Connecticut has a very interesting history from being the birthplace of the hamburger, the corporate home of the WWE to being the home of the PEZ museum, among many other cool things! And while the size of the state is small being only 5,543 square miles, it is home to 14 companies listed on the Fortune 500 and 3.5 million residents. While it is such a small state you may be surprised to hear that there are approximately 380 private investigators employed in Connecticut. And it also may be a surprise to you that Connecticut is probably one of the most difficult states to become a private investigator in. The median salary for a private investigator in Connecticut is $64,360 a year which ranks as the 13th highest in the United States as of 2021.
Yes, private investigators in the state of Connecticut must be licensed to conduct work as private investigators within the state.
Income and Private Investigators
If the applicant is an organization, association, corporation, or partnership, Connecticut requires that the person filing on behalf of the organization meet one of the aforementioned qualifications above. They must also be an officer in the corporation or member of the partnership or association.
The Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection may substitute 1 year of required experience if the applicant shows proof of passing a course of instruction related to the licenses (a private investigation course).
Applicants are required to have a $10,000 performance Surety Bond with the state as a condition for being licensed as well as a minimum General Liability Insurance Policy of $300,000. Anyone aggrieved by something the investigator does can seek recovery of damages from the bond or insurance.
Assuming an applicant meets the minimum requirements and the required experience the application process is as follows submitting the following information with the application:
The individual private investigation license fee is $1,450 for an initial 2 years license. Thereafter the fee will be $625 for a 2-year renewal.
The license fee for a Corporation, association, or partnership will be as a Private Detective Agency. The fee is $1,750 for an initial 2-year license and $1,000 for a 2-year renewal thereafter.
For this license related an investigator who receives a license on the merit of being associated with a fire department, and can only investigate related fire department investigations.
This fee for this particular license is $1,450 for the initial 2-year license and $625 for the 2-year renewal thereafter.
Per the aforementioned requirements, the licensing fee for a corporation, association, or partnership is $1,750 for an initial 2-year license and $1,000 for a 2-year renewal thereafter.
The association in Connecticut is not quite as formal as most private investigator associations observed and they admit on their website that they. They indicate they meet twice a year with about 30 investigators in attendance.
The current organization is identified as the Connecticut Private Investigators Association and the website appears to be hosted on a private investigator’s website. Until I receive some more information from the host, be cautious as to the legitimacy or benefit to your business by joining the organization. Or feel free to investigate the matter yourself.
If you qualify for a private investigation license in the state of Connecticut, you will likely qualify for a private investigation business license in other states due to the high standard.
Generally, it is beneficial to secure private investigation licensing in neighboring states. Should you want to do so, the following states border Connecticut.
