Tennessee
Tennessee licenses private investigators and investigation companies through the Department of Commerce and Insurance’s Detection Services Licensing Program, run by the commissioner since the Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission was abolished in 2021. Since 2023, the citizenship rule has changed from “citizen or resident alien” to “U.S. citizen or qualified alien,” a single tracking device placement can count toward stalking, and the department itself is set to terminate June 30, 2027 unless continued.
At a glance
- Authority
- Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Detection Services Licensing Program, run by the commissioner. The Private Investigation and Polygraph Commission was terminated by 2021 Public Chapter 294 (program page, archived).
- Statute
- Tenn. Code Ann. Title 62, Chapter 26, Part 2 (62-26-201 and following), and 62-35-143. The official code is published by LexisNexis for the state.
- Rules
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1175-01 to 1175-04
- Who is licensed
- Individual private investigators, who since 2021 need not be affiliated with a licensed company (Tenn. Code Ann. 62-26-204(c), 2021 Public Chapter 294, sec. 4); investigation companies and branch offices (Rule 1175-01); and certified trainers (Rule 1175-03).
- Qualifications
- At least 21, and since May 7, 2026 a U.S. citizen or qualified alien. A company, or someone it employs, needs 2,000 hours of compensated investigative experience or 1 year of related experience or education. An exam through the commissioner’s testing vendor, and TBI and FBI fingerprint checks; listed convictions may disqualify at the commissioner’s discretion (Rule 1175-01-.03, -.04).
- Renewal
- Every 2 years. Rule fees: $150 application and $100 license for an individual; $100 renewal; company renewal $250, $500, or $1,000 by size; late renewal penalty $100, which must be paid within the 30 days set by Tenn. Code Ann. 62-26-211(c) (Rules 1175-01-.11, -.12).
- Continuing education
- 12 hours in each two-year period, with no carryover (Rule 1175-02).
- Bond or insurance
- None found in the rules or on the department’s licensing page.
Changes, 2023 to 2026
The department’s website sometimes blocks automated access, so some agency pages are cited through Internet Archive copies of the official pages.
Polygraph licensing repealed; advisory committee recomposed
Repeals the Polygraph Examiners Act (Title 62, Chapter 27). Rewrites 62-35-143 so the Detection Services Licensing Program covers private investigators, private security, and alarm contractors. If the commissioner creates the advisory committee, it must have ten members: three each from alarm, private investigation, and private security, and one public member.
For licensees: Tennessee no longer licenses polygraph examiners, and an advisory committee, if created, includes three private investigation members.
Military Families Licensing Recognition Act
Creates Title 58, Chapter 10, requiring recognition of an out-of-state license held by a servicemember or spouse who relocates to Tennessee on military orders. Its definition of a licensing authority names boards, commissions, councils, and committees, so whether it reaches the commissioner-run private investigator program has not been confirmed.
For licensees: Whether private investigator licenses are covered has not been confirmed.
Citizenship or qualified alien status required
Deletes the citizenship subdivisions for private investigators and companies (62-26-206(a)(2), 62-26-207(a)(2)) and adds a section to Title 62, Chapter 76 requiring a person to be a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien under Tenn. Code Ann. 4-58-102 to be eligible for any license from an entity created under Title 62. It applies to licenses applied for or renewed on or after May 7, 2026.
For licensees: Applicants and renewing licensees must be U.S. citizens or qualified aliens.
Programs may sign reciprocal licensing agreements
Lets a regulatory authority in the department’s Division of Regulatory Boards, which includes commissioner-run programs, enter reciprocal agreements with other jurisdictions to license people licensed there who have sufficient qualifications.
For licensees: The program now has express statutory authority to enter reciprocity agreements with other states.
Advisory private letter rulings for licensees
Programs attached to the Division of Regulatory Boards must issue an advisory private letter ruling on request to a person they license, on matters within their jurisdiction. A ruling binds only the requester and sets no precedent.
For licensees: A licensed investigator may ask the program for an advisory ruling on a question within its jurisdiction.
Conviction-based decisions must explain the connection
Adds Tenn. Code Ann. 62-76-104(g): when a prior conviction is a basis for a decision, a licensing authority may not rely on vague terms such as “good moral character” without explaining how the conviction directly relates to the occupation. The section’s definition of a licensing authority covers any state department, board, commission, or agency, which includes the commissioner-run program.
For licensees: A conviction-based decision cannot rest on a vague term such as “good moral character” without explaining how the conviction directly relates to the work.
Stalking “harassment” gets a reckless-disregard standard
Rewrites the “harassment” definition in the stalking law, Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-315(a)(3). The old test was contact that would cause a reasonable person to suffer emotional distress; the new test is conduct committed with reckless disregard for whether the victim will suffer emotional distress. The victim must still actually suffer distress, and the existing exclusion for constitutionally protected activity or conduct that serves a legitimate purpose is carried over unchanged.
For licensees: Harassment now requires reckless disregard of the victim’s distress. The legitimate-purpose exclusion is not new, and the 2023 single tracker placement rule still applies.
One tracking device placement can count toward stalking
Rewrites the “course of conduct” definition in Tenn. Code Ann. 39-17-315(a)(1) to include one instance of placing an electronic tracking device on a person, or in or on the person’s property, without consent. The only exclusion is placement by or at the direction of law enforcement in a lawful criminal investigation; there is no exclusion for private investigators.
For licensees: A single non-consensual tracker placement on a person or their property can support a stalking charge, with no exception for licensed investigators.
Rules updated to name the commissioner
Amends the private investigator rules, mainly replacing “Commission” with “Commissioner” after the commission was abolished in 2021. Continuing education hours and fees kept their substance.
For licensees: The commissioner, not a commission, decides licensing, continuing education approval, complaints, and discipline.
Department continued to June 30, 2027
Moves the Department of Commerce and Insurance, which runs the private investigator program, to the list of entities that terminate June 30, 2027 unless continued (Tenn. Code Ann. 4-29-248).
For licensees: Watch the 2027 session for the department’s continuation.
Checked and unchanged
- Apart from Public Chapter 955, no 2023–2026 public chapter amended Tenn. Code Ann. 62-26-201 and following.
- The continuing education rules were not changed beyond the June 2023 conforming amendments.
- No amendment to the motor vehicle tracking law, Tenn. Code Ann. 39-13-606, was found.
Last updated October 18, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “Tennessee private investigator licensing: Licensing Law Tracker,” uscli.org/licensing-tracker/tennessee (last updated October 18, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.