1. (a) An applicant for registration shall:

   1. (1) submit to the Secretary an application in the manner and format designated by the Secretary;
   2. (2) submit the documents required by this section; and

   3. (3) pay to the Secretary in a method approved by the Secretary:

      1. (i) an application fee that is the higher of $15 or an amount the Secretary determines based on actual processing costs; and
      2. (ii) the cost of any background checks.
2. (b) The application provided by the Secretary shall contain a statement advising the applicant that willfully making a false statement on an application is a misdemeanor, subject to a fine or imprisonment or both, as provided under § 18-504 of this title.
3. (c) An applicant for registration shall submit with the application two complete sets of the applicant's legible fingerprints taken in a format approved by the Director of the Central Repository and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

4. (d) The Secretary may waive the requirements of this section and register an applicant who:

   1. (1) provides adequate evidence that the applicant:

      1. (i) is licensed in another state to engage in the business of providing security systems services or registered in another state as a security systems technician or other individual who has access to circumventional information; and

      2. (ii) became licensed or registered in the other state:

         1. 1. after meeting qualifications that are at least equivalent to those required in this State; and
         2. 2. after submitting to a State and national criminal history records check; and
   2. (2) pays to the Secretary, in a method approved by the Secretary, a processing fee that is the higher of $15 or an amount the Secretary determines based on actual processing costs.
5. (e) A minor in an apprenticeship program approved by the Maryland Department of Labor or a cooperative education program established under § 18-3A-02 of this subtitle is not required to meet the criminal background check and fingerprint requirements of this section.

Added by Acts 1997, c. 520, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1997. Amended by Acts 1998, c. 21, § 1, eff. April 14, 1998; Acts 1999, c. 387, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1999; Acts 2002, c. 262, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2002; Acts 2019, c. 8, § 5; Acts 2024, c. 737, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025; Acts 2024, c. 738, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025; Acts 2026, c. 153, § 1, eff. April 14, 2026.