New Hampshire
New Hampshire licenses private investigators and agencies through the Commissioner of Safety under RSA chapter 106-F, which has not been amended since it was enacted in 2019. Since 2023 the State has made repeat and child-related violations of its surveillance privacy law felonies and enacted a consumer data privacy law that took effect January 1, 2025.
At a glance
- Authority
- Commissioner of the Department of Safety, through the Division of State Police (RSA 106-F:3, 106-F:11; Saf-C 2202.01), with a governor-appointed advisory board (106-F:15)
- Statute
- RSA chapter 106-F
- Rules
- Saf-C 2200, last amended in 2020
- Who is licensed
- Individual licensees (a one-licensee business), agencies, and employees of agencies (RSA 106-F:3; Saf-C 2201). Attorneys and their employees, insurance adjusters, consumer reporting agencies, and others are exempt (106-F:4). Sworn law enforcement officers may not hold a license (106-F:10, IV).
- Qualifications
- A U.S. resident, at least 18, and, except employees, one of several experience routes, such as 4 years as a law enforcement officer, insurance claims investigator, or full-time investigator for a licensed agency (RSA 106-F:5, VII). Three character references and a state criminal record check. A felony, listed misdemeanors including theft, fraud, and domestic violence, or an active domestic violence protective order is disqualifying (106-F:5, VII(c)). No exam.
- Renewal
- Every 2 years; file at least 15 days before expiration (RSA 106-F:7; Saf-C 2204). $150 for an individual license, $350 for an agency, $5 for an employee, plus a $25 criminal record check (Saf-C 2205.02, 5703.06).
- Continuing education
- None in the current rules
- Bond or insurance
- A surety bond of at least $50,000, increased by $50,000 for each additional license type (RSA 106-F:9); no liability insurance requirement.
- Firearms
- Armed investigators must pass firearms proficiency at licensure and at least yearly, with 4 hours of instruction on safety and deadly-force law (RSA 106-F:8; Saf-C 2206).
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Consumer data privacy law takes effect
Gives consumers rights to access, correct, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal data held by businesses that process data of at least 35,000 New Hampshire consumers, or at least 10,000 while deriving over 25% of revenue from selling personal data (RSA 507-H:2). Publicly available information is excluded, and data handled under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act or regulated by the FCRA is exempt. The law does not restrict investigating, establishing, exercising, preparing for, or defending legal claims (507-H:10). A ban on selling a child’s personal data (a child under 13, as defined by COPPA; Laws 2026, ch. 168) takes effect January 1, 2027.
For licensees: Expect opt-outs to thin people-search results for New Hampshire residents.
Violation of privacy involving a minor becomes a felony
Adds RSA 644:9, VII: violating the device surveillance, viewing, or curtilage provisions of the privacy law when a reasonable person knows or should know the person entitled to privacy is under 18 is a class B felony, and a repeat conviction a class A felony.
For licensees: Take care with surveillance near homes where minors are present.
Repeat violations of privacy become a felony
Makes a second or subsequent conviction under RSA 644:9, I to III-a, which cover device surveillance of private places and private body parts, nonconsensual dissemination of sexual recordings, and voyeuristic viewing, a class B felony (644:9, VI). The underlying offenses and the paragraph V exception for employees investigating suspected illegal activity, rule violations, or insurance fraud with articulable suspicion were not changed.
For licensees: Paragraph V names visual images, sound recordings, and other physical impressions, not location data, and covers only investigations supported by articulable suspicion.
Checked and unchanged
- Every section of RSA 106-F carries only its 2019 source note, and no Saf-C 2200 rule has been filed since 2020.
- The electronic device location statute (RSA 644-A), the interception law (RSA 570-A:2), the stalking statute (RSA 633:3-a), and licensed investigative agencies’ access to motor vehicle records (RSA 260:14, V(a)(6)) were not changed.
Last updated October 18, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “New Hampshire private investigator licensing: Licensing Law Tracker,” uscli.org/licensing-tracker/new-hampshire (last updated October 18, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.