Kansas
Kansas licenses private detectives and agencies through the Attorney General. Since 2023 the Legislature has made electronic tracking part of stalking, required the Legislature’s approval for new occupational licenses or material changes to existing ones proposed since 2026, sent juvenile records to the Attorney General for applicant screening, and changed the breach-of-privacy crime.
At a glance
- Authority
- Kansas Attorney General, which has exclusive jurisdiction; cities may not license detectives (K.S.A. 75-7b18)
- Statute
- Private Detective Licensing Act, K.S.A. 75-7b01 to 75-7b23
- Rules
- K.A.R. 16-1 to 16-6
- Who is licensed
- Private detectives and agencies (K.S.A. 75-7b01, 75-7b02); law enforcement officers may not be licensed. Exempt include single-employer in-house investigators, attorneys and their employees, insurers and adjusters, and searchers of public records only (75-7b03).
- Qualifications
- At least 21, a U.S. citizen, and of good moral character (K.S.A. 75-7b04(c)), with a high school diploma or GED (K.A.R. 16-3-3). No experience requirement. References from 5 people, fingerprints for a state and national check (75-7b04), and a written exam and oral interview (75-7b20). The Attorney General may deny a license for any felony or for listed offenses within 10 years (75-7b04(d)).
- Renewal
- Every 2 years (K.S.A. 75-7b07(a)); $250 initial, $175 renewal (K.A.R. 16-1-7).
- Continuing education
- 8 hours per 2-year period (K.S.A. 75-7b07(b), K.A.R. 16-4-2)
- Bond or insurance
- A $100,000 surety bond, $100,000 in general liability insurance, or a $100,000 cash deposit; employees of a licensee are exempt (K.S.A. 75-7b11).
- Firearms
- Carrying a concealed firearm as a detective requires an Attorney General firearm permit, on a showing of need and with firearms training from a certified trainer or law enforcement training (K.S.A. 75-7b17; K.A.R. 16-5, 16-6).
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Breach of privacy now requires intent; penalties raised
Changes the mental state for every form of breach of privacy, including interception, eavesdropping, and recording, from knowingly to intentionally (K.S.A. 21-6101(a)), rewrites the recording offense to cover any device or software used to record or view a person’s nude body or undergarments, and raises penalties when the victim is a minor.
For licensees: Recording offenses now require proof of intent.
No deference to agency interpretations
A state court or administrative hearing officer may consider, but may not defer to, a state agency’s interpretation of a statute or regulation.
For licensees: In a license denial or discipline hearing, the Attorney General’s reading of the Act gets no deference.
New licenses and material license changes need the Legislature’s approval
A new occupational license, or a material change to an existing one, that an agency proposes on or after January 1, 2026 needs ratification by bill before it takes effect. Each licensing agency, including the Attorney General, must report on each license to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations every September.
For licensees: A material change to the private detective license that the Attorney General proposes on or after January 1, 2026 takes effect only if the Legislature ratifies it by bill.
Intimate image crime covers AI-altered images
Disseminating a nude or sexual image of an identifiable adult with intent to harass, threaten, or intimidate now includes images created or altered by artificial intelligence or other digital means (K.S.A. 21-6101(a)(8)).
For licensees: Digitally altered images are covered.
Open records fees limited; closed civil and administrative investigations exempt
Limits what agencies may charge to furnish public records (K.S.A. 45-219) and exempts records of formally closed civil or administrative investigations in which no violation was found (45-221(a)(11)(C)).
For licensees: Records requests should cost less, but closed civil or administrative investigations with no findings are exempt.
Juvenile records released to the Attorney General for applicant screening
Requires the KBI to release juvenile adjudications, diversions, and expunged juvenile records, in addition to adult records, to the Attorney General for detective license, firearm permit, and firearm trainer applicants (K.S.A. 22-4714(b)(1)), and adds firearm permit applicants to the Act’s definition of applicant (75-7b01(a)).
For licensees: Juvenile and expunged juvenile records are now part of the Attorney General’s review.
Hidden-camera crime no longer requires a hidden camera
Removes “concealed” and “secretly” from the offense of using a camera to record a person under or through clothing or while undressed (K.S.A. 21-6101(a)(6)).
For licensees: An openly placed camera can also violate the law.
Fingerprint checks standardized under one statute
Adds K.S.A. 22-4714, under which the Attorney General may require fingerprints of detective, agency, and firearm trainer applicants for a KBI state and national check, and conforms K.S.A. 75-7b04 and 75-7b21 to it.
For licensees: Who must be fingerprinted did not change.
Electronic tracking becomes part of stalking
Adds to the stalking definition of course of conduct “utilizing any electronic tracking system or acquiring tracking information to determine the targeted person’s location, movement or travel patterns” (K.S.A. 21-5427(f)(1)(G)), and allows protective orders that bar it.
For licensees: Kansas has no investigator-specific exception (only conduct necessary for a legitimate purpose independent of making contact with the person is excluded); covert tracking can count toward stalking.
Checked and unchanged
- The statute history notes show the Act amended in this period only by SB 491 (2024) and HB 2342 (2025); the posted regulations show no amendment since 2005.
- Kansas enacted no consumer data privacy or data broker law in 2023–2026.
Last updated October 18, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “Kansas private detective licensing: Licensing Law Tracker,” uscli.org/licensing-tracker/kansas (last updated October 18, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.