Become a Private Investigator in Kentucky Through Training and Certification

Kentucky is a unique blend of economic centers and wide-open spaces where high-tech industry and business intersect with small towns tucked away within expansive farmland.

For the state’s private investigators, this makes for an interesting professional landscape where cases that begin in the teaming metros of Louisville and Bowling Green often end up taking them deep into rural enclaves where it sometimes feels like life hasn’t changed for a hundred years.

	Meet the Minimum Qualifications in Kentucky
	Meet the Private Detective School Requirement in Kentucky
	Submit an Application for Licensure in Kentucky
	Pass the Kentucky Private Investigator Exam
	Doing business as a PI in Kentucky

The job could have you tracking a stolen vehicle to a chop shop outside of Owensboro city limits for a private client, talking to witnesses in a civil suit as a hired gun for a Lexington law firm, investigating a job injury in Frankfort for the Kentucky Department of Workers Claims or uncovering evidence of fraud and embezzlement in the Louisville offices of a Fortune 500 company.

Before you head onto knowing about how to become a private investigator in Kentucky, you must know that there’s plenty of work to go around in the Bluegrass State for PIs with investigative skills and the perseverance it takes to see a case through to its final conclusion. Add computer skills, a good, working knowledge of the legal system, and strong research skills, and your stock can go even higher here.

Knowing just the background of Kentucky does not help much but gives you a glimpse into the world of these detectives. Let’s discover how to become a private investigator in Kentucky:

Private investigators in Kentucky must be licensed through the Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators . To qualify for licensure, applicants must be at least 21 years old and pass a state examination.

Step 1. Minimum Qualifications in Kentucky

The first step you need to take towards your goal of becoming licensed for private investigator jobs in Kentucky is to ensure you meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Must be at least 21 years old
• Be of good moral character
• Be a U.S. citizen or lawful resident alien
• If you have any felony convictions, 10 years must have passed since the completion of your sentence
• No convictions for crimes involving dishonesty or moral turpitude within the past five years
• If you are a military veteran you must not have been dishonorably discharged
• Be of sound mental capacity
• No misdemeanor or higher convictions within the past three years for crimes involving controlled substances
• May not have been enrolled in a facility or program for substance abuse in the past three years
• May not chronically or habitually use alcohol or drugs

Step 2. Private Investigator School Requirements in Kentucky

Kentucky law stipulates private investigator school requirements to solely include the completion of high school or an equivalent. It is a good idea to make yourself as attractive PI as possible, and having a degree or academic certification in a pertinent field can do just that. It also shows that you are serious about your profession, are thinking ahead to possible career advancements, and that you are a capable individual.