N.Y. Laws » CHAPTER General Business / ARTICLE Private Investigators, Bail Enforcement Agents and Watch, Guard and Patrol Agencies
New York Consolidated Laws

N.Y. General Business Law § 70 (2026)

Private investigator license

✓ text as retrieved May 2026 (this copy records no edition or section history)
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§ 70. Private investigator license. 1. The department of state shall
have the power to issue licenses to private investigators. Nothing in
this article shall prevent a private investigator licensed hereunder
from performing the services of a watch, guard or patrol agency or bail
enforcement agent as defined herein; however, a watch, guard or patrol
agency or bail enforcement agent may not perform the services of a
private investigator as defined herein.
  2. No person, firm, company, partnership, limited liability company or
corporation shall engage in the business of private investigator or
advertise his, their or its business to be that of private investigator
notwithstanding the name or title used in describing such agency or
notwithstanding the fact that other functions and services may also be
performed for fee, hire or reward, without having first obtained from
the department of state a license so to do, as hereinafter provided, for
each bureau, agency, sub-agency, office and branch office to be owned,
conducted, managed or maintained by such person, firm, company,
partnership, limited liability company or corporation for the conduct of
such business.
  3. No person, firm, company, partnership, limited liability company or
corporation shall engage in the business of furnishing or supplying for
fee, hire or any consideration or reward information as to the personal
character or activities of any person, firm, company, or corporation,
society or association, or any person or group of persons, or as to the
character or kind of the business and occupation of any person, firm,
company or corporation, or own or conduct or maintain a bureau or agency
for the above mentioned purposes, except exclusively as to the financial
rating, standing, and credit responsibility of persons, firms, companies
or corporations, or as to the personal habits and financial
responsibility of applicants for insurance, indemnity bonds or
commercial credit or of claimants under insurance policies, provided the
business so exempted does not embrace other activities as described in
section seventy-one of this article, or except where such information is
furnished or supplied by persons licensed under the provisions of
section twenty-four-a or subdivision three-b of section fifty of the
workers' compensation law or representing employers or groups of
employers insured under the workers' compensation law in the state
insurance fund, without having first obtained from the department of
state, as hereafter provided, a license so to do as private investigator
for each such bureau or agency and for each and every sub-agency, office
and branch office to be owned, conducted, managed or maintained by such
persons, firm, limited liability company, partnership or corporation for
the conduct of such business. Nothing contained in this section shall be
deemed to include the business of adjusters for insurance companies, nor
public adjusters licensed by the superintendent of financial services
under the insurance law of this state.
  4. Any person, firm, company, partnership or corporation who violates
any provision of this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1987–2022 · leading case: Meyer v. Kalanick, 212 F. Supp. 3d 437 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).
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Meyer v. Kalanick, 212 F. Supp. 3d 437 (S.D.N.Y. 2016). · cites it 2× “See N.Y. General Business Law § 70 ; Smith Deck, Exhibit F (Egeland Dep.”
McGowan v. McGowan, 136 Misc. 2d 225 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1987). “For example, under the General Business Law, licenses are required of collateral loan brokers (General Business Law § 40), junk dealers (General Business Law § 60), private investigators (General Business Law § 70), transportation ticket agents (General Business Law § 150),…”
Spectrum Sys. Int'l Corp. v. Chem. Bank, 157 A.D.2d 444 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 1990). “A privilege is not created, where none exists, by hiring an attorney to do the work of an investigator, although attorneys are exempt from *449 the licensing requirement for investigators (General Business Law §§ 70, 83). The attorney-client privilege extends only to…”
Local 32B-32J, Serv. Employees Int'l Union v. Holtzman, 149 Misc. 2d 666 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 1990). · cites it 2× “Security guard contractors must be licensed (General Business Law § 70 [2]) and their guards registered (General Business Law § 81).”
Matter of Dickerson v. New York State Dept. of State, Div. of Licensing Servs., 201 A.D.3d 460 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 2022). “without having first obtained from the department of state a license," in that he admittedly failed to file a renewal application but continued an investigation after his license expired (General Business Law § 70[2]). Contrary to petitioner's contention, the mere belief that he…”
Ferrara v. Safir, 282 A.D.2d 383 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 2001). “To the extent petitioner argues that his personal performance of bodyguard services places him in danger, respondent properly rejected the argument on the ground that petitioner lacks the license required by General Business Law § 70 (2) to perform such services.”
Hoffman v. Treadwell, 222 A.D.2d 243 (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep't 1995). “Since nonexempt work performed without a license is unlawful (General Business Law § 70 [2]), respondent’s refusal to count such work as qualifying "equivalent” experience under General Business Law § 72 (1) was eminently reasonable.”
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