Georgia Private Investigator License Requirements

Georgia regulates PIs through the Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies under the Secretary of State, and the line most applicants miss is that it is the employer, not the individual, who files for an employee registration.

Georgia PI license at a glance

Item	Detail
Regulator	Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies (Secretary of State)
Age	18, and a U.S. citizen or qualifying legal resident
Filing	The employer submits the application for each employee hired as a private detective
Training	Proof of Basic Training; armed registrants need a firearms qualification score of 80% or higher
Fingerprints	Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS)
Unarmed detective registration	$45
Armed detective/guard registration	$70
Processing	$10 paper, $5 online
Renewal	$65 on time, $80 late
Processing time	At least 15 business days

What’s different here: registrations are not transferable; they are valid only for the employer listed.

Georgia PI license FAQ

Can I change employers with the same registration?

No.

How long should I allow for processing?

At least 15 business days.

Verified against: Georgia Board employee registration application and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 509-1-.02. Agency-license fees were not published in the sources reviewed. Reviewed October 13, 2026.

Who regulates private investigators in Georgia

The Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies, part of the Secretary of State’s Professional Licensing Boards Division, licenses companies, approves designees, registers employees, and approves training schools and instructors. The governing law is O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 38.

Applications and renewals run through the state’s online GOALS portal, and exams are delivered by PSI.

Georgia PI license types

License or credential	Who it is for
Company (agency) license	Individual owners or businesses providing private detective services
Designee	The qualifying person who passes the exam for the company
Employee registration (private detective)	Detectives employed by a licensed company; one registration per employer
Firearm permit	Armed employees; exposed, concealed and/or shotgun authorization

How to get licensed in Georgia: step by step

1. Complete the 70-hour private detective course from a Board-certified school or instructor.
2. Get hired by a licensed company and apply for employee registration ($45 unarmed, $70 armed).
3. Build two years of experience, or earn a related four-year degree.
4. Submit a company application and a designee application referencing it.
5. Pass the PSI exam once the Board approves you.
6. Provide the bond, insurance or financial statement, and pay the license fee.
7. Complete 16 hours of continuing education every two years and report it through CE Broker.

Carrying a firearm as a Georgia investigator

Armed employees need firearm authorization: 15 hours of firearms training (plus 2 more for shotgun), a score of at least 80% on a range proctored by a Board-licensed firearms instructor, and annual requalification. Permitted sidearms are a revolver up to .357 or a semi-automatic handgun up to .45; shotguns require employer request and Board approval. Armed registrants must be at least 21.

What a private investigator in Georgia can and can’t do

A PI license is a business license, not police authority. In Georgia, as everywhere in the U.S., private investigators generally cannot:

• Impersonate law enforcement or claim official authority.
• Trespass on private property to watch or photograph someone.
• Obtain bank, phone or other protected records by pretexting, which federal law prohibits.
• Hack accounts, read someone else’s email or install spyware.
• Place a tracking device on a vehicle where state law forbids it.
• Detain or arrest anyone beyond the citizen’s arrest rights every person has.

On recording, Georgia is not on the list of all-party consent states in a 2024 legal summary by the law firm Kilpatrick, which generally means one party to a conversation can record it. That does not allow recording conversations you are not part of, and other privacy laws still apply.

How to build qualifying experience in Georgia

Most new investigators get their start in jobs that teach investigative skills and, in licensing states, count toward experience requirements. Common routes in Georgia include:

• Working for a licensed private investigation agency, often doing surveillance or records research.
• Insurance claims or special investigations unit (SIU) work.
• Retail loss prevention; see our loss prevention officer guide.
• Law enforcement, corrections or military police service.
• Investigative roles for attorneys, public defenders or government agencies.

Keep records as you go: dates, hours, duties and a supervisor who can verify them. Regulators often ask for signed employer statements, and reconstructing years of work later is painful.

Choosing a niche as a Georgia investigator

Most successful investigators specialize. The most common niches are insurance work (workers’ compensation and liability surveillance), legal support for civil and criminal defense attorneys, background and pre-employment screening, corporate investigations (fraud, theft, misconduct), domestic cases, and online research. Each needs different skills and tools. Surveillance requires patience, a reliable vehicle and a good camera; legal work rewards interviewing and writing; background work depends on databases and records access; corporate work favors people with loss prevention, audit or HR experience.

Look at who hires investigators where you live. In larger metro areas, law firms and insurers generate steady work; in smaller communities, a general practice that takes a mix of cases is more realistic. Whatever you choose, your reputation with a handful of repeat clients will matter far more than advertising.

A realistic first year

• Months 1 to 3: learn the rules, shadow experienced investigators and master report writing.
• Months 3 to 6: handle routine surveillance or records work under supervision.
• Months 6 to 12: take on cases independently, build a portfolio of clean reports and keep a log of your hours for future licensing upgrades.
• Throughout: invest in training on privacy law, interviewing and online research.

Writing reports Georgia clients trust

Your report is the product your client pays for, and in court it may be the only part of your work a judge ever sees. Strong investigative reports share a few habits: they are chronological, time-stamped and factual; they describe what you saw and heard rather than what you concluded; they identify every photo and video clip by time and location; and they note anything that interrupted your observation. Write notes as events happen, using a notebook or a voice recorder, and turn them into the report the same day while details are fresh.

Our daily activity report guide covers note-taking habits that carry straight over to investigations, and our AI report-writing guide explains how to use AI tools to organize notes without adding details you didn’t observe or exposing confidential information.

Why applications get delayed

• Missing or unsigned employer verification of experience.
• Fingerprints rejected as unclassifiable, which means a new set and a new wait.
• Undisclosed criminal history, even old or minor offenses. Disclose everything; see our criminal record guide.
• Bond or insurance certificates that don’t match the business name on the application.
• Business registration not completed before the agency application.
• Outdated forms; always download the current version from the regulator.

Pay and job outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a national median pay of $51,220 a year for private detectives and investigators in May 2025, about 39,500 jobs, and 5% growth from 2025 to 2035. Pay in Georgia depends on local demand, your specialty and whether you work for an agency or run your own. Insurance, legal and corporate work usually pays better than general surveillance, and established independent investigators bill hourly rates well above employee wages.

Gear and books for Georgia investigators

New investigators don’t need much to start. These are the tools we recommend first; each button shows the current price.