How do I check if a private investigator is licensed in Florida?

Search the agency on licensing.fdacs.gov/access/agency.aspx and each investigator on licensing.fdacs.gov/access/individual.aspx. Confirm the name, the license class and an active status.

What license should a Florida private investigator have?

An individual needs a Class C license, or a Class CC intern license under a sponsoring C, MA or M licensee. The agency needs a Class A license, and each branch a Class AA (s. 493.6201, F.S.).

Is the agency license enough?

No. The Class A license covers the business at one location. Each person doing the investigative work needs an individual license, so check everyone assigned to your case.

What should a private investigator contract include?

The agency's name and license number, the question and its lawful purpose, who does the work, billing and expenses, how the retainer is applied, reporting, who may receive information, and how the engagement ends.

Will the investigator keep my case confidential?

Unauthorized release of information learned through regulated work is a ground for license discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.). Put in writing who may receive reports.

How do I file a complaint against a Florida private investigator?

Use the FDACS online form at licensing.fdacs.gov/contacts/FileYourComplaint.aspx. Anonymous filing is allowed, and complaints may be public records under Chapter 119.

How much does a licensed private investigator cost in Florida?

It depends on field hours, the number of investigators, days of coverage, travel, records work and testimony. A licensed agency quotes each case after a consultation, in writing.

How to Hire a Licensed Private Investigator in Florida: Step by Step

Quick answer

Get the agency's license number and the names of the investigators who will work your case. Look up the agency (Class A) on the FDACS agency search and each investigator (Class C, or a supervised Class CC intern) on the FDACS individual search. Confirm the names match and every status is active. Then sign a written agreement that states the scope, who does the work, how billing and the retainer work, how you receive results, and who may see them.

Need a licensed agency now? Our Florida private investigator services are run from Coral Gables under agency license A1800135, and you can check that number the same way.

A private investigator is "any individual who, for consideration, advertises as providing or performs private investigation" (s. 493.6101, F.S.). The license rule applies the moment someone takes payment, so it is worth ten minutes of checking before you hand over a retainer.

Step 1: What exactly do you need the investigator to find out?

Write the question down in a sentence or two, with how you will use the answer. "Is my business partner moving money into a new company?" calls for records work. "Is the claimant doing the physical work he says he cannot do?" calls for surveillance. A clear question lets you judge whether a proposal fits. Note whether the results may reach a court, an employer or an insurer, since that shapes the documentation. If you have a lawyer, tell them first; many attorneys prefer to retain and direct the investigator themselves.

Step 2: How do you verify the agency's license on FDACS?

Investigators and agencies are licensed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Licensing (FDACS private investigation licenses). An agency must print its license number in print and directory advertising and in written bids (s. 493.6111, F.S.), so it should already be on the website or proposal. If it is missing, ask.

Open the FDACS agency search, which covers Class A agencies and Class AA and AB branches.
Search by license number or agency name.
Check that the name matches the business you are dealing with, the class is A, AA or AB, and the status is active.
Note the location. A Class A license covers one location; each branch needs its own Class AA (s. 493.6201, F.S.). If the agency claims an office in your city, the record should show it.

Check the trade name too. A licensee may not use a fictitious name unless the department approved it and it is registered under section 865.09 (s. 493.6118(1)(b), F.S.). Search it on Sunbiz to see which entity is behind it.

Step 3: How do you verify each individual investigator?

An agency license does not license the people who work there. Florida law says any individual who performs the services of a private investigator "shall have a Class 'C' license" (s. 493.6201, F.S.). Ask for the full name and license number of everyone who will work your case, then use the FDACS individual search. Search by name ("Last Name, First Middle") or number, or filter by class and county. Numbers look like "C 1234567", or "CC1234567" for a two-letter class.

The record will not show a home address: Florida keeps the residence address and phone of Class C and CC licensees confidential (s. 493.6122, F.S.). Licensees must carry their license and ID card on duty (s. 493.6118(1)(p)-(q), F.S.), so asking to see them is reasonable.

Which Florida license classes will you see, and what do they mean?

These are the classes you will meet when hiring (s. 493.6201, F.S.). The law itself is covered in our guide to Florida Statute 493.

Class A: an agency, one location per license. Branches hold Class AA, or Class AB where the entity also holds a security license.
Class C: an individual investigator, with two years of verifiable full-time experience (up to one year replaceable by related education) and a passed Chapter 493 exam (s. 493.6203, F.S.).
Class CC: an intern working "under the direction and control of a designated sponsor, who is a Class 'C,' Class 'MA,' or Class 'M' licensee" (s. 493.6203, F.S.). Ask who the sponsor is and check that license too.
Class MA: manager of a Class A agency or AA branch. Class M: manager of a combined investigative and security agency or AB branch.

Any of these licensees who carries a firearm on the job also needs a Class G license (s. 493.6115, F.S.). To become an investigator yourself, see how to get a Florida PI license.

Step 4: What should you ask in the consultation?

Treat the first conversation as an interview. A licensed investigator should answer plainly:

What are the agency and individual license numbers, and can I check them now?
Who manages the case, and who will be in the field?
Will any work be passed to another firm? Licensees may not use unlicensed people for regulated work (s. 493.6118(1)(n), F.S.).
Do you carry the commercial general liability insurance required by s. 493.6110, F.S.? Lapsing is a disciplinary ground under s. 493.6118(1)(h). Ask for a current certificate.
How is evidence documented, what does the final report include, and can you give attorney references?

If you are hiring in Miami-Dade, our guide to choosing a private investigator in Miami covers the local questions, bilingual needs and courts.

Step 5: What should the engagement agreement say?

Get the terms in writing before work starts. Whether it is called a contract, retainer agreement or engagement letter, it should cover:

Who you are hiring: the agency's legal name, license number and address.
The question and its lawful purpose.
Who does the work: the assigned investigators' names and license classes, and whether subcontracting is allowed.
Scope and limits: the services, dates or time windows, and when the investigator must check with you before doing more.
Billing: how time is charged, which expenses are billed (travel, database fees, report preparation, court time) and any minimums.
The retainer: how it is applied and what happens to an unused balance.
Reporting: how often you get updates and what the final deliverable contains.
Confidentiality: who may receive information, and how the file and media are stored or returned.
Testimony and termination: how court appearances are arranged and how either side can stop the work.

Compare proposals on the same terms: hours, investigators, inclusions, report format and timeline. One that leaves out expenses or reporting is not cheaper, just less complete.

How does Florida law protect your confidentiality?

Among the grounds for discipline of a licensee is the "willful betrayal of a professional secret or any unauthorized release of information acquired as result of activities regulated" by Chapter 493 (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.). In plain terms, an investigator should not share what they learn on your case except as you authorize. Name the people who may receive information in the agreement, and tell the investigator how you want to be contacted, especially if others share your phone or email.

What a Florida PI can and can't legally do for you

A license grants no police powers and no exemption from privacy law.

Within the law

Documenting conduct in public and from places the investigator may lawfully be.
Public records and lawful database research, within the limits on motor vehicle records (s. 119.0712(2), F.S.).
Interviewing witnesses who agree to talk.

Requests a licensed investigator should refuse

Recording a private conversation without all parties' consent (s. 934.03, F.S.), a third-degree felony whose product is inadmissible (s. 934.06, F.S.).
Tracking someone's car or property without consent (s. 934.425, F.S.); a PI has no general exception, and it is a disciplinary ground (s. 493.6118(1)(y)).
Trespassing (s. 810.08, F.S., s. 810.09, F.S.), obtaining phone records by false statements (s. 817.484, F.S.) or posing as police (s. 493.6118(1)(i)).

Unlicensed practice is itself a crime: a first-degree misdemeanor, then a third-degree felony for repeat violations (s. 493.6120, F.S.). Whether hiring a PI is lawful for your situation is covered in is it legal to hire a private investigator in Florida.

Not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of Florida statutes. Ask your attorney how they apply to your facts.

What red flags suggest you should walk away?

No license number, or reluctance to give individual numbers.
An FDACS name that does not match the business, or an inactive status.
Verbal-only billing or no written scope.
Claimed access to phone, bank or medical records "through a contact," or offers to plant a tracker or record calls.
Promised outcomes instead of lawful work and an accurate report.
Paid referrals to lawyers; soliciting business for an attorney for compensation is a disciplinary ground (s. 493.6118(1)(l)).

What should you receive at the end of the case?

Expect a written report in chronological order, with dates, times and places, together with the original, unedited photos and video. If the matter is headed to court, evidence must be authenticated before it is admitted (s. 90.901, F.S.), which usually means the investigator testifies to how it was gathered, so ask whether the person who did the work will be available to do that.

What affects the timeline and cost?

Pricing is quoted per case after a consultation. The main factors are field hours, the number of investigators and vehicles, days of coverage, travel outside the home county, night or weekend work, records and database costs, and whether a court-ready report or testimony is needed. Our private investigator cost guide explains how those factors add up.

Step 6: How do you file a complaint with FDACS?

If a licensee acted improperly, FDACS accepts complaints against Chapter 493 licensees through its online complaint form, also linked from the FDACS complaints page under private investigation, security and recovery services. You may file anonymously, but FDACS warns that complaints may be public records under Chapter 119. Keep your agreement, invoices and messages; they are the record you will need. If someone did investigative work without any license, that is unlicensed practice under s. 493.6120, F.S., and the same division is the place to report it.