Private Investigators in Ohio by City

Licensing

How Ohio Licenses Private Investigators

Ohio regulates investigators through the Department of Public Safety's Private Investigator Security Guard Services office, known as PISGS. The governing law is Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4749. Section 4749.13 says no person may engage in the business of private investigation in Ohio unless licensed under that chapter. A Class A license covers investigation and security services, and a Class B license covers private investigation only.

For a client, the license to check belongs to the company. The PISGS Company Search lists currently licensed providers by name, license number, class, city and county, and licenses run on a cycle that expires March 1. The individual investigator should be working under that licensed company, so ask which license they work under and confirm it is a Class A or Class B license.

Courts

How Ohio Courts Are Organized

Ohio's general trial court is the court of common pleas, with one in each of the 88 counties. Common pleas courts hear felonies and larger civil cases, and most have separate divisions for domestic relations, probate and juvenile matters, though the setup varies by county. Municipal courts and county courts handle misdemeanors, traffic cases, evictions and smaller civil claims, each covering a defined territory of cities, villages and townships. Some municipalities also run mayor's courts for minor local offenses.

Communities

Ohio Communities With a Private Investigator Page

Every Ohio community over 3,000 residents, by population (U.S. Census Bureau, April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimates (Vintage 2024)).

Read the full Ohio investigator guide

Neighboring states: Indiana · Kentucky · Michigan · Pennsylvania · West Virginia