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 (with no substitution), 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 only 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 can only be earned one way — as a registered agency employee.
You need 2,000 hours of private investigative services performed as a registered employee of a detective agency (NDAC 93-02-01.1-02).
There is no law-enforcement, military, or education substitution for the hours — the only carve-out is a grandfather clause for people licensed back in 2000. Because the hours must be earned as a registered employee, 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. (Secondary sources cite ~150 questions; the Board doesn't publish a count.)
The Board's published (charged) fees are lower than the statutory maximums — 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's FAQ. |
| Criminal records (BCI + FBI) | $41.25 | Background check. |
| Private Investigator license | $150 | One year (expires Sept 30). |
| Registered employee | $71.25 | Per employee. |
| Individual first-year total | ~$291 | Application + background + license. |
The Board's FAQ fees (above) are what's actually charged; the statute (43-30-16) sets higher maximums — use the FAQ figures. An insurance/surety requirement exists in the administrative rules (NDAC Title 93) but the exact amount isn't published on the Board's pages — confirm with the Board. Licenses are annual (expire Sept 30); continuing education is rule-based, with no confirmed hour count.
Join a detective agency and register as a PI-service employee.
Accrue the qualifying hours as a registered employee (no substitution).
Take the Bismarck exam within 12 months before applying.
Submit BCI + FBI fingerprints.
Satisfy the NDAC Title 93 financial-responsibility rule.
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.
North Dakota makes the on-ramp mandatory: you must register and work under an agency to qualify.
Register first. The 2,000 hours can only be earned as a registered agency employee — so working under a licensee is the required start.
No shortcuts. With no LE, military, or education substitution, treat the 2,000 hours as a fixed target.
Market reality. North Dakota is a small market; 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 maximums, and the exact surety amount lives in the administrative rules — 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 can only be earned under an agency. Start with what the work actually looks like.
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