To be eligible to apply for license as a private investigator/qualified manager in the state of California, you must meet the following requirements:

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• Be 18 or older.

• Undergo a criminal history background check through the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

• Have at least three years (2,000 hours each year, totaling 6,000 hours) of compensated experience in investigative work; or

• have a law degree or completed a four-year course in police science plus two years (4,000 hours) of experience; or

• have an associate's degree in police science, criminal law, or justice and 2 ½ years (5,000 hours) of experience.
  
  Experience must be certified by your employer and have been received while you were employed as a sworn law enforcement officer, military police officer, insurance adjuster, employee of a licensed PI or licensed repossessor, arson investigator for a public fire suppression agency, or an investigator for the public defender's office. (Work as a process server, public records researcher, custodial attendant for a law enforcement agency, bailiff, agent who collects debts in writing or by telephone after the debtor has been located, or person who repossesses property after it has been located is not considered qualifying experience.)

• Pass a two-hour multiple-choice examination covering laws and regulations, terminology, civil and criminal liability, evidence handling, undercover investigations and surveillance. A copy of the Private Investigator Act will be sent to you; and

• Upon notification that you have passed the examination, you must submit a licensing fee to the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, P.O. Box 989002, West Sacramento, CA 95798-9002.