right spots. Spread-out sites often pair a post with mobile patrol. Marked-vehicle patrol officers have a minimum of 5 years' experience and prior law enforcement or a DOJ degree.
Fire watch becomes a job-site need when a sprinkler or alarm system is impaired or hot work raises fire risk, and your fire authority decides whether one is required. A fire watch can typically start within 2 to 4 hours of the call, 24/7, including the same day a sprinkler or alarm system goes down. The record is a paper log on site for the fire marshal, digital copy to you in real time through CitiTrac. Confirm what your fire authority expects. Have the impaired system or hot-work schedule ready when you call.
Details on hiring construction site security guards
Details before you request a quote
What construction security guards do
Duties for your post orders: gate checks, perimeter rounds, equipment and material checks, plus trespassing, vandalism and theft reports.
Ask where assigned officers stand on training
The thirty-two (32) hours of training in security officer skills must be completed within the first six (6) months of registration.
Post orders and first-shift checks at the gate
Post orders should say who authorizes officers to enter private buildings on the project, because California law requires consent from the owner or the person in legal possession for areas not commonly open to the public. A superintendent can check a uniformed guard at the gate for the state-required 'private security' shoulder patches showing the company name, plus the badge or patch on the upper left breast. The site team can ask to see a guard's registration card during a shift, because California requires guards to carry a valid, current card on duty.
Armed or unarmed guards for your site?
Unarmed guards suit most job sites. Consider armed coverage for high-value materials or a history of incidents.
After-hours coverage: nights, weekends and shutdowns
Match hours to when the site empties. Add a daytime gate post once deliveries and subcontractor traffic need screening.
Owner or contractor: who hires, who pays
The owner or general contractor can hold the contract. Settle who pays, and who receives reports, before mobilization.
Working with your site team
Name one site contact. Reviews run by phone or video, or in person if you prefer.
How fast can guards start?
A standard post can typically start 24 to 48 hours after the agreement is signed.
Questions to ask any construction site security company
When reviewing a security vendor's insurance certificate, a project manager should look for occurrence coverage, because BSIS does not permit claims-made coverage for a private patrol operator's general liability policy.
Questions on construction site security
Answers for contractors and superintendents before you request a quote.
Who Needs Construction Site Security Services?
General contractors, developers and public-works teams use construction site security. The need grows when a project holds valuable equipment or materials, sits empty after hours, or requires strict access records.
What are the top security guard responsibilities?
A construction security guard's top three responsibilities are controlling the gate, protecting equipment and materials from theft and vandalism, and recording each shift so your project team can act quickly.
How to keep a construction site safe?
Control who enters, secure the perimeter and lock up equipment nightly. Put them in a security plan covering gates, storage, after-hours coverage and incident reports, then update it each phase.
Is mobile patrol enough for my site?
Mobile patrol fits paused or spread-out sites that sit empty overnight. If someone must check deliveries and subcontractors at the gate, you need a standing guard; many projects combine both.
Who gets called when something happens after hours?
Your post orders should name who gets called, and in what order, for an after-hours break-in, fire or injury. A security consultant is reachable around the clock for post-order changes, schedule changes or incidents.
How do I choose a construction site security company?
Start with the company's Private Patrol Operator license on the DCA search, then check its insurance certificate for occurrence coverage. A newly registered guard may still be inside the six-month window for completing 32 hours of skills training, so buyers can ask where assigned officers stand on that requirement. Also ask how supervisors check posts and how reports reach you.
When do construction sites need armed guards?
Unarmed guards suit most job sites. Armed coverage fits high-value materials, a documented incident history or a specific threat. Use a free consultation to decide which one fits your risk.
How much do construction security guards cost?
Expect $25–$40 an hour (unarmed), $40–$100+ an hour (armed) or $25–$60 per patrol visit: typical ranges, not a quote. Hours and posts set your total; see the security guard cost guide. security guard cost guide
Do you cover hot work fire watch?
Citiguard provides both impaired-system fire watch and hot-work fire watch, including welding, cutting, grinding, roofing and construction. Job-site fire watch is priced hourly, quoted on hours, officers and site size. fire watch
What should my site confirm for armed guards?
Confirm why armed coverage is needed, then look up each assigned officer's Exposed Firearm Permit on the DCA search. Write the officer's duties and escalation steps into your post orders.
How soon can construction security guards start?
For urgent needs, Citiguard can typically have an officer on site the same day, usually within 4 hours of the call. Call 800-613-5903 with your gate address and coverage hours.
Are guards licensed and insured?
Yes. Licensed (PPO #121572) and insured, with liability and workers' compensation coverage above the state-required minimums. Every officer holds a California BSIS Guard Card. Verify the license on DCA's search.
Is construction security available in Los Angeles?
Request a quote with your Los Angeles project address and start date; a standard post typically starts within 24 to 48 hours of a signed agreement. Headquarters: 5550 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Suite 310, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. See service areas across California
Plan your construction site security
Request a quote with your job site details, or call 800-613-5903 for a free consultation.
- Project address and phase
- Gates and fencing
- Coverage hours, start date
- Hot work, stored materials
Request a Quote
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