North Dakota
North Dakota licenses private investigators through the Private Investigative and Security Board. A 2025 law raised the Board’s fees and fixed them in statute, and the State Auditor’s 2026 performance audit of the Board found five problem areas. A 2025 stalking amendment added tracking by robot, including drones; the defense for licensed investigators acting within the scope of employment was not changed.
At a glance
- Authority
- Private Investigative and Security Board; no other state or local license may be required (N.D.C.C. 43-30-03, 43-30-05)
- Statute
- N.D.C.C. chapter 43-30
- Rules
- NDAC article 93-02, unchanged since 2022
- Who is licensed
- Individual investigators, detective agencies, and registered employees or contractors of agencies, who work under a licensed investigator’s supervision (NDAC 93-02-01.1-02 to -04). Attorneys and their paralegals, government investigators, and public-records-only searchers, among others, are exempt (N.D.C.C. 43-30-02). A licensee may not hold a position with police-type powers; a peace officer may be licensed if the officer's peace officer license is inactive (NDAC 93-02-01.1-07(2); N.D.C.C. 43-30-05.2).
- Qualifications
- At least 18, a high school diploma, a Board exam passed within 12 months before applying, and 2,000 hours of investigative work as a registered employee of an agency (NDAC 93-02-01.1-01, -02). State and FBI fingerprint checks (N.D.C.C. 43-30-06). Felonies and listed offenses are disqualifying unless the Board finds the offense lacks a direct bearing and the person is rehabilitated, or the person has a full pardon (NDAC 93-02-01.1-01(3)).
- Renewal
- Every year; all licenses expire September 30 (N.D.C.C. 43-30-11). Individual license or renewal $225, late fee $75 a month; agency $450; registration $45; exam $150 (43-30-16).
- Continuing education
- None; the Board may adopt rules but has not (43-30-04.1)
- Bond or insurance
- $300,000 in general liability insurance with errors and omissions coverage (NDAC 93-02-01.1-08).
- Firearms
- Carrying a firearm while working requires peace officer firearms training, at least 1,000 hours of experience, and an annual armed certificate, $45 (NDAC 93-02-01.1-05; N.D.C.C. 43-30-16).
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Criminal history check fee rises to $43
The FBI fingerprint fee rose by $3, so the criminal history record check now totals $43 and a new registration application $88. New forms must be used.
For licensees: Use the new forms. For applications already submitted on the old page 2 form, the Board says it will work with applicants by email to update them.
2026 renewal letter; late fee differs from the statute
All licenses and registrations expire September 30, 2026, and the Board asked for renewals by September 1. The letter lists a $100 monthly late fee for investigator licenses, while N.D.C.C. 43-30-16 sets $75 a month. Errors and omissions coverage must appear on the insurance certificate.
For licensees: The statute sets the late fee at $75 a month.
State Auditor’s performance audit of the Board
Covering January 2019 through June 2025, the audit found five problem areas: no documented policies or procedures; licensing inefficiencies, including no accurate list of licensees and registrants; manual pocket-card production; an impractical renewal period with application backlogs; and not using Attorney General legal services.
For licensees: Confirm another investigator’s license directly with the Board.
Stalking and harassment by robot, including drones
Defines a robot to include remotely piloted aircraft, adds acts conducted with a robot to the stalking course of conduct, and adds robots to the tracking prong of stalking alongside the existing global positioning and electronic means (N.D.C.C. 12.1-17-07.1). The defense for an investigator licensed under chapter 43-30 acting within the scope of employment (12.1-17-07.1(4)) was not changed.
For licensees: For investigators, the stalking defense applies only to those licensed under chapter 43-30 acting within the scope of employment; the harassment statute (12.1-17-07), including its new robot prong, has no such defense.
Fees for online apprentice courses and nonlicensed agency owners
Adds fees of up to $60 for online apprentice security officer courses and up to $60 a year, with a late fee up to $20 a month, for nonlicensed officers and owners of at least 10% of an agency (N.D.C.C. 43-30-16).
For licensees: Individual investigator fees are not affected.
Board fees raised and fixed in statute
Replaces the statutory fee caps, under which the Board set fees by rule, with fixed amounts (N.D.C.C. 43-30-16): individual license or renewal from up to $150 to $225, with a late fee of $75 a month; exam from up to $100 to $150; agency license from up to $300 to $450; registration from up to $30 to $45; armed certificate from up to $30 to $45. Also directs the State Auditor to audit the Board.
For licensees: The Board’s fee rule (NDAC 93-02-03-06) still lists the old amounts; the statute controls.
Checked and unchanged
- No 2023 law amended chapter 43-30, and the Board adopted no rule from July 2023 through October 2026.
- North Dakota enacted no data broker, comprehensive consumer privacy, recording, or motor vehicle records law affecting investigators in 2023 or 2025.
Last updated October 18, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “North Dakota private investigator licensing: Licensing Law Tracker,” uscli.org/licensing-tracker/north-dakota (last updated October 18, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.