Private Investigator Pricing in Idaho, Published Before Anyone Is Assigned

01How prices are set

How Delator Sets Investigation Prices in Idaho

Our Idaho prices come from three rules and nothing else. Field work, meaning anything an investigator does in person, is billed at $100 per hour, the same as at home in Tennessee. Records-only work done remotely costs the Tennessee price plus 20 percent, which reflects the extra effort of working another state's databases and courthouses from a distance. Case-based matters such as criminal defense, audits and scams carry the same published minimums we use in Tennessee, because the work behind them does not get smaller across a state line. You can read about the leadership that sets these rules before you call.

We publish private investigator pricing in Idaho because a client should be able to judge a quote before signing it. Idaho has no statewide licensing board that sets standards or fields fee complaints, so the clearest protection is a firm that puts its numbers in writing and sticks to them. The main Idaho investigations page explains how we staff the state, and the Idaho guide to vetting an investigator lists the pricing questions worth asking any firm.

• Field work: $100 per hour
• Remote records work: Tennessee price plus 20 percent
• Case minimums: same as Tennessee
• Every total approved in writing first

02Field rate

Field Work Billed at $100 Per Hour

Surveillance, witness interviews, neighborhood canvasses, scene photography and in-person courthouse research are all billed at $100 per hour. The quote estimates the hours a matter should need, based on what you are trying to establish and how predictable the subject's routine is. A spouse who meets someone after work in Meridian on a known evening, a typical married infidelity surveillance file, may need two short shifts, while a claimant on a ranch outside Arco may need several days of patient observation. Our Idaho surveillance investigations page describes how shifts are planned.

Report writing, evidence organization and photograph logs are part of the hourly work, not hidden add-ons, and the quote says so. If a shift ends early because the subject never leaves home, you are billed for the hours actually worked and told why. If the facts change and more time looks useful, we stop and ask for written approval first. Defense counsel planning witness work can review the Idaho attorney services page to see which tasks are typically billed this way.

03Records-only services

Records-Only Services at the Tennessee Price Plus 20 Percent

Some questions can be answered without anyone traveling. A basic background check or basic skip trace costs $102, a deep-dive background check $300, a due diligence report on a company or vendor $300, and an OSINT review with personal information removal $900. These prices are set per item and do not depend on hours, and they appear in the quote before the search starts. Landlords often begin with tenant screening in Idaho, and employers with the employee check.

Idaho's public records law shapes the timing of remote work. Under Idaho Code § 74-103, as amended in 2025, agencies answer resident requesters within three working days but generally have 21 days, extendable to 35, to answer nonresidents, and Delator is a nonresident requester. Agencies may also charge nonresidents up to actual cost. We build those realities into delivery dates, and when an agency record is the only source, the quote says so. Our Idaho skip tracing services explain when a remote trace needs field follow-up.

04Case-based work

Case Minimums for Defense, Litigation, Audits and Scams

Certain matters carry minimums because they always involve a baseline of work. Criminal defense investigation starts at $750 for a misdemeanor, $1,000 for a single felony and $1,500 for multiple charges or enhanced exposure. Civil litigation support and asset investigations each carry a $1,000 minimum, and a field-work skip trace starts at $1,000. Felonies in Idaho begin with a preliminary hearing in the magistrate division, and our criminal defense investigations in Idaho page explains how early work is scheduled around it.

Idaho compliance audits start at $1,200 per site, abuse investigations at $1,500 and scam investigations in Idaho at $2,000. Above the minimum, work is billed at the hourly rate and estimated in the quote, so a minimum is a starting point rather than a ceiling. A scam case that traces funds through several platforms will cost more than a single romance-scam timeline, and the quote will say how much more before you approve it. The Idaho asset investigations page shows what a $1,000 asset search typically covers.

05Travel

How Idaho Distances, Passes and Time Zones Affect the Total

Idaho distances are real. Published route figures put Boise roughly 128 miles from Twin Falls, about 234 miles from Pocatello and around 280 miles from Idaho Falls, while Pocatello and Idaho Falls sit about 51 miles apart on I-15. The drive from Boise to Coeur d'Alene runs roughly 380 to 390 miles, mostly on US 95. Distance never changes the hourly rate, but it changes the hours, so we assign investigators to the region where the work happens, such as our Twin Falls investigation team for the Magic Valley, rather than billing long drives across the state.

Weather and time zones matter too. Winter can slow US 95 at White Bird Hill and the Lewiston grade and the I-90 passes at Fourth of July and Lookout, and North Idaho runs on Pacific time while the south uses Mountain time. Quotes state the region, the expected travel time and how a weather delay would be handled. A matter centered on Elmore County, for example, is usually planned through our Mountain Home investigation page, not driven from the Panhandle.

06Process serving

Process Serving Is Priced by County

Delator Field Services publishes a Routine starting rate for every Idaho county, from $125 in metro counties such as Ada, Canyon, Kootenai, Bannock, Bonneville, Twin Falls and Nez Perce to $235 in Custer and Lemhi, where the nearest hub is a long drive away. Urgent service is 1.5 times Routine, Rush 2 times and Same Day Rush 3 times. The full list is on the Idaho county process serving rate map, and the final price is always confirmed in writing before the first attempt.

Not every case needs a private server. In Idaho small claims, Idaho Code § 1-2304 generally lets the plaintiff ask the court to mail the papers by certified or registered mail, which costs little, while personal service by a server adds a fee that may be added to the judgment. When the mail is refused or the defendant is evasive, personal service becomes the practical choice, as our guide to serving papers in Idaho explains. Our Idaho process serving hub explains how attempts are logged and how the signed affidavit is prepared.

07Billing

Written Quotes, Approvals and No Retainer Surprises

Every Idaho engagement starts with a written quote that names the objective, the method, the expected hours, the travel plan, any case minimum and the total. You approve it before anyone is assigned. We do not take an open-ended retainer and draw it down without explanation, and we do not bill for work you did not authorize. If a matter grows, for example when surveillance reveals a second location, we send a revised quote and wait for your answer.

Invoices match the quote line by line, so a client or an attorney can see where each hour went. Private investigator pricing in Idaho should be predictable, and that is the standard we hold ourselves to on a $102 background check and on any of our 63 specialized Idaho lines alike. If you are comparing firms, ask each one for the same written breakdown. To start, send leadership the county and the question, and the quote will come back in writing.

Price list

Idaho investigation prices

The tables below are the published prices Delator Group applies to Idaho work. They do not change by county or by client. What changes from one Idaho matter to the next is the number of hours, the travel involved and whether a case minimum applies, and all three are spelled out in the written quote you approve before work starts.

Standard investigative rate

Remote services (Tennessee price plus 20%)

Case-based minimums

Sample Routine process serving starting rates

Process serving is priced separately by county. Routine starting rates across Idaho run from $125 to $235, and all 44 counties appear on the Idaho process serving rate finder. Every figure is a published starting rate, and the final price is confirmed in writing before the first attempt.

Services

Commonly Quoted Idaho Services

• Surveillance investigationsBilled at $100 per hour, with shifts, region and travel estimated in writing and timed to the days a subject is most likely to act.Learn more
• Background checksRecords-based screening at $102 for a basic check or $300 for a deep dive, delivered remotely with Idaho records response times built in.Learn more
• Skip tracingA basic database trace for $102, or a field-work trace from $1,000 when an Idaho address must be confirmed in person before service.Learn more
• Criminal defense investigationsMinimums of $750 for a misdemeanor, $1,000 for one felony and $1,500 for multiple charges, with hourly work above the minimum quoted first.Learn more
• Corporate investigationsHourly field work and per-item remote services combined in one written scope for Idaho employers facing theft, fraud or misconduct questions.Learn more
• Shock auditsUnannounced compliance and security audits of an Idaho site, starting at $1,200, with findings ranked by risk and the cost of fixing them.Learn more
• Investigative consultingHourly advice from Delator leadership on whether an investigation is worth doing in Idaho, what it could show and how to scope it sensibly.Learn more
• Scam investigationsFund tracing and evidence preservation for Idaho scam victims, starting at $2,000, with the method and expected hours set out in the quote.Learn more
• Process servingCounty-based Routine rates from $125 to $235 across Idaho, with Urgent, Rush and Same Day Rush at 1.5, 2 and 3 times Routine.Learn more

How it works

How an Idaho Quote Is Built

1. 01

   Define the question

   You tell us what you need to establish, where in Idaho, and by when. Leadership decides whether the work is hourly, a remote item, a case minimum or a combination.

2. 02

   Estimate hours and travel

   We estimate field hours, the region an investigator will work from, and travel time across passes or time zones, then write those assumptions into the quote.

3. 03

   Approve in writing

   You receive one document with the method, the estimate and the total. Work starts only after you approve it, and any later change needs a new approval.

4. 04

   Invoice against the quote

   The final invoice follows the quote line by line, lists the hours actually worked, and explains any difference before you are asked to pay it.

Compare

Pricing Rules Compared With Tennessee

Statewide coverage

Pricing Applies the Same Way in Every Idaho City

These rules hold in all 44 counties; distance changes the hours, never the rate. A matter run through our Caldwell investigators in Canyon County usually needs little travel, and so does one handled from the Blackfoot investigation page on I-15. North Idaho files priced through Post Falls investigation coverage are quoted in Pacific time, and southwest Treasure Valley work near the state prisons is scheduled through our Kuna investigator page. The written quote shows that difference in hours, never in the rate, every time.

• Caldwell
• Blackfoot
• Post Falls
• Kuna
• Mountain Home
• Ammon
• All of Idaho

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Idaho

Every service below is available in Idaho and across Idaho, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Idaho.

Service areas

Private investigators across Idaho