Private Investigator License

Any person who engages in the business or accepts employment to obtain or furnish information with reference to one or more of the following:

• Crime or wrongs done or threatened against the United States or any state or territory of the United states
• The identity, habits, conduct, business, occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movement, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, transactions, acts, reputations or character of any person
• The location, disposition or recovery of lost or stolen property
• The cause or responsibility for fires, libels, losses, accidents, damages or injuries to persons or to property
• The securing of evidence to be used before any court, board, Commission, officer or investigating committee. (Upon request, an apprentice status limited to 6 months can be granted to applicants provided the applicant is sponsored by a licensed investigative company and works under direct supervision of a licensed investigator.)

In order to apply for a Tennessee Private Investigator license, an applicant must:

Each applicant for a private investigator license must:
(1) Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
(2) Be a citizen of the United States or a resident alien;
(3) Not have been declared by any court of competent jurisdiction incompetent by reason of mental defect or disease unless a court of competent jurisdiction has since declared the applicant competent;
(4) Not be suffering from habitual drunkenness or narcotics addiction or dependence;
(5) Be of good moral character; and
(6) Pass an examination designed to measure knowledge and competence in the investigations field. Examination information can be found here.