Licensing
How Kentucky Licenses Private Investigators
Kentucky regulates investigators under KRS Chapter 329A. The Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators, created by KRS 329A.020, issues licenses and handles discipline. KRS 329A.015 bars any person or company from holding itself out as a private investigator, or using titles that imply a license, without one. Every applicant must pass a criminal background check that runs through state court and police records.
Kentucky licenses both people and firms. Each individual licensee receives a wallet-size photo ID card that must be carried during investigative work, and a company with more than one investigator needs a company license as well. A client can check names through the Board's online Verify a License search, and the law directs the Board to confirm a licensee's status on request.
Courts
How Kentucky Courts Are Organized
Kentucky's Court of Justice is a unified state system with a circuit court clerk in each of the 120 counties. Circuit Court is the general jurisdiction court for felonies, larger civil suits, divorce and contested probate. Family Court, a division of Circuit Court, hears divorce, custody, support and related cases where it has been established. District Court handles misdemeanors, small claims, smaller civil cases, juvenile matters and probate of wills. Circuits and districts can cover more than one county.
Communities
Kentucky Communities With a Private Investigator Page
Every Kentucky community over 3,000 residents, by population (U.S. Census Bureau, April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimates (Vintage 2024)).
| Community | County | Population (2024 est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington | Fayette County | 329,437 |
| Bowling Green | Warren County | 79,076 |
| Owensboro | Daviess County | 60,675 |
| Covington | Kenton County | 41,611 |
| Georgetown | Scott County | 40,518 |
| Richmond | Madison County | 39,581 |
| Elizabethtown | Hardin County | 34,565 |
| Florence | Boone County | 33,763 |
| Nicholasville | Jessamine County | 33,458 |
| Hopkinsville | Christian County | 30,800 |
| Independence | Kenton County | 30,196 |
| Jeffersontown | Jefferson County | 29,388 |
| Frankfort | Franklin County | 28,610 |
| Henderson | Henderson County | 27,750 |
| Paducah | McCracken County | 26,712 |
| Radcliff | Hardin County | 22,706 |
| Ashland | Boyd County | 21,066 |
| Erlanger | Kenton County / Boone County | 20,172 |
| Madisonville | Hopkins County | 19,502 |
| Winchester | Clark County | 19,413 |
| Mount Washington | Bullitt County | 18,863 |
| Murray | Calloway County | 18,567 |
| Shelbyville | Shelby County | 18,048 |
| St. Matthews | Jefferson County | 17,806 |
| Danville | Boyle County | 17,562 |
| Fort Thomas | Campbell County | 16,914 |
| Berea | Madison County | 16,436 |
| Shively | Jefferson County | 15,850 |
| Glasgow | Barren County | 15,388 |
| Shepherdsville | Bullitt County | 14,837 |
| Bardstown | Nelson County | 14,104 |
| Newport | Campbell County | 13,792 |
| Somerset | Pulaski County | 12,389 |
| Lawrenceburg | Anderson County | 12,189 |
| Campbellsville | Taylor County | 11,820 |
| Lyndon | Jefferson County | 11,221 |
| Alexandria | Campbell County | 10,819 |
| Versailles | Woodford County | 10,656 |
| La Grange | Oldham County | 10,541 |
| Franklin | Simpson County | 10,524 |
| Paris | Bourbon County | 10,185 |
| Middletown | Jefferson County | 9,908 |
| Mayfield | Graves County | 9,805 |
| Harrodsburg | Mercer County | 9,491 |
| Elsmere | Kenton County | 9,337 |
| Hillview | Bullitt County | 8,962 |
| Middlesborough | Bell County | 8,899 |
| Fort Mitchell | Kenton County | 8,766 |
| Maysville | Mason County | 8,711 |
| Edgewood | Kenton County | 8,526 |
| Oak Grove | Christian County | 7,973 |
| Corbin | Whitley County / Knox County / Laurel County | 7,891 |
| Union | Boone County | 7,874 |
| Villa Hills | Kenton County | 7,763 |
| Mount Sterling | Montgomery County | 7,588 |
| London | Laurel County | 7,573 |
| Russellville | Logan County | 7,431 |
| Pikeville | Pike County | 7,366 |
| Flatwoods | Greenup County | 7,250 |
| Taylor Mill | Kenton County | 7,116 |
| Vine Grove | Hardin County | 6,933 |
| Leitchfield | Grayson County | 6,895 |
| Morehead | Rowan County | 6,789 |
| Lebanon | Marion County | 6,558 |
| Cynthiana | Harrison County | 6,557 |
| Cold Spring | Campbell County | 6,499 |
| Crestwood | Oldham County | 6,493 |
| Highland Heights | Campbell County | 6,292 |
| Wilmore | Jessamine County | 6,268 |
| Princeton | Caldwell County | 6,223 |
| Fort Wright | Kenton County | 6,096 |
| Dayton | Campbell County | 5,854 |
| Walton | Boone County / Kenton County | 5,803 |
| Central City | Muhlenberg County | 5,744 |
| Bellevue | Campbell County | 5,738 |
| Monticello | Wayne County | 5,726 |
| Douglass Hills | Jefferson County | 5,558 |
| Williamsburg | Whitley County | 5,332 |
| Hazard | Perry County | 4,808 |
| Hurstbourne | Jefferson County | 4,777 |
| Benton | Marshall County | 4,726 |
| Crescent Springs | Kenton County | 4,707 |
| Prospect | Jefferson County / Oldham County | 4,696 |
| Columbia | Adair County | 4,685 |
| Scottsville | Allen County | 4,574 |
| Ludlow | Kenton County | 4,390 |
| Greenville | Muhlenberg County | 4,353 |
| Paintsville | Johnson County | 4,129 |
| Crittenden | Grant County / Kenton County | 4,125 |
| Lancaster | Garrard County | 4,083 |
| Williamstown | Grant County / Pendleton County | 3,971 |
| Carrollton | Carroll County | 3,955 |
| Southgate | Campbell County | 3,802 |
| Grayson | Carter County | 3,702 |
| Stanford | Lincoln County | 3,702 |
| Prestonsburg | Floyd County | 3,638 |
| Russell | Greenup County | 3,638 |
| Beaver Dam | Ohio County | 3,535 |
| Hodgenville | Larue County | 3,379 |
| Crestview Hills | Kenton County | 3,338 |
| West Liberty | Morgan County | 3,257 |
| Park Hills | Kenton County | 3,191 |
| Stanton | Powell County | 3,171 |
| Morganfield | Union County | 3,131 |
| Simpsonville | Shelby County | 3,119 |
| Wilder | Campbell County | 3,091 |
| Barbourville | Knox County | 3,081 |
| Flemingsburg | Fleming County | 3,003 |
Neighboring states: Illinois · Indiana · Missouri · Ohio · Tennessee · Virginia · West Virginia
How this service works
Investigator Consulting in Kentucky
Delator Group is a private investigation firm licensed in Tennessee and headquartered in Nashville. In Kentucky, Delator Group is not licensed as a private investigator or private investigative agency and does not perform, supervise or direct investigations. We review requests and refer them to independent investigators who hold the license Kentucky requires. Those investigators contract with clients directly, set their own fees and are responsible for the work. Delator Group may receive compensation from participating investigators for referrals.
FAQ
Questions About Finding an Investigator in Kentucky
Which Kentucky communities have their own page?
Every incorporated Kentucky city, town or village with more than 3,000 residents, plus every township or town government of that size, has its own page here, 108 in all. Smaller places are covered by the nearest page and the statewide guide.
Is Delator Group licensed in Kentucky?
No. In Kentucky, Delator Group provides investigator consulting and referral only. Investigations are performed by independently licensed Kentucky investigators who contract with you directly.
Who licenses private investigators in Kentucky?
The Kentucky Board of Licensure for Private Investigators, under KRS Chapter 329A (license requirement in KRS 329A.015). Any person or company that holds itself out as a private investigator needs a Board license, and a company with more than one investigator needs a company license in addition to individual licenses.
How do I check an investigator's Kentucky license?
Search the investigator and the company with the Board's Verify a License tool and ask to see the investigator's wallet photo ID card.
Is Kentucky a one-party or two-party consent state?
Kentucky is generally a one-party consent state. KRS 526.010 defines eavesdropping as recording a conversation of others without the consent of at least one party, so a participant can usually record. Recording people when no participant consents is a crime under KRS 526.020. An attorney can confirm how this applies to your facts.