NO LICENSE NEEDED,
IF WORKING FOR THE FOLLOWING::
Exemptions:
(Source: 329A.070 Scope of KRS 329A.010 to 329A.090. The provisions of KRS 329A.010 to 329A.090 do not apply to:
- An officer or employee of the United States, this state, another state, or any political subdivision thereof, performing his or her official duties within the course and
scope of his or her employment;
- A public accountant, certified public accountant, or the bona fide employee of either, performing duties within the scope of public accountancy;
- A person engaged exclusively in the business of obtaining and furnishing information regarding the financial rating or standing and credit of persons;
- An attorney-at-law, or an attorney's bona fide employee, performing duties within the scope of the practice of law or authorized agent with duties limited to document and record retrieval or witness interviews;
- An insurance company, licensed insurance agent, or staff or independent adjuster if authorized to do business in Kentucky, performing investigative duties limited to matters strictly pertaining to an insurance transaction;
- A person engaged in compiling genealogical information, or otherwise tracing lineage or ancestry, by primarily utilizing public records and historical information or databases;
- A private business employee conducting investigations relating to the company entity by which he or she is employed;
- An individual obtaining information or conducting investigations on his or her own behalf;
- An employee of a private investigator or a private investigating firm who works under the direction of the private investigator or the private investigating firm for less than two hundred forty (240) hours per year. The board shall promulgate administrative regulations to establish a method of verification of the number of hours worked;
- A professional engineer, a professional land surveyor, or a professional engineer's or professional land surveyor's bona fide employee, performing duties within the scope of practice of engineering or land surveying; or
- A secured creditor, or person acting on behalf of a secured creditor, engaged in the repossession of the creditor's collateral pursuant to KRS 355.9-609.
Effective: June 20, 2005
History: Amended 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 81, sec. 1, effective June 20, 2005. -- Amended
2004 Ky. Acts ch. 38, sec. 1, effective July 13, 2004; and 186, sec. 5, effective April 21, 2004. -- Created 2002 Ky. Acts ch. 269, sec. 13, effective July 15, 2002.
TO OBTAIN A LICENSE TO SOLICIT FOR YOUR OWN CLIENTS:
Each applicant for an individual license or owner, partner, or qualifying agent for a company license shall:
- Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
- Be a citizen of the United States or a resident alien;
- Have a high school education or its equivalent;
- Not receive a license until the earlier of:
- The expiration of ten (10) years from the applicant's release from a sentence imposed by any state or territory of the United States or the federal government for the commission of a felony, including a sentence of confinement or time served on probation, parole, or other form of conditional release or discharge; or
- The date the applicant received a restoration of the applicant's civil rights;
- Not have been convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or for which dishonesty is a necessary element within the previous five (5) years;
- Not have been dishonorably discharged from any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States;
- Not have had his or her certification as a peace officer revoked in this or another state;
- Not have been declared by any court of competent jurisdiction to be incompetent by reason of mental defect or disease unless a court of competent jurisdiction has since declared the applicant to be competent;
- Not have been voluntarily or involuntarily committed to a facility or outpatient program for the abuse of a controlled substance or been convicted of a misdemeanor violation of KRS Chapter 218A or similar laws of any other state relating to controlled substances within the three (3) year period immediately preceding the date on which the application is submitted;
- Not chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages as evidenced by:
- The applicant having two (2) or more convictions for violating KRS 189A.010 within the three (3) year period immediately preceding the date on which the application is submitted; or
- The applicant having been committed as an alcoholic pursuant to KRS Chapter 222, or similar laws of any other state, within the three (3) year period immediately preceding the date on which the application is submitted;
- Not chronically and habitually use alcoholic beverages or drugs to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired;
- Be of good moral character;
- Pass an examination administered by the board in accordance with KRS 329A.025(2)(c); and
- Submit proof of coverage which meets the following requirements:
- Is written by an insurance company which is lawfully engaged to provide insurance coverage in Kentucky;
- Provides for a combined single-limit policy in the amount of at least two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000); and
- Insures for liability all of the applicant's employees while acting in the course of their employment.
Private investigators who limit their practice exclusively to working under the supervision and as employees of an attorney who is licensed to practice law in this state are exempted from the requirement of this paragraph.
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Reduced licensing fees for Sole Owner versus Company Owner:
Therefore, the statutory language in KRS 329A.040(4) prohibits the Board from requiring that a sole proprietorship obtain a private investigator company license. The Board may issue such a license if the company requests licensure, but the Board does not have the authority to mandate it.
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Home Page of Kentucky PI Licensing Board: Click here
According to the 201 KAR 41:070 (11) Continuing Professional Education requirements of 6 hours per year (12 hours per renewal every two-years) will go into effect on the June 30, 2008 renewal cycle.
LICENSE FEES (Sole Owner)
- $300 for the first two (2) years, or an average of $150 per year.
- $250 for each two (2) year renewal, or an average of $125 per year.
Reciprocal Agreements for out-of-state PI's:
- An active Private Investigator license in Tennessee for two (2) consecutive years and reside in Tennessee, will not be required to provide background checks or take the Kentucky exam.
- VA, WV, IL, OH and MO are also likely to be recognized in the same manner of Tennessee.