Arkansas
Arkansas licenses private investigators through the Director of the Arkansas State Police. In 2025 the Legislature closed driver and vehicle registration records to general public inspection, made it harassment to track a person with a tracking device without consent, and restricted drone surveillance. A State Police rule amendment filed October 14, 2026 and effective October 24, 2026 removes the wait before an exam retake and caps temporary work by out-of-state investigators.
At a glance
- Authority
- Arkansas State Police; the Director licenses and regulates investigators, and cities and counties may require only free registration (A.C.A. 17-40-106, 17-40-204, 17-40-207)
- Statute
- Private Security Agency, Private Investigator, and School Security Licensing and Credentialing Act, A.C.A. 17-40-101 and following
- Rules
- 17 CAR Part 350; investigator rules are in 350-1101 to 350-1110
- Who is licensed
- Individuals need a Credentialed Private Investigator credential and work under the manager of a Class A company (17-40-301, 17 CAR 350-1101). Companies hold a Class A license, or Class D for a single individual with no other credentialed employees (17-40-309). Each company operates under a manager who passed a written exam (17-40-314). Out-of-state licensed investigators may work up to 10 calendar days after written notice to the State Police (17-40-207(a)(4), 17 CAR 350-1110).
- Qualifications
- At least 18 by statute (17-40-306(a)(1)); the State Police’s October 2026 application form says 21. Company and manager applicants need 2 consecutive years of investigative experience, or 2 years as a licensed bail bondsman plus a bachelor’s degree, or a 210-hour course (17-40-306(b), 17 CAR 350-1102). The exam has at least 100 questions with a 70% passing score; 5 consecutive years of recent law enforcement experience waives it (17 CAR 350-1103). State and FBI fingerprint checks at application and renewal (17-40-307(e)). An unpardoned felony and listed Class A misdemeanors require denial, though a misdemeanor 10 or more years before the application does not disqualify (17-40-306(d), 17 CAR 350-210, 350-211).
- Renewal
- Every 2 years; no renewal more than 6 months after expiration (17-40-313). Fees (17-40-302): credential $450, renewal $150; Class A company $600, renewal $300; Class D $300, renewal $150. Background check fees are extra.
- Continuing education
- None for investigators
- Bond or insurance
- None for a Class A or Class D investigations license. Class C and Class G licenses, which combine investigations with security services, require $500,000 in liability insurance (17-40-308(a), 17-40-309).
- Firearms
- No firearm commission for investigators; commissions are issued only to security officers and school security officers (17-40-330, 17-40-337). Investigations personnel may not carry a badge or shield (17 CAR 350-1105).
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Rule amendment: exam retake wait removed, out-of-state temporary work capped
Once in effect, the amendment removes the 5-working-day wait before retaking the investigator exam; the $50 retake fee stays (350-1103(e)). Allows out-of-state investigators only two 10-day temporary authorizations in a calendar year (new 350-1110(c)). Adds terroristic threatening (A.C.A. 5-13-301) to the disqualifying offenses (350-211), ends the automatic voiding of an application when court dispositions are not received within 60 days (350-212(c)), and updates the card rules for electronic licenses (350-302 and 350-402 repealed). Revised 350-506 drops the identification-card exemption for investigators, who must keep their credential, paper or electronic, accessible while working and show it to a police officer on request.
For licensees: Once the rule takes effect, out-of-state investigators can use the 10-day authorization only twice a year.
Federal background check fee rises; older application forms rejected
The federal background check fee rose from $10 to $13, and earlier versions of the application forms are no longer accepted.
For licensees: Use only the October 2026 forms.
Licensing act amended; ID cards issued electronically
Removes crimes involving moral turpitude from what applications must disclose (17-40-307(a)(8)); revises the grounds to deny, suspend, or revoke (17-40-344, 17-40-350(c)(1)); and allows commission ID cards to be electronic (17-40-340). The State Police says that from August 5, 2025 all ID cards are sent by email.
For licensees: Expect electronic ID cards by email.
Driver and vehicle registration records closed to general inspection
Repeals A.C.A. 27-19-406 and 27-19-407, which opened driver records to public inspection, and rewrites 27-14-412 and 27-50-906. Registration records go only to the owner, a person the owner authorizes in writing, courts, a licensed attorney responding to a subpoena, and government or law enforcement agencies. Driver records go only to the driver, a person with the driver’s written authorization, courts, attorneys with a subpoena, employers with the driver’s written consent, insurers, and government or law enforcement agencies.
For licensees: Investigators are not a listed recipient of individual records; you need the subject’s written authorization or one of the listed channels. Bulk registration lists remain limited to uses the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act allows.
Tracking a person with a tracking device without consent is harassment
A person commits harassment if, with the purpose of tracking a person and without good cause or legal authority, the person uses a tracking device to determine that person’s location or movement without the person’s consent (A.C.A. 5-71-208(a)(2)(A)). A parent or legal guardian tracking a minor is excepted.
For licensees: The law has no exception for licensed investigators.
Drone surveillance of people or private property
Purposely using an unmanned aircraft to capture an image of an individual or private property to conduct surveillance on them is a Class C misdemeanor (A.C.A. 5-60-103(e)), and possessing or disclosing such an image is a separate offense (5-60-126). Owners and tenants may sue for $5,000 per capture episode and $10,000 per disclosure episode (16-118-119). Listed lawful captures include those with the consent of the owner or lawful occupant and real-property images an insurer’s employee captures for underwriting or claims (27-118-101). The definition of unmanned aircraft system excludes one operated for a commercial purpose in compliance with FAA regulations, authorizations, or exemptions (5-60-103(a)(3)(B)(iv)).
For licensees: No exception names investigators, and no court has decided whether the commercial FAA exclusion covers an investigator’s compliant flight.
Private license plate readers allowed on owners’ own property
Allows a private landowner, leaseholder, or commercial business to use automatic license plate readers to monitor its own property (A.C.A. 12-12-1803(b)(4)). Private users may keep plate data no more than 60 days and may not sell, trade, or exchange it for a commercial purpose (12-12-1804).
For licensees: Investigators are not an authorized user, and private plate data may not be sold commercially.
Stalking law expanded to sexual-contact threats and electronic messages
Adds to second-degree stalking the purpose of placing a person, or a family or household member, in imminent fear of unwanted sexual contact (A.C.A. 5-71-229(b)(1)), and provides that a course of conduct includes sending mail or electronic messages, including email, texts, and social media (5-71-229(f)(1)(B)). The existing definition already covered acts in which the actor “directly, indirectly, or through a third party” follows, monitors, observes, or places a person under surveillance.
For licensees: Surveillance through a third party was already part of the definition; screen clients and document a lawful purpose.
Video voyeurism: prosecution allowed within a year of discovery
Allows prosecution for video voyeurism (A.C.A. 5-16-101) even after the regular limitations period has expired, within one year after the victim discovers or should have discovered the offense (5-1-109(c)(3)), and provides that a romantic relationship with the person recorded is not a defense (5-16-101(e)).
For licensees: Exposure for unlawful covert video can extend to a year after the victim discovers it, even after the regular limitations period has run.
Checked and unchanged
- Act 678 of 2025 is the only 2023–2026 act amending A.C.A. 17-40’s substantive provisions.
- Arkansas has no continuing education requirement for investigators and no data broker registry law.
Last updated October 18, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “Arkansas private investigator licensing: Licensing Law Tracker,” uscli.org/licensing-tracker/arkansas (last updated October 18, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.