North Dakota licenses private investigators through the Private Investigation and Security Board under NDCC 43-30 — and it's a single statewide license (no city or county can add its own). The path: register as an agency employee, log 2,000 hours (unless the Board grants a waiver), and pass a board exam.
North Dakota's license literally includes "registration," so a registered employee is licensed — but can't work independently.
Register as a private-investigative-service employee of a licensed detective agency — a background check and registration fee, no exam. You work under the agency's supervision, and this is the standard way to accrue the qualifying hours.
Log 2,000 hours of investigative service as a registered employee, then pass the Board exam (within the 12 months before applying) to hold your own license.
The Board sets these baseline criteria (NDCC 43-30; NDAC Title 93).
North Dakota's experience requirement is earned as a registered agency employee — unless the Board grants a waiver.
You need 2,000 hours of private investigative services performed as a registered employee of a detective agency (NDAC 93-02-01.1-02).
The Board may waive part or all of the experience requirement for law-enforcement, military-investigation, or equivalent educational training (NDAC 93-02-01.1-06); a grandfather clause also covers people licensed back in 2000. Without a waiver, the hours must be earned as a registered employee, so you generally can't self-start an independent license without first working under a licensee.
North Dakota requires a board exam, administered individually in Bismarck and scheduled by the Executive Director. It must be passed within the 12 months before you apply, and covers investigative procedures, North Dakota statutes, and professional conduct. Confirm the current exam format with the Board (per the Board FAQ, a study guide is available from the Board).
The Board's published (charged) fees differ from the amounts in NDCC 43-30-16 — the figures below are what the Board actually charges. Confirm on the Board's FAQ.
| Item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application & testing fee | $100 | Per the Board FAQ (NDAC 93-02-03-06). |
| Criminal records (BCI + FBI) | $41.25 | Background check, per the Board FAQ. |
| Private Investigator license | $150 | One year (expires Sept 30) (NDAC 93-02-03-06, 93-02-03-03). |
| Registered employee | $71.25 | Per employee. |
| Liability insurance | $300,000 | General liability with errors & omissions (NDAC 93-02-01.1-08); premium not included. |
| Individual first-year total | $291.25 | Application + background + license ($100 + $41.25 + $150, per the Board FAQ). |
The Board's FAQ fees (above) are what's actually charged; the statute (43-30-16) lists different amounts — use the FAQ figures. Licensees must carry $300,000 of general liability with errors-and-omissions insurance (NDAC 93-02-01.1-08). Licenses are annual (expire Sept 30). NDCC 43-30-04.1 lets the Board adopt continuing-education rules; NDAC Article 93-02 does not currently set a CE hour requirement — confirm the current CE rule with the Board.
Join a detective agency and register as a PI-service employee.
Accrue the qualifying hours as a registered employee (unless the Board grants a waiver).
Take the Bismarck exam within 12 months before applying.
Submit BCI + FBI fingerprints.
$300,000 general liability with errors-and-omissions coverage (NDAC 93-02-01.1-08).
Hold your individual license; renew annually by September 30.
A license lets you work — it does not lift the privacy laws that bind every investigator. These are the lines that get people in trouble, license or not.
The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) restricts motor-vehicle records, and recording laws govern when you can capture a conversation. Before you record anyone or pull personal data, read our recording-consent guide — it applies to a licensed investigator exactly as written.
In North Dakota the standard on-ramp is to register and work under an agency.
Register first. Without a Board waiver, the 2,000 hours are earned as a registered agency employee — so working under a licensee is the usual start.
Ask about a waiver. Prior law-enforcement, military-investigation, or educational training may let the Board waive part or all of the hours (NDAC 93-02-01.1-06).
Market reality. Pay varies widely by specialty — consult the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for current figures rather than any single number.
The rule we never bend: no state requires an LLC to be a private investigator — not North Dakota, not anywhere. An LLC is liability protection, not a licensing requirement.
You can work as an employee under someone else's licensed company without any entity of your own — the LLC question only arises if you operate independently or run your own firm.
When you do go independent, what some states require is a registered business behind the agency — and that can be an LLC, a corporation, or (sometimes) a sole proprietorship. The requirement is "a registered business," not "an LLC specifically." Choose an entity for liability protection, not because PI work demands it.
For the honest version of when forming one actually helps a solo operator, see our breakdown of when an LLC is worth it.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The Board's charged fees differ from the statutory amounts — confirm current requirements with the Board, and consult a North Dakota attorney for advice specific to your situation. Smoothquill points you to the real authorities; it doesn't replace them.
North Dakota's 2,000 hours are normally earned under an agency. Start with what the work actually looks like.
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