Security pricing in BC is simpler than it looks, but almost nobody quotes it the way people ask about it. This answers the actual questions: what an hour costs, what a night costs, what round-the-clock costs, and why the last number is so much larger than people expect.
The short answer
Licensed security guards in British Columbia generally cost from around $28 per hour into the $40s, through a properly insured company, depending on the service, the hours and how much notice you give.
Four hours is the standard minimum shift across the province, so the smallest realistic booking is four times the hourly rate even if you only need two hours.
What different amounts of coverage cost
The pattern worth noticing is the last row. For an empty property, mobile patrol delivers most of the deterrent value of a guard at a fraction of the cost, because the vehicle and officer are shared across several client sites.
How much does 24-hour security cost?
This is the question with the most surprising answer, so it is worth doing the arithmetic plainly.
Continuous cover is 168 hours a week. One person does not work that. In practice it takes four to five guards on a rotation, plus relief when someone is sick or on holiday, and a large share of those hours fall on nights, weekends and statutory holidays where premium rates apply.
So 24-hour coverage is not "the hourly rate times 24". It is a staffing model, and the weekly figure lands in the thousands rather than the hundreds.
Almost every business that asks for 24-hour security actually needs a defined window. When we look at a client's own incident history, the exposure is nearly always concentrated in a few hours: after closing, overnight, or around shift change. Covering those hours properly costs a fraction of covering all of them, and usually works better because the guard is deployed where the risk is.
If you genuinely need continuous cover, because people are on site around the clock or an insurer has required it, it is available. Just budget for a rotation rather than a person.
How much is private security per hour?
The hourly rate moves on five things:
- Service type. Concierge and front-desk coverage typically sits at the lower end. Event security and short-notice work sit higher. Executive protection sits above the standard guarding range entirely.
- Time of day. Overnight, weekend and statutory holiday hours carry premiums.
- Notice. Booking three weeks ahead costs less than booking tomorrow, because the provider can roster rather than scramble.
- Term. Ongoing contracts price better per hour than one-off bookings.
- Site complexity. A single-entrance retail unit and a multi-building industrial site are different jobs.
What about personal or close protection?
Different service, different pricing. Executive protection costs more per hour than any guarding service, and the driver is the length of the engagement rather than the number of officers. Advance work, route planning and venue checks are real billable labour that happens before anyone arrives.
Ask for a quote against the itinerary rather than a headcount. A quote that omits advance work is quoting a lesser service.
Why a cheap quote is a warning
A rate materially below the market is a signal, not a bargain.
Guards in BC must be licensed. A licensed company must carry insurance, run supervision, cover WorkSafeBC, and pay enough to retain people who are worth having. Those costs are not optional, so a quote well under $28 an hour usually means one of three things:
- The guards are underpaid and will churn constantly, so your site is covered by a stranger every few weeks
- The insurance is thinner than you would want if something goes wrong on your property
- The work is being subcontracted to a company you never vetted and whose certificate you have not seen
Ask for the security business licence number, individual worker licences, and a general liability certificate. Fireball Security carries $2M CAD in comprehensive general liability. Our guide to choosing a security company in BC covers the rest of the vetting.
How to pay less without buying less
1. Find your actual exposure window. A fortnight of patrol reports usually shows the risk sits in a narrower band than assumed. Cover that band.
2. Ask about a hybrid. A static guard across the highest-risk hours and patrols either side. Most providers do not propose this unless asked, because a continuous post is simpler to quote and larger to invoice.
3. Consider patrol instead of static for anything empty overnight. See static guards versus mobile patrols.
4. Give notice. Short-notice premiums are real and avoidable.
5. Bundle sites. If you have several properties, one patrol route covering all of them costs far less than separate arrangements.
6. Get a site assessment first. Sometimes the honest answer is that lighting, a rekeyed door and a repaired fence solve the problem for a fraction of staffed coverage. Our site assessment guide covers what that involves.
What the rate includes
Worth stating, because people compare a contract rate against an in-house wage and conclude the contract is expensive. They are not the same kind of number.
The hourly rate covers the licensed guard, supervision, relief coverage when someone is sick, liability insurance, WorkSafeBC, scheduling, training and reporting infrastructure. An employed guard's wage covers the wage. Our in-house versus contract comparison works through the full stack.
Frequently asked questions
1. How much does it cost to hire a security guard in BC?
Generally from around $28 per hour into the $40s through a licensed, insured company, depending on service type, hours and notice. Four hours is the standard minimum shift.
2. How much does 24-hour security cost?
Continuous cover is 168 hours a week and takes four to five guards on rotation plus relief, with premium rates across nights and weekends. It lands in the thousands per week. Most businesses asking for it actually need a defined window instead.
3. How much is private security per hour?
The same $28 and up range for standard guarding. Concierge sits lower, event and short-notice work higher, and close protection above the guarding range entirely.
4. What is the minimum I can book?
Four hours. Shorter requirements are normally billed at the four-hour minimum anyway.
5. How much does personal protection cost?
More per hour than any guarding service, and priced against the itinerary rather than a headcount, because advance work and planning are a real part of the job.
6. Is mobile patrol cheaper than a guard?
Considerably, because the vehicle and officer are shared across several properties. The trade-off is the gap between passes, which is fine for an empty building and not for a site with people on it.
7. Why is one quote so much cheaper than the others?
Usually underpaid guards, thin insurance, or subcontracting. Ask for licences and the insurance certificate before taking the saving.
8. Do rates go up at night and on holidays?
Yes. Overnight, weekend and statutory holiday premiums are standard across the industry.
Getting an accurate number
A quote is only comparable if every provider is pricing the same scope. Send property type and size, the exact hours, whether it is ongoing or short-term, the specific duties, any insurer conditions, and the reporting you expect. Our guide to hiring security guards in BC sets out the full brief.
Fireball Security has operated across British Columbia since 2020, serving 100+ clients in 11 cities with a roster of 100+ licensed guards. Every officer is licensed, every site gets GPS-verified reporting, and we carry $2M CAD in comprehensive general liability.
Send us the details and we will come back within 60 minutes during business hours, or call 250-899-6620.
