Ask five security companies how many security guards your event needs and you may hear “one per hundred guests” from at least one of them. However, Ontario has no such rule. The number comes from the event itself: how many doors you have, whether alcohol is served, how long the night runs, and what the venue, the City and the AGCO have already asked for in writing.
This guide shows Hamilton organizers how to work out how many security guards they need, post by post. As a result, you can check any quote you receive against your own plan.
Why there is no single ratio in Ontario
Ratios online usually come from the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia, where some licensing rules set guard numbers by crowd size. Ontario works differently. The province licenses the people and the agencies, while the venue, the municipality and the liquor regulator set conditions event by event.
Headcount also hides the real drivers. For example, a seated dinner for 400 with one entrance is a calmer night than a standing show for 400 with three gates and a bar that closes at 1 a.m. Both have the same guest count, yet the second one needs a much larger team.
Start with what is already required in writing
Before you count anything, collect the minimums other people have set. Often one of them is the binding number.
- The venue and your insurer. Banquet halls, arenas and private venues often write a guard minimum into the rental contract. Read it first, because it overrides your own estimate.
- The City of Hamilton. Public events on City property go through an application, and larger ones are reviewed by the Special Events Advisory Team (SEAT). Applications are due 60 days before the event starts.
- Hamilton Police Service. The City’s guide for event organizers says that, depending on size and scope, you may have to hire paid duty officers in addition to or instead of security personnel, and police may ask for a copy of your security plan.
- The AGCO. For special occasion permits it rates as higher risk, the AGCO can add permit conditions, including a minimum number of licensed security staff on duty from open to close, monitored entrances and exits, and an accurate patron count at all times. The AGCO contacts you directly if it adds them.
Hamilton’s minimums for licensed events on City property
If you serve alcohol on City property, the Municipal Alcohol Policy sets a floor for event workers. You need at least two Smart Serve trained workers for fewer than 100 guests, one more once guests pass 99, and one more for each additional 100. In addition, every access point to the licensed area must be monitored. The City gives this chart as a guide:
| Guests | Minimum event workers | Bartenders | Ticket sellers | Door monitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 99 | 2 | 2 | 0 | One at each access point |
| 100 to 199 | 3 | 2 | 1 | One at each access point |
| 200 to 299 | 4 | 2 | 2 | One at each access point |
| 300 to 399 | 5 | 3 | 2 | One at each access point |
| 400 to 499 | 6 | 3 | 3 | One at each access point |
Note what this chart counts. These are event workers, such as bartenders, ticket sellers and door monitors, and they can be your own staff or volunteers. They are not security guards. The policy also says the organizer decides the numbers and types of workers “or other security” above these minimums, and the City can raise the minimums for a particular event.
So if the venue, your insurer or the AGCO asks for licensed security, a volunteer door monitor does not count. In Ontario, anyone working as a security guard must hold a valid licence, and any business that sells guard services needs an agency licence. The City’s guide also makes the organizer responsible for checking that a contracted security company holds that licence.
How many security guards: count posts, not heads
The most reliable way to answer how many security guards you need is to list every spot that must have someone in it, then add up the spots. Here are the usual posts:
- Each entrance. One guard per door or gate for ticket, wristband and bag checks. If most guests arrive in the first half hour, plan two at the main entrance for that window.
- The licensed area boundary. Wherever the bar area meets an unlicensed space or the street, someone has to stop drinks leaving and minors coming in.
- The floor. At least one roaming guard inside, watching the bar, the washrooms and anyone who has had too much.
- The stage or front of house. Only if there is a performer and a standing crowd.
- Back of house. Loading doors, green rooms and any room with cash, alcohol stock or equipment.
- Parking and the perimeter. Outdoor sites with fencing need someone walking the fence line. Indoor venues may need a guard in the lot at closing.
Then adjust for risk. Alcohol, a standing crowd, a late finish, a crowd with a history at past events, or an arrival rush all push the number up. A seated, alcohol-free daytime event pushes it down.
Add breaks and the closing hour
A plan that fills every post for eight hours straight is not a real plan. Under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, an employee cannot work more than five hours in a row without a 30-minute eating period. Therefore, an event longer than about five hours needs either a relief guard who covers each post in turn, or a roaming guard who can step in while others eat.
The closing hour also deserves its own line in the plan. When the bar stops serving and everyone leaves at once, the doors, the sidewalk and the parking lot all get busy together. For that reason, plan one or two extra guards for the last hour or two, or move the floor guards to the exits at last call.
Two worked examples: how many security guards each one needs
These examples show the method only. The real number for your event depends on the floor plan and the conditions in your contracts and permits.
A 250-guest wedding reception at a banquet hall
The reception is seated, with a bar, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. There is one main door and a patio door. The posts are the main door, the patio door and one guard on the floor, so three guards. Because the night runs seven hours, the floor guard covers the doors during breaks. If the hall’s parking lot is busy at closing, a fourth guard from 11 p.m. to the end is worth the cost. Finally, check the hall’s contract, since it may already set a number.
A 450-guest beer garden in a City park
The licensed area is fenced, with two gates, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Under the Municipal Alcohol Policy chart, you need at least six event workers (three bartenders and three ticket sellers) plus a door monitor at each gate. For security, plan one guard at each gate, one inside the licensed area and one walking the fence line, so four posts. An eight-hour day adds a relief guard, which makes five. At closing, a sixth guard helps clear the area. On top of that, SEAT or Hamilton Police may ask for a security plan or paid duty officers, and the AGCO may set its own minimum.
What to send when you ask for a quote
A security company can only give you a firm number if it has the details. Send these with your request:
- The venue address, a floor plan or site map, and the number of entrances.
- Expected attendance at peak, and whether guests are seated or standing.
- Start and end times, when doors open, and when the bar stops serving.
- Anything the venue, insurer, City or AGCO has asked for in writing.
- Any performers, VIP areas, cash handling or equipment left on site overnight.
Then ask the company to show how many security guards it plans for each post, not just a total. That way you can see where each guard stands and what changes if you move a door or a bar. For more on running the night itself, read our event security tips for Hamilton organizers.
StandBy Security provides licensed event security services in Hamilton from our office at 175 Catharine St S, under PSISA agency licence #30000322, and also covers event security guards in Cambridge. Our dispatch line, (289) 309-3633, runs 24/7.
Common questions
Is there a legal guard to guest ratio in Ontario?
No provincial law sets one ratio for every event. Instead, numbers come from the venue contract, your insurer, City event approvals and, for some liquor permits, AGCO conditions. For licensed events on City of Hamilton property, the Municipal Alcohol Policy sets minimum event worker numbers, which are not the same as licensed guards.
How many security guards do I need for 100 guests?
Count the posts. A seated, licensed event for 100 guests in one room with a single entrance often works with two guards: one on the door and one on the floor. Add one for each extra entrance, a patio or a busy parking lot at closing. For a licensed event on City property, you also need the event workers the Municipal Alcohol Policy sets for that size.
Can volunteers do security at my event?
Volunteers can act as door monitors or ticket sellers where the City’s policy allows it. However, when a venue, insurer or permit asks for licensed security, you need licensed guards from a licensed agency. You can check both on ServiceOntario’s public registry.
How early should I book event security in Hamilton?
For a public event on City property, build your security plan before the SEAT application, which is due 60 days ahead. For private events, book once the venue and date are confirmed, so the post list can be checked against the floor plan.
Do I need paid duty police as well as guards?
Sometimes. Depending on size and scope, Hamilton Police Service may require paid duty officers in addition to or instead of security personnel. Ask early, through the contacts in the City’s guide for event organizers.
Reviewed by the StandBy Security operations team. Last reviewed: .