Licensing, Application, and Renewal Procedures
Domain 2: Licensing, Application, and Renewal Procedures
This domain tests the practical path from applicant to licensed investigator and the conditions for staying licensed. Expect questions on eligibility, the application package, company qualification, renewals, and reporting changes.
Core application requirements
- Be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Meet the experience or education requirement. Georgia requires documented investigative experience, or an approved combination of education and experience; the Board evaluates whether claimed work is genuinely investigative rather than clerical.
- Submit fingerprints for a Georgia and FBI criminal-history check and disclose arrests and convictions accurately. A disqualifying conviction or false statement can sink an otherwise eligible application.
- Pass the required examination and pay the prescribed fees.
- For a company license, identify the qualified licensed individual and submit the separate company application and required insurance or bond documentation.
Weapons permits are separate. They require the applicable firearms training and are not automatically included with a detective license.
Renewal and maintenance
Licenses renew on the Board's two-year cycle. Renewal is not automatic: the licensee must submit the renewal application, fee, and required continuing education, and must keep contact information current. Practicing after expiration is unlicensed practice even if a renewal is later approved. Report name changes, address changes, criminal charges, and other Board-required events promptly. A lapsed license may require a reinstatement fee or a new application.
Worked example
An applicant lists two years of filing and reception work at a licensed investigations firm and one year of actual surveillance and witness interviews. The Board may credit the investigative year but not the clerical years. The applicant needs additional documented investigative experience or an approved education substitution. The reasoning: the requirement is substantive investigative work, not merely employment in a PI office.
Traps that cost marks
- Assuming any job at a PI firm counts as investigative experience.
- Omitting an arrest because it was dismissed; disclosure duties are broader than convictions.
- Letting a company license stand in for an employee's individual license.
- Practicing while a renewal is pending after the expiration date.
- Forgetting that continuing education is a condition of renewal, not an optional credential.