Tennessee § 62-26-204 - License required.

§ 62-26-204. License required.

Except as otherwise provided in this part, it is unlawful for any person to act as an investigations company or private investigator without first obtaining a license from the commission. After expiration of a license issued under former part 1, holders of such licenses may obtain the equivalent license under this part by complying with the terms and conditions for renewal prescribed in this part. Every private investigator licensed in accordance with this part shall maintain a place of business at an investigations company that has been duly licensed by the commission. In the event an applicant for an investigations company license maintains more than one (1) place of business within the state, the applicant shall apply for and obtain a branch office license for each branch office, in addition to the company license for the principal place of business. A private investigator may retire the license issued in accordance with this part by making a request for retirement of the license in writing and paying the appropriate fees set by the commission. The written request must be accompanied by the license certificate and pocket card. The retiree shall be responsible for notifying the commission of any change in address. Only licenses that are current and in good standing with the commission may be retired. No retired licensee may engage in any act defined in § 62-26-202. A retired license shall not be reactivated unless the licensee shows proof of completion of continuing education requirements as provided in § 62-26-225 sufficient to meet a licensee's current requirements. Upon receipt of proof of the continuing education requirements and payment of appropriate fees set by the commission, a retired license shall automatically be changed from retired to active. Acts 1990, ch. 780, § 5; 1991, ch. 457, § 3; 1993, ch. 511, §§ 4, 5; 2000, ch. 677, § 1. Compiler's Notes. Part 1 of this chapter, referred to in this section, was repealed effective January 1, 1991 by Acts 1990, ch. 780, § 1. Attorney General Opinions. Applicability of private investigators licensure requirements to death penalty mitigation experts, OAG 99-181, 1999 Tenn. AG LEXIS 216 (9/17/99). An “attorney-at-law” is exempt from the private investigators licensure requirement even if that attorney maintains an active license to practice in a state other than Tennessee, OAG 03-097, 2003 Tenn. AG LEXIS 116 (8/13/03). Inapplicability of private investigators licensing act to photographic traffic monitoring systems. OAG 11-3, 2011 Tenn. AG LEXIS 3 (1/7/11). License for Providing Canine Detection Services to Public Schools and Private Entities. OAG 15-62, 2015 Tenn. AG LEXIS 62 (7/28/15).