Effective 1/1/2025, all Professional Licensing applications (including Security Guard, Private Detective, Security System Technician, Special Police, Railroad Police, Security Guard Agency, Security Guard Employer, Private Detective Agency, Dual Agency, Security Systems Agency and Bullet Proof Body Armor) and application fees shall be submitted electronically in the Licensing Portal. Additional information, issued Advisories, training videos and a registration link for virtual training can be found on the Security Guard page at the following link: Security Guard
Application Process Changes/Updates
- January 2025 - All Professional Licensing applications are converted from a paper application submission process and fee collection to an electronic submission and fee collection process in the Licensing Portal.
Who Should Apply
A Private Detective Agency License is required in Maryland for a person or firm, who wishes to:
- Conduct business that provides private detective services for compensation
- Maintain an office for that business
- Employ individuals as private detectives
- Represent to the public as a private detective agency
Private detective services include, but are not limited to: conducting investigations, securing evidence for use before any investigating committee or board of arbitration, non-uniformed personal protection, and locating or apprehending fugitives from justice. For more information, refer to
Business Occupations and Professions Title 13.
Qualifications For Licensure as a Private Detective Agency
An applicant may be either an individual or a firm. The individual or firm representative shall be at least 25 years old and of good moral character and reputation. All applicants shall meet the required experience outlined below:
- At least 5 years of experience as a full-time certified or licensed private detective; OR
- At least:
- 5 years of experience as a full-time police officer with an organized police agency; and
- completed successfully a police officer training course that is recognized and approved by the Maryland Police Training Commission; OR
- At least 3 years of experience in an investigative capacity as a detective while serving as a police officer with an organized police agency; OR
- At least:
- 3 years of experience in an investigative capacity in any unit of the United States, of the State, or of a county or municipal corporation of the State for the purpose of law enforcement; and
- completed successfully the police officer training required by the Maryland Police Training Commission; OR
- At least:
- 5 years of experience as a full-time fire investigator for a fire department or law enforcement agency of the State or of a county or municipal corporation of the State; and
- successfully completed the training certified by the Maryland Police Training Commission or the Maryland Fire-Rescue Education and Training Commission.
Prerequisites for Licensure as a Private Detective Agency
How To Apply
The Maryland State Police application for Private Detective Agency licensure can ONLY be completed through the Licensing Portal. Applicants for Private Detective Agency licensure will be required to submit the above prerequisites and required documentation.
Application Process
Once a Private Detective Agency applicant has submitted Livescan fingerprints and has compiled the required documentation, they should access the Licensing Portal and begin the Private Detective Agency application.
Applicants who do not have a Licensing Portal account will be required to create one in order to access the Private Detective Agency application.
You are required to have your own personal account in the Licensing Portal. Do Not Share Your Portal Account with anyone - there are specific details tied to the expiration of YOUR licenses and YOUR demographic information. Once you have created your account, you will be able to login and start your Private Detective Agency application. Upon completing the application and uploading the required documents, you will electronically submit the application along with the required fees to the Licensing Division.
The Licensing Division will review the application for completion and accept all complete applications. Should an application not meet the minimum requirements for acceptance, the application will be sent back to the applicant for corrections. After the corrections have been made, the application can be resubmitted for review and acceptance.
Accepted applications will be submitted into the queue for a criminal history background investigation to be completed on the applicant. During the course of this investigation, the applicant may be contacted by a background investigator to schedule an interview if necessary.
Once the background investigation is complete, the Licensing Division will render a final disposition on the application and the applicant will be notified via email of the final disposition. If the notification email states that the final disposition is approved, your Private Detective Agency application has been approved and you will receive your certification in the mail within 14 days. If the notification email states your final disposition is disapproved, you may contact the Maryland State Police Licensing Division for more information regarding the disapproval and appeals process. The applicant for a Private Detective Agency may log into their Licensing Portal to view the current status of their application at any time.
Please allow 90 days for completion of the application process.
When Should I Renew
A Private Detective Agency License expires three (3) years after its date of issuance and upon the date the Secretary of State Police sets. Licenses are staggered resulting in expiration in either January or July depending on the date of initial application. The license may be renewed for an additional 3-year term.
The Licensing Division will electronically send the licensee a notice of license expiration at least 90 days prior to expiration. The renewal notice will state:
- the date on which the current license expires;
- that the Secretary must receive the renewal application and the statements required under § 13-309 of this subtitle, at least 15 days before the license expiration date, for the renewal to be issued and mailed before the license expires;
- the amount of the renewal fee;
- that, if the statements required under § 13-309 of this subtitle are not received at least 15 days before the license expiration date, a fee of $10 per day shall be charged against the licensee until the statements are received; and
- that the submission of a false statement in the renewal application or in the annual statements is cause for revocation of the license.
The renewal application must be received by the Maryland State Police at least 15 days prior to the expiration date.
Note: it is the responsibility of the employing agency to notify the Maryland State Police when the holder of a Private Detective Identification Card is terminated.
Application Fees
Application fees will be collected electronically in the Licensing Portal.
Acceptable forms of payment include Visa and MasterCard.
Original/Initial - Individual (unincorporated): $200
Original/Initial - Firm (incorporated): $375
Renewal - Individual (unincorporated): $200
Renewal - Firm (incorporated): $400
Additional fees and fines may apply. For a complete list of MSP application fees, please see the Licensing Division Fee Schedule.
Application fees are non-refundable.
How Long is the Application Process
APPLICANT - After all perquisites have been completed, the Private Detective Agency application can be completed in the Licensing Portal within 45 minutes - 1 hour.
PROCESSING TIME - Once the Licensing Division electronically receives and accepts the completed Private Detective Agency application and the required application fee, the applicant will be notified of the final disposition within 90 days.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS - Applications received by the Licensing Division will typically be reviewed for completeness within 5-10 business days. Applicants who submitted incomplete applications will be notified of the status of their application via email within 5 business days of the review.
To access a list of Active Security Guard and Private Detective Agencies, please click here. If you believe that any of the information within the Security Guard Listing is inaccurate please contact the Professional Licensing Unit at the email address below.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS MAY BE EMAILED TO THE LICENSING DIVISION PROFESSIONAL LICENSING UNIT
Frequently Asked Questions
