Licensed Private Investigator License Requirements
Compare licensed private investigator licensing requirements across 51 states. See education, exam, cost, and timeline details for each state.
AI Resilience: 32th — Low51
States Covered
$555
Avg. Est. Cost
$52,541
Avg. Median Salary
49 gold
Data Quality
Requirements by State
Click any state to see full requirements, costs, and step-by-step guide.
| State | Education ↕ | Exam | Est. Cost ↕ | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | N/A | Alabama Private Investigation Board Exam | N/A | 2-6 months |
| Alaska | N/A | N/A | $475 | 2-4 weeks |
| Arizona | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Arkansas | Degree required | Arkansas PI State Exam ($50 re-exam fee) | $336 | 2-4 months |
| California | N/A | California Private Investigator Act Exam (PSI) | $774 | 60-125 days (processing time) |
| Colorado | N/A | State exam | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Connecticut | Specific course required | State exam | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Delaware | No educational requirements | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| District of Columbia | No educational requirements | State exam | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Florida | N/A | Florida PI State Exam | N/A | 2-4 months |
| Georgia | Degree required | Georgia PI State Exam | N/A | 2-4 months |
| Hawaii | 0 hrs | Hawaii Private Detective Written Exam (75% passing score) | $280 | 2-4 months |
| Idaho | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 2-4 weeks |
| Illinois | N/A | Illinois PI State Exam | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Indiana | N/A | State exam | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Iowa | Specific course required | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Kansas | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 2-4 weeks |
| Kentucky | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Louisiana | Specific course required | State exam required | N/A | 2-4 months |
| Maine | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Maryland | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Massachusetts | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 months |
| Michigan | N/A | State exam required | $760 | 4-8 weeks |
| Minnesota | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Mississippi | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Missouri | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Montana | N/A | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Nebraska | N/A | Nebraska Private Detective Written Exam | $188 | 4-8 weeks |
| Nevada | N/A | Nevada State Board PI Exam (75% passing score) | $1,428 | 2-4 months |
| New Hampshire | N/A | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| New Jersey | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| New Mexico | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| New York | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| North Carolina | No educational requirements | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| North Dakota | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Ohio | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Oklahoma | Specific course required | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Oregon | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Pennsylvania | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Rhode Island | Degree required | Third-party exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| South Carolina | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| South Dakota | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2-4 weeks |
| Tennessee | 12 hrs | Tennessee PI State Exam | N/A | 2-4 months |
| Texas | Specific course required | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Utah | N/A | N/A | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Vermont | No educational requirements | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Virginia | Specific course required | No exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Washington | Specific course required | State exam required | $200 | 2-4 weeks |
| West Virginia | N/A | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Wisconsin | No educational requirements | State exam required | N/A | 4-8 weeks |
| Wyoming | Specific course required | No exam required | N/A | 2-4 weeks |
AI Career Outlook
How resilient is this career to AI automation?
AI Resilience: Low
32th percentile among all US occupations
More resilient to AI automation than 32% of occupations. Many tasks in this career overlap with AI capabilities, though licensing requirements and human oversight remain important.
Based on the AI Occupational Exposure Index (Felten, Raj & Seamans, 2021). Measures how much an occupation's core abilities overlap with current AI capabilities.
Salary Overview
Median annual salaries for licensed private investigators by state.