Cal. Business and Professions Code § 7590.2

(a) An “alarm company operator” means a person who, for any consideration whatsoever, engages in business or accepts employment to install, maintain, alter, sell on premises, monitor, or service alarm systems, and those ancillary devices connected to and controlled by the alarm system, including supplementary smoke detectors, or who responds to alarm systems except for any alarm agent. “Alarm company operator,” includes any entity that is retained by a licensed alarm company operator, a customer, or any other person or entity, to monitor one or more alarm systems, whether or not the entity performs any other duties within the definition of an alarm company operator. The provisions of this chapter, to the extent that they can be made applicable, shall be applicable to the duties and functions performed in monitoring alarm systems. (b) A person licensed as an alarm company operator shall not conduct any investigation or investigations except those that are incidental to personal injury, or the theft, loss, embezzlement, misappropriation, or concealment of any property, or any other thing enumerated in this section, which they have been hired or engaged to protect. (c) A person who is licensed, certified, or registered pursuant to this chapter is exempt from locksmithing requirements, pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 6980.12, if the duties performed that constitute locksmithing are performed in combination with the installation, maintenance, moving, repairing, replacing, servicing, or reconfiguration of an alarm system, as defined in Section 7590.1, and limited to work on electronic locks or access control devices that are controlled by an alarm system control device, including the removal of existing hardware.