HOW TO BECOME A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR IN FLORIDA

CLASS “C” LICENSE

Requirements:

1)  You must be 18 years of age.

2)  You must be a citizen or a legal resident alien.

3)  You must provide current residence address.  Not a P.O. Box.

4)  You may voluntarily submit your social security number, for identification purposes.

5)  You must provide residences for the past 5 years.

6)  You must provide employment history for the past 5 years.  If you were a student or were unemployed, include the associated time.

7)  You must provide your military history including if you were ever court-martialed, fined, or disciplined under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).  If you have been reprimanded by the military you must explain fully, providing dates and complete details.

8)  Your application will be denied if you have been convicted of a felony in any state or a crime against the United States which is designated as a felony, or convicted of an offense in any other state, territory, or country punishable by imprisonment for a term execeding 1 year, unless and until Civil Rights have been restored and a period of 10 years has passed since final release from supervision.  Proof of restoration must be submitted with application.  Any questions you have about this can be answered by addressing the:

Florida Office of Executive Clemency
2601 Blairstone Road, Building C, Room 229
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2450
1-800-435-8286

9)  You may be denied if you have any convictions for crimes of violence or have been involved in such crimes.  This includes but is not limited to:

trespassing, breaking and entering, burglary, robbery, forgery, criminal mischief, theft, assault, battery, stalking, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, sexual battery, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, aggravated stalking, resisting an officer with violence, You may also be denied if you have demonstrated a lack of respect for the laws of this state and the nation,  have an outstanding bench warrant or capias, or are currently in a pre-trial intervention or deffered prosecution program.

You must provide complete information about your arrests and include certified copies of court dispositions.  A determination of your eligibility cannot be made until all documentation is received and a complete criminal record check has been completed.  This process takes 1-3 months.

10)  If you were ever known by any other name you must include it in the application.  This include married names, maiden names, legal name change, alias name, fictious name and nicknames.

11)  If you have ever been deemed incapacitated you must provide a copy of the court document restoring your capacity.

12)  If you have ever been involuntarily placed in a treatment facility for the mentally ill, you must provide a copy of the court document restoring you competency.

13)  If you have ever been diagnosed with a mental illness, you must provide a statement from a psychologist or psychiatrist licensed in Florida that states you are not currently suffering a mental illness that would impair you ability to perform as a private investigator.

14)  You will not be accepted if you are currently using a controlled substance.  A drug test will be administered.

15)  If you have a history of alcohol abuse, you must provide evidence of successful completion of an alcohol rehabilitation program and 3 letters of reference, one of which should be from your sponsor in the program.

16)  You must pass an examination covering the provisions of Chapter 493, prior to submitting the application to the Division.  You can find the information needed for the exam at this address:  http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/FORMS/FormsRequest493.html

17)  You must have two years of lawfully gained, verifiable, full-time experience in one, or in a combination of the following 3 categories:

a)  Private investigate work or related fields of work that provide equivalent experience or training.

b)  College course work related to criminal justice, criminology, or law enforcement administration, for successful completion of any law enforcement related training received from any federal, state, county, or municipal agence.

c)  Employment as a Class “CC” intern.  Internship is on a full-time 40 hour workweek basis.  Overtime cannot be used to reduce the 2 year requirement.  If must complete a sponsorship record of all times worked and possibly a letter of reference if you are using the internship to qualify for a Class “c” license.  Information on the Class “cc” intern license below.

18)  FIREARMS:  For Class “c” you must be at least 21 years of age and have been issued a Class “g” Statewide Firearm License.  This will allow you to carry a concealed firearm only.  This license is valid throughout the state.  You may carry only the following weapons:  .38 caliber revolver, .380 caliber or .9mm semiautomatice pistol, or .357 caliber revolver with .38 caliber ammunition.  You may carry no more than 2 firearms when performing regulated duties.  You may only carry the firearm that you have qualified for during training.

Include the following with your application:

1)  Proof of training/documention of experience

2)  Certificate of completion confirming passing score on exam

3)  Letter of intent to sponsor for private investigator intern if you intend to work while your application is being processed.

4)  Photograph:  Photograph must show a frontal portrait with no hats, no sunglasses. Surface of photograph must be glossy and must not be stained, cracked or mutilated and must lie flat. It must be sharp and correctly exposed and non-retouchd.  It may not be pasted on cards or mounted in any other way.  It must be taken with 6 months of the date application is submitted.  Snapshots, group pictures, or full length photos will not be accepted.  It may not be cut.  You must lightly print your name and date of birth on the back of the photograph using crayon or felt-tipped pen to avoid mutilation of the photograph.  Do not use glue or staples to attach the photograph to the application.

5)  Fingerprint submission

Fees:

Application Fee:  $50
License Fee:      $75  non-refundable
Fingerprint       $42  non-refundable

Total Fees        $167

There will also be a $100 examination fee that you must pay before the exam.

You make your fee payments to:

Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services

All additional detailed information can be obtained at the Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services website.

Just click on Class “C” license to download intructions in PDF format.

If you wish to obtain your intern Class “CC” license go to the same site and click on Class “CC”.

Fees:
Application Fee:  $50
License Fee:      $60
Fingerprint Fee:  $42

Total fees:       $152

The requirements for the Class “CC” license are basically the same as for the Class “C” license.  Please visit the website or call for any additional information.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES
WEBSITE:  http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/FORMS/FormsRequest493.html

MAILING ADDRESS: 

DIVISION OF LICENSING
P.O. BOX 6687
TALLAHASSEE, FL 32314-6687

PHONE: 1-850-245-5491

HOW TO BECOME A LICENSED PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR IN NEW JERSEY

1)  You must submit a non-refundable license fee in the form of a money order, cashier’s check, certified check or business check.  The fee is $250 for an individual license, or $300 for a business license.  It must be submitted with application.  No personal checks are accepted.

2)  You must submit a fingerprinting receipt from the state.  You can find this information at:
http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/about/private-detective.html
There is a $15 registration fee.

3)  Application must be fully completed, signed, and notarized.The application fee for employee is $70.25 and can be found at this address:
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/njsp/info/pdf/pdet/091009_piemployee.pdf

Application fee is the same $70.25 for a manager license and this application can be found at:
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/njsp/info/pdf/pdet/091009_piowner.pdf

4)  Enclose a photograph either black and white or colored.  Poloroids are acceptable.  It must include the head and shoulders, but not a full body, have a light backround, with no hat or sunglasses.  The photograph must have been taken within the last 30 days.

5) Enclose references from 5 reputable citizens over the age of 18 and not related to you.  They can reside in anywhere in the United States.

6)  “Affirmation in Support of Answers to Experience Qualification Form” must be completed by a former or present employer.  A separate form must be submitted from each employer.

7)  Submit corporation name or trade name form, if applicable.

All forms can be found at this web address:
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/njsp/info/forms.html#pd

OR CONTACT

NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE
Private Detective Unit
P.O. Box 7068
West Trenton, NJ  08628-0068

1-609-341-3426 or 1-609-633-9352