The Experience Requirement Is the Real Gate — and Your Service May Already Clear It
Most states require one to three years, or 2,000 to 6,000 documented hours, of investigative experience before they will license you — and military intelligence and military police experience counts toward it in many states. This plan covers the three state licensing structures, the four federal statutes (DPPA, GLBA, FCRA and ECPA) that govern the work regardless of your state, and the report-writing discipline — facts only, never opinion — that is the actual product an attorney buys.
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Built From Real Numbers
First-year licensing and setup costs run $500 to $2,000, hourly rates typically land at $95 to $150, and multi-day surveillance retainers start at $2,000 to $4,000. The plan explains why the database subscription — several hundred to several thousand dollars a month with credentialed access, not a credit-card signup — is the real operating cost new investigators underestimate.
It also walks through the smallest sellable job (a flat-fee background check, records retrieval or straightforward locate, no retainer or stakeout needed) and why aiming at attorneys and insurance companies from day one beats building on individual domestic clients, which Part 5 covers as the trade's real liability trap.
What's Inside
- State Licensing Path Matrix for experience, exam, bond and agency-sponsorship routes
- Case Intake & Lawful-Purpose Checklist covering DPPA, GLBA, FCRA and ECPA compliance
- Surveillance Retainer Calculator for hours, mileage, database fees and contingency
- Chronological Evidence Log built to the report-writing structure attorneys expect
- The domestic-case screening protocol for refusing dangerous or unlawful requests
- Veteran-specific note on military intelligence/police experience counting toward licensing
- First 90-days plan built around the state board call and documenting your experience
