Georgia has a structural quirk that trips up almost everyone: the PI license is issued to companies, not individuals. There is no solo PI license. That sounds like a barrier — but it actually creates an accessible way to start, as a registered employee. Here's the honest, source-linked breakdown of both paths.
Because Georgia licenses companies, your route in depends on whether you work under someone else's agency or run your own. The two have completely different barriers — and conflating them is the #1 source of confusion.
Work for a licensed agency. The Board requires no prior experience — you must be 18+, your employer registers you with the Board, and you complete a 70-hour Board-approved training course before you legally work.
Hold the company license yourself. You qualify a designated license-holder, pass the state exam, and post a bond — the full bar below.
This is a common way to start in Georgia, and it's genuinely accessible to career-changers.
No prior experience, no degree, and no state exam are required for employee registration. The 70-hour course is the real gate: complete it before working, not after.
To run your own Georgia investigations company, you qualify a designated license-holder against one of the following, then pass the exam and post a bond.
Exam. The designated license-holder passes the state exam, administered by PSI.
Bond or alternative. Post a $25,000 surety bond — or, as alternatives the Board accepts, $1,000,000 in general liability insurance, or audited net worth above $50,000.
Background. GBI + FBI fingerprint check.
The nuance that catches solo PIs: even if you intend to work entirely alone, Georgia has no individual-only license — you must form a company and hold the company license to operate independently. (Computer-forensics businesses fall under the same company-license requirement.)
Set by the Board — always confirm current amounts with the GA SOS Board. The employee path's costs are the 70-hour course, fingerprinting, and the Board's $70 employee application fee (plus a $10 processing fee on every application, per the Board's GOALS fee schedule).
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company license fee | $300 | Private Detective company; due after the exam and financial documents. |
| $25,000 surety bond | Premium varies | Alt: $1M general liability insurance, or audited net worth > $50,000. |
| 70-hour training course | Varies by provider | Required for registered employees before working. |
| State exam (PSI) | $100 | Board examination fee, for the designated company license-holder. |
| Agency renewal | $300 on-time / $400 late | Private Detective company; renew by June 30 of odd-numbered years (Rule 509-2-.01). |
Fees from the Board's GOALS fee schedule (Company – Private Detective); every application also carries a $10 processing fee. Fingerprinting, bond-premium, and training-provider costs vary. Confirm everything with the Board.
A license is not permission to break privacy law. Federal and state rules bind every investigator — and illegally obtained evidence is worthless to a client.
The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) limits who can access motor-vehicle records and why, and recording laws govern when you can capture a conversation. Georgia is a one-party-consent state for recordings, but the safe rule on any cross-state matter is the stricter standard. Before you record anyone or pull personal data, read our recording-consent guide.
In Georgia the entity question is unavoidable if you go independent — but the honest rule still holds: no state requires an LLC specifically to be a private investigator.
The precise version. If you work as a registered employee under someone else's licensed agency, you need no business entity at all.
On the independent path: because the license is company-issued, to operate on your own you must hold a company license, which requires a registered business behind it. But that business can be an LLC or a corporation (and sometimes other structures) — the requirement is "a registered business entity," not "an LLC" specifically. Don't let anyone collapse those into "Georgia requires an LLC." It doesn't.
So an LLC is one common, sensible way to hold a Georgia investigations company — chosen for liability protection — but it's a choice of structure, not a licensing requirement. Our breakdown of when an LLC is actually worth it applies the same logic.
Pay varies widely by specialty, experience, and region — treat any single figure with caution. The national median annual wage for private detectives and investigators is $51,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The bigger variable isn't the state average; it's whether you're a salaried agency employee or building toward your own company license and client base. For current figures, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change and individual situations vary — verify everything with the Board, and consult a Georgia attorney for advice specific to your circumstances. Smoothquill points you to the real authority; it doesn't replace it.
The license is the gate; the job is the point. See what investigators actually do day to day, then take the path that fits.
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