Submit the following with your online application:

• Application Fee of $300 ($150 if less than one year before quadrennial renewal date)
• Criminal Background Check from each City, County and State of Residence within the previous seven years
• Fingerprint based Criminal Background Check from the Indiana State Police
• Proof of Limited Liability Insurance
• Verification of Experience Form 
• Complete a form for W2 experience. *Please note* The board does not accept 1099 experience.  Please review the statutes and rules for the full list of approved experience. https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/private-investigator-and-security-guard-home/#Statutes___Rules
• DD - 214 (if applicable)
• Academic Transcripts (if applicable)
• Corporate Filings (if applicable)
• Verification(s) of Professional Licensure from each state where licensure is held or has been held (if applicable)

For New Qualifiers of Existing Licenses: Please contact pla10@pla.in.gov to request your registration code as you must register the existing license in order to start the New Qualifier transfer process. *Please note* If the license is expired and a new qualifier needs to apply, the qualifier must apply first and be approved for the renewal can be started.

Affidavit If you answer "Yes" to any of the four (4) questions on the application, the applicant must explain fully in an affidavit, meaning an explanation or statements of facts or events, including all related details. Describe the event including location, date, and disposition. Include all relevant legal documents, if applicable. Letters from attorneys will not be accepted in lieu of your statement. However, they may accompany your affidavit.

Agency or Firm Name As described in 874 IAC 1-1-2(b) of the Private Investigator & Security Guard rules and regulations, no agency/firm name or advertisements shall contain wording, slogans, logos, seals, graphics, or other inference that the licensee is connected with or in any manner represents any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. We advise you to choose a unique name that in no way can be interpreted to be affiliated with any local, state or federal law enforcement agency. The Board does have the ability to request a name change before an application is approved.

Application Fees All applicants must submit a three hundred dollar ($300) application fee made payable to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. This fee may be submitted by by credit card.  All fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Criminal History Background Checks All applicant must obtain criminal history background checks from each city, county, and state of residence within the seven (7) years preceding the filing of the application for licensure. If an applicant has been on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for any duration of time during the preceding seven (7) years, the applicant may submit their DD-214 Form for that specific time in the active duty, in addition to any city, county, and state needed for the fulfillment of seven (7) years.

The Indiana State Police report will be sent directly to you upon completion. An electronic copy WILL NOT be transmitted to our agency. It is the responsibility of the applicant to upload the original Indiana State Police report to their MyLicense One account.

Verification of Liability Insurance All applicants must submit an original or copy of Certificate of Insurance verifying that the PI firm or SG Agency will have a liability insurance policy of $100,000. Note that the policy must list the "State of Indiana" as an additional insured on the Certificate of Insurance.

For applicants who choose to wait before obtaining this required liability insurance coverage, the board will review all other application materials and, if qualified, approve the applicant for licensure pending receipt of this verification of liability insurance. Once this verification has been received, a license will be issued.

Official Academic Transcript Applicants who hold a bachelors degree or higher in criminal justice or a related field may seek to use their degree for the purposes of meeting the experience requirement. Applicants who wish to seek licensure under this method must submit a copy of an official transcript from the regionally accredited college or university from which they obtained their degree, showing that all requirements for graduation have been met and when the degree was granted. Regional accreditation must be from an organization approved by the Board.

Verification of Experience Form Applicants seeking to use employment experience of a minimum of 4,000 hours must complete Section l of the Verification of Experience Form and submit the form to their employer for completion of Section ll of the form. Applicants who have completed the 4,000 hours / 2 years experience requirement with more than one employer must make copies of the Verification of Experience Form and send the forms to each employer for completion and submission. Experience must be verified by someone other than the applicant.

Submit the following with your online application:

• Application Fee of $300 ($150 if less than one year before quadrennial renewal date)
• Criminal Background Check from each City, County and State of Residence within the previous seven years
• Fingerprint based Criminal Background Check
• Proof of Limited Liability Insurance
• Verification of Experience Form
• Complete a form for W2 experience. *Please note* The board does not accept 1099 experience.  Please review the statutes and rules for the full list of approved experience. https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/private-investigator-and-security-guard-home/#Statutes___Rules
• DD - 214 (if applicable)
• Academic Transcripts (if applicable)
• Corporate Filings (if applicable)
• Verification(s) of Professional Licensure from each state where licensure is held or has been held (if applicable)

For New Qualifiers of Existing Licenses: Please contact pla10@pla.in.gov to request your registration code as you must register the existing license in order to start the New Qualifier transfer process. *Please note* If the license is expired and a new qualifier needs to apply, the qualifier must apply first and be approved for the renewal can be started.

Affidavit If you answer "Yes" to any of the four (4) questions on the application, the applicant must explain fully in an affidavit, meaning an explanation or statements of facts or events, including all related details. Describe the event including location, date, and disposition. Include all relevant legal documents, if applicable. Letters from attorneys will not be accepted in lieu of your statement. However, they may accompany your affidavit.

Agency or Firm Name As described in 874 IAC 1-1-2(b) of the Private Investigator & Security Guard rules and regulations, no agency/firm name or advertisements shall contain wording, slogans, logos, seals, graphics, or other inference that the licensee is connected with or in any manner represents any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. We advise you to choose a unique name that in no way can be interpreted to be affiliated with any local, state or federal law enforcement agency. The Board does have the ability to request a name change before an application is approved.

Application Fees All applicants must submit a three hundred dollar ($300) application fee made payable to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. This fee may be submitted by by credit card.  All fees are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Criminal History Background Checks All applicant must obtain criminal history background checks from each city, county, and state of residence within the seven (7) years preceding the filing of the application for licensure. If an applicant has been on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States for any duration of time during the preceding seven (7) years, the applicant may submit their DD-214 Form for that specific time in the active duty, in addition to any city, county, and state needed for the fulfillment of seven (7) years.

The Indiana State Police report will be sent directly to you upon completion. An electronic copy WILL NOT be transmitted to our agency. It is the responsibility of the applicant to upload the original Indiana State Police report to their MyLicense One account.

Verification of Liability Insurance All applicants must submit an original or copy of Certificate of Insurance verifying that the PI firm or SG Agency will have a liability insurance policy of $100,000. Note that the policy must list the "State of Indiana" as an additional insured on the Certificate of Insurance.

For applicants who choose to wait before obtaining this required liability insurance coverage, the board will review all other application materials and, if qualified, approve the applicant for licensure pending receipt of this verification of liability insurance. Once this verification has been received, a license will be issued.

Official Academic Transcript Applicants who hold a bachelors degree or higher in criminal justice or a related field may seek to use their degree for the purposes of meeting the experience requirement. Applicants who wish to seek licensure under this method must submit a copy of an official transcript from the regionally accredited college or university from which they obtained their degree, showing that all requirements for graduation have been met and when the degree was granted. Regional accreditation must be from an organization approved by the Board.

Verification of Experience Form Applicants seeking to use employment experience of a minimum of 4,000 hours must complete Section l of the Verification of Experience Form and submit the form to their employer for completion of Section ll of the form. Applicants who have completed the 4,000 hours / 2 years experience requirement with more than one employer must make copies of the Verification of Experience Form and send the forms to each employer for completion and submission. Experience must be verified by someone other than the applicant.

A criminal history background check is required for a private investigator and security guard license in Indiana pursuant to Indiana law. The information submitted with this application and the criminal history report itself are confidential. The criminal history report is used solely by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency as a condition precedent for licensure. Neither the application nor the criminal history report is accessible through or by a public records request except as otherwise provided by law. All applicants are required to submit background checks from every state, county, and city of residence from the past seven (7) years. Please contact the State Police and local jurisdictions for instructions on how to obtain the background checks as the process and requirements vary from state to state and city to city. Background checks from third-party institutions will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit the original documentation to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency for inclusion in the application.

To obtain your Indiana State Police Criminal Background Check, please follow the instructions for either In-State or Out-of-State Applicants at PLA: Criminal Background Checks.

The Indiana State Police report will be sent directly to you upon completion. An electronic copy WILL NOT be transmitted to our agency. It is the responsibility of the applicant to upload the original Indiana State Police report to their MyLicense One account.

Insurance may be obtained after the application has been approved but a license will not be issued until proof of insurance is received.

Insurance information can be found in the statutes and rules under IC 25-30-1-15 (Private Investigator Firm) & IC 25-30-1.3-16 (Security Guard Agency).

Applicants for a private investigator firm license and a security guard agency must submit a certificate of insurance or other “evidence of financial responsibility” that is approved by the Board and meets the following requirements:

• Is issued by an insurance company or other legal entity authorized to transact business in Indiana.
• Provides for general liability coverage of at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).
• States that cancellation and nonrenewal of the underlying policy or other evidence of financial responsibility is not effective until the board receives written notice at least ten (10) days before the cancellation or nonrenewal of the policy.
• Contains any other terms and conditions established by the board.

The insurance must cover damages that the insured becomes legally obligated to pay for bodily injury or property damage proximately caused to a person by the insured in conducting business as a private investigator firm and must include coverage the following:

• False arrests, detention, imprisonment
• Malicious prosecution
• Wrongful entry or eviction, or other invasion of the right of private occupancy.

The insurance coverage may not exclude coverage for an intentional act taken by or at the direction of the insured that results in bodily injury, if such injury arises solely from the use of reasonable force for the purpose of protecting persons or property.

IC 25-30-1-15(c) states, “If a licensee fails to comply with the insurance requirements of this section, the license of the licensee shall be suspended. A license suspended under this subsection may not be reinstated until an application for reinstatement of the license, in the form prescribed by the board, is filed with the board, together with proper proof of insurance.”

The Board may deny an application for reinstatement of a license suspended under this section not only for non-compliance with the insurance requirement but including the following:

• Any reason that would justify a refusal to issue, a suspension, or a revocations of a license.
• The performance by the applicant of any practice for which a license under IC 25-30 is required while the license was suspended.

Insurance Updates

You can log into your MyLicense One account and upload your updated certificate of insurance using the Upload Additional Documentation Action item on your linked license.

If your Firm and/or Agency has been expired for three or more years, you may now reinstate online. In order to do this, you must have your license number and Registration Code.  If you need your registration code, contact PLA at 317-232-2960 for the Call Center or email pla10@pla.in.gov.

• Fee - The reinstatement fee is $600 ($300 renewal fee + $300  application fee).
• Documentation to Upload:
  • Criminal Background Checks - Limited criminal background check for the 4 preceding years or duration Important Notice: The background checks must be completed at the state level from the state the qualifier resides. Third party background checks will not be accepted.
  • Certificate of Insurance - Ensure your limited liability insurance is worth a minimum of $100,000 and meets the requirements listed under IC 25-30-1-15 (Private Investigator Firm) & IC 25-30-1.3-16 (Security Guard Agency).