The renewal fee for a Colorado licensed private investigator has been greatly reduced due to the diligent work of the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (www.pppiac.org).

DORA, the regulating agency for Colorado private investigators had announced a renewal fee of $263. PPIAC immediately opened discussions with DORA as there are far more licensed private investigators in Colorado than originally anticipated. Since this is a self funded program, the more investigators in the program, the lower the fees. After numerous discussions with DORA they realized that the fees should be much lower and came out with a NEW renewal fee amount of $63. Those who renewed at the original higher cost, have already received a refund.

The fee for the initial license remains at $330, however the renewal fees are in line with the lowest renewal fees in the country.

Thank you PPIAC!!

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Colorado had been one of only a few states without a mandatory licensing program for private investigators for many years. This meant that anybody and everybody who wanted to hang up a shingle and say they were a private investigator, could do this. Often times this would allow them access to sensitive personal information, including but no limited to a clients credit card information.

This changed on June 1, 2015, when the mandatory private investigator licensing law, was implemented. This was after a time period of over three decades where Colorado had no such law. The last mandatory private investigator licensing law in Colorado was in 1977, when an investigator challenged the law by declaring there was no definition of private investigator in the law, and therefore it was struck down.

During that licensing “drought” many private investigators have come and gone, some who held themselves out to be private investigators have seen the inside of the gray bar hotel, but with no regulation, there was no accurate count on how many private investigators there were in the state of Colorado.

Before this current law was passed, some speculated approximately 100, some speculated 250, and some speculated as high as 700. The number is very significant in Colorado due to the fact that Colorado has a TABOR law, which meant no money from the general fund can be used for this program. Therefore every dollar to operate the program has to come from licensing fees and this program itself. The end result of this type of system is that there is a set budget for the program itself, and that budget is paid through licensing fees, therefore the more licenses that are issued, the lower the cost of each individual license.

DORA, the agency that oversees this program anticipated 400 licenses would be issued, which at the time was only a best guess.

As we sit here in January of 2016, just over half a year into the program, there have been over 500 Colorado private investigator licenses issued.

The bottom line to the consumer is that this gives the person a place to verify that a private investigator has been properly vetted, licensed and with that license they are required to carry a bond. It also gives the consumer a place to file a complaint, when necessary, against a private investigator.

The end result of this program is that it is protection for the general consumer and the program appears to be bigger than most people anticipated.

At Night Moves of Denver, Private Investigations, we supported the legislation and testified numerous times at the State Capitol in favor of passing this into law.

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For those who have waited to get their Colorado Private Investigator license, there is no better time than now. If you qualify for a private investigator license and receive one, it will not expire until February of 2014. DORA (Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies) has written in their rules that any license issued within 120 days of the next renewal period, will carry over to the subsequent renewal period (Feb of 2014).

For all the information on how to apply and receive your Colorado Private Investigator license, you can use the following link:

Colorado Private Investigator License

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As you might know by now, Colorado is at the beginning phase of the Colorado private investigator licensing program. In Colorado, unlike any other state in the country, this is a voluntary program. The private investigator license will go into effect on July 1, 2012.

We have applied for and received our Colorado private investigator license which is license number 533.

To receive this license we had to go through an FBI background check, a Colorado Bureau of Investigations background check as well as attest to our investigative experience.

Being a voluntary program, every investigator makes a choice to be licensed or not. From our client’s point of view, you have to decide whether you want to hire a licensed investigator or an unlicensed investigator. Keep in mind that after we work your investigation, whether it is surveillance to prove insurance fraud, a cheating spouse or whatever your needs might be, there is a good possibility that we will have to present that evidence in a court of law.

As attorney’s learn of the Colorado private investigator licensing program, it is very likely that they will ask if your investigator is licensed or not. Therefore upon cross examination, would you like your investigator to explain why they decided to be unlicensed, or would you like your investigator to simply give his or her license number?

To check to see if your investigator is licensed, go to:

http://www.dora.state.co.us/private-investigator/index.htm

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The voluntary licensing program for the Colorado private investigator will be in effect on July 1, 2012. At this time, you as a client will have to decide if you want to retain a Colorado private investigator who is licensed or one that is unlicensed. When choosing a licensed investigator you will have the comfort of knowing that the investigator has been through an FBI background check as well as a Colorado Bureau of Investigations background check. Furthermore, in order to qualify for a Colorado private investigator license, the individual has to have substantial experience in the investigative field.

This is a voluntary program allowing a less seasoned investigator to work toward the necessary hours needed to become licensed. When hiring a Colorado private investigator, please know who you are working with. Check an investigators references, credentials and you can verify their license status through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agency’s web site at:

www.dora.state.co.us/private-investigator/index.htm

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With the initiation of the voluntary Colorado licensed private investigator program, for the first time in 35 years, clients who hire a private investigator will know that the person they are hiring has undergone a background screening, which will include a Colorado Bureau of Investigations check as well as an FBI background check.

The first license will be issued in July of 2012 and at that time, you as a client will decide if you want to go with a licensed private investigator or an unlicensed investigator. Insurance companies, looking to conduct an insurance fraud investigation or requesting a surveillance investigation, attorneys looking to conduct background checks and individuals looking to investigate a cheating spouse or partner, will all have to make this decision.

This program means that there are only a handful of states left with no licensing for private investigators.

Please conduct your due diligence and know who you are hiring when you contact a Colorado private investigator.

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Governor Hickenlooper just signed this into law in the past week and this should be in effect at the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles by August of 2012. This brings Colorado in line with the Federal DPPA (Driver Privacy Protection Act).

With the continuing push by privacy advocates to close more and more public records nationwide, DMV record access is a subject that has been at the forefront of these discussions. Hopefully this will give the Colorado licensed private investigator a position to keep access to these records, in the event that the access issue comes up in Colorado. DMV records are a vital piece of information for any background check, insurance investigation and numerous other legal investigations.

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The Colorado PI Voluntary Licensing program continues to move forward. In the past month the rules for this program have been approved by the regulating agency, DORA. The next step in this program will be to begin the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and FBI background checks on potential applicants. The background check portion of the program will be kicked off any day now, with the first license scheduled to be issued in July of 2012.

The post Colorado PI Licensing Update March 20, 2012 appeared first on Colorado Private Investigations.

Colorado has not had a private investigator licensing program since 1997 and currently is one of only a handful of states to have no licensing available.

However, due to the collaborative work of several investigators last year, we were able get a voluntary private investigator licensing program passed into law. This program is being implemented at this time with the first license set to be issued in July of 2012. We at Night Moves of Denver have been supportive and extremely involved in this program.

The voluntary aspect of this program makes it one of the most unique programs for any profession in the country.

We will continue to keep you updated on all of the licensing information as it becomes available.

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