We verify each agency's active license with the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), which regulates security companies and guards in the state, confirm general-liability and workers'-comp insurance, and review close-protection training, the BSIS guard registration and exposed-firearm permit where relevant, and references from comparable San Francisco clients. Only agencies that clear that bar are shown to you.
Best bodyguard companies in San Francisco (2026)
Finding the best bodyguard company in San Francisco means protecting tech executives and founders in a compact, high-visibility city where street conditions, public scrutiny, and online-to-physical threats all factor into a single detail. A founder leaving a SoMa headquarters, a venture investor moving between Pacific Heights and the Peninsula, and a public-company executive appearing at a conference each face distinct exposure, and the right agency reads downtown street dynamics as fluently as a quiet residential detail in the hills. San Francisco protection work is shaped by a tech industry whose principals are publicly known, frequently targeted online, and increasingly concerned about the gap between corporate-security budgets and personal coverage.
Calvis is not a security agency and is not itself licensed. Instead, we vet and match independently-licensed personal-protection and executive-protection agencies across the Bay Area so you can compare qualified options in one place. We screen each agency's California licensing, insurance, close-protection training, and record with comparable San Francisco clients, then connect you directly with the ones that fit your risk picture and budget. You stay in control of who you hire. We make sure every agency you see has already cleared a real bar.
64 vetted agencies
San Francisco Bay Area coverage
Licensed & insured agencies
Get started
Choose how you'd like to proceed
Licensed agencies · 50+ enterprise clients · 40+ cities
No upfront payment · Available 24/7
The San Francisco market
Inside bodyguard and personal protection in San Francisco
64
vetted agencies serving the metro
5
specialties covered
San Francisco's personal-protection market is driven by tech wealth and the unusual visibility of its principals. Founders, executives, and investors are publicly named, frequently the target of online harassment and doxxing, and increasingly aware that personal protection lags far behind corporate security spend, a gap that has pushed executive-protection demand sharply upward. The work concentrates on secure transport between SoMa and Financial District headquarters, Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights residences, and Peninsula campuses, where the curb and the street are the exposed moments. Downtown street conditions and a charged public mood around the tech industry make low-profile movement and route planning central. Conference and public-appearance protection clusters around Moscone Center and major industry events. Residential coverage runs in Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, and the wealthy Peninsula towns, coordinating with estate staff and camera systems. Stalking, doxxing, and threat cases route toward San Francisco Superior Court. California's strict licensing regime, including separate exposed-firearm permits, shapes how agencies staff armed details.
By specialty
Matched to
what you need.
Security needs aren't one-size-fits-all. The San Francisco network spans these bodyguard and personal protection specialties — tell us what you need and we match you to the agencies built for it.
Executive Transport & Drive Details
Protection drivers and a detail officer covering the exposed curb-to-door moments across the city and down the Peninsula. Officers plan low-profile routes around downtown street conditions, advance destinations, and own airport and campus transitions discreetly.
- Ideal for
- Tech founders, executives, and investors moving across the Bay Area
- Coverage
- SoMa, Financial District, Pacific Heights, Peninsula campuses, SFO
Threat Assessment & Doxxing Response
Protective coverage paired with a documented threat assessment for executives facing online harassment, doxxing, and credible physical threats. Officers map online-to-physical patterns, harden the home and routine, and coordinate with corporate security and law enforcement.
- Ideal for
- Publicly known tech executives and founders facing targeted threats
- Coverage
- Corporate headquarters, residences, San Francisco Superior Court, Peninsula offices
Conference & Public-Appearance Protection
Discreet close protection for keynotes, conferences, and public appearances where the principal is publicly recognized and media presence is high. Officers advance venues, manage approach distance, and own arrival and exit choke points.
- Ideal for
- Executives and public-company leaders with scheduled appearances
- Coverage
- Moscone Center, downtown conference venues, industry event spaces
Estate & Residential Protection
Standing residential coverage for hillside and Peninsula estates, coordinating with household staff and camera systems. Officers manage gate and visitor access, screen deliveries, and run discreet overnight presence at primary residences.
- Ideal for
- High-net-worth households and family offices in the city and on the Peninsula
- Coverage
- Pacific Heights, Sea Cliff, Presidio Heights, Atherton, Hillsborough
Private Event & Appearance Security
Low-profile close protection for private functions, launches, and investor events where guest lists are sensitive and visible security would change the tone. Officers screen arrivals, manage VIP movement, and stay discreet inside the event.
- Ideal for
- Private hosts, venture firms, and corporate teams running invitation-only functions
- Coverage
- Pacific Heights residences, downtown venues, Peninsula estates
How we vet
A real bar,
not an ad auction.
Every agency in San Francisco clears the same four checks before it can take bodyguard and personal protection work. Licensing is verified through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS).
01
State licensing verified
Every agency holds an active state security license. We confirm it before any agency can take work.
02
Active insurance on file
Current general-liability (and where applicable, workers' comp) coverage is verified, not assumed.
03
Background-checked officers
Agencies field licensed, background-checked guards — the people who actually show up on site.
04
Tracked reliability record
Shift-reliability is measured on the platform. Agencies that no-show or slip on coverage are removed.
Pricing
What bodyguard and personal protection costs in San Francisco
Unarmed officers
$35–55/hr
Standard posts, patrol, and monitoring. Recurring contracts are typically priced below on-demand rates.
Armed officers
$60–100/hr
Coverage where an armed presence is warranted. Rates vary with risk profile and shift length.
Final pricing depends on site, hours, number of officers, and whether you need a static post or mobile patrol. Get a firm quote by requesting a match above.
FAQ
Common
questions
Unarmed close-protection officers in San Francisco typically run about $55 to 95 per hour and armed officers about $85 to 150 per hour, with the rate depending on detail size, hours, experience, and whether you need secure transport or threat-driven coverage. Single-officer drives sit lower, while multi-officer and 24-hour executive details run higher, reflecting the Bay Area cost base.
Yes. Every agency Calvis matches you with holds its own active license through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which regulates security companies, guards, and exposed-firearm permits in California. Calvis itself is not a licensed security provider. We connect you with independently-licensed agencies and verify that licensing as part of our vetting.
Yes. Many San Francisco agencies we vet are experienced bridging the gap between corporate security and personal protection, coordinating travel, residence, and appearance coverage with in-house teams and law enforcement. You can request a low-profile single officer for routine movement or a layered detail for higher-threat periods when you compare agencies.
Get matched in
San Francisco.
Vetted, licensed California agencies only
Matched to your site and coverage needs
Quotes from multiple agencies, usually same week
Get started
Choose how you'd like to proceed
Licensed agencies · 50+ enterprise clients · 40+ cities
No upfront payment · Available 24/7