Laws and regulations: the Private Investigator Act 37
A business owner knowingly engages an unlicensed person, who is not exempt, to do private investigator work. What is this under section 7523(b)?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7523(b)
A license was not renewed within three years after it expired. What does section 7560 say?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7560
A licensee accepts work adverse to a former client, on the matter in which the licensee learned that client's confidential information. How does section 7561.4 class this?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7561.4(d)
A licensee wants to appeal an administrative fine to the Private Investigator Disciplinary Review Committee. How long is there to request the appeal in writing?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7519.3(a)(2)
A licensee's qualified manager leaves and timely notice is filed. Before any extension the director approves, how long does the license stay in force while another manager qualifies?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7537(b)
A person licensed as an individual dies. If written application is made to the bureau within 30 days, how long may an immediate family member continue the business under the same license?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7537(a)
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Laws and regulations: the Private Investigator Act, continued
A person who is not licensed carries a business card saying he is a licensed private investigator. What fine does section 7523(d) set?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7523(d)
A retailer's own employee investigates only that retailer's affairs. What keeps this employee outside the Act under section 7522(a)?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7522(a)
After a crash, whom may an investigator not knowingly and directly solicit for work investigating the accident?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(i)
The agreement calls for a written report. How soon after the investigation is completed must the client receive it?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7524(d)
An applicant fails the licensing examination. What does section 7527.5 require before each later attempt?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7527.5
An applicant holds a law degree from an accredited college. What credit toward the experience requirement does section 7541 give?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7541(a)(1)
An employee of a licensee wants to advertise and bill clients in the employee's own name. What does the Act say?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(h)
Before the bureau grants a license, how old must the applicant or the applicant's qualified manager be under section 7526?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7526(a)
Does a bureau firearms qualification card by itself let a private investigator carry a concealed handgun?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7542.10
Does an attorney need a private investigator license to investigate facts while representing a client?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7522(e)
For how many licensees may one person act as qualified manager?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7536(c)
For which conduct may the director act against a private investigator license under section 7561.1(j)?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7561.1(j)
How long must a licensee keep a legible copy of the signed client agreement and the investigative findings?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7524(e)
How much investigation experience does section 7541 require for a license, and how is a year counted?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7541(a)
In place of suspension or revocation, what civil penalty may the director impose for a first violation of sections 7561.1, 7561.3 or 7561.4?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7563
May an employee of a California licensee use a badge in connection with the official activities of the licensee's business?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(d)
Section 7539(a) bars divulging case information except at the client's direction. Who is the stated exception for information about a crime?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(a)
To which person does the Private Investigator Act not apply?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7522(h)
Under section 7534, which details must appear in every advertisement that solicits business for a private investigator?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7534
Under section 7558, at what moment does an unrenewed private investigator license, branch office certificate or pocket card lapse?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7558(a)
What form must an agreement to provide private investigator services take?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7524(a)
What must a licensee obtain before conducting business under a fictitious business name?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7532(a)
What offense is knowingly falsifying the fingerprints or photographs submitted under the Act?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7565
What protective service may a California private investigator provide?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7521.5(a)
When may charges begin to accrue under an investigative services agreement?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7524(c)(3)
Where must a private investigator license be kept?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7528.5
Which activity does section 7541.1 say is not an act of investigation for experience toward licensure?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7541.1(b)
Which way of paying employees does section 7539 forbid?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(i)
Which work makes a person a private investigator under section 7521 of the Private Investigator Act, when done for any consideration?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7521(e)
Who is legally responsible for the good conduct in the business of a licensee's employees and agents?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7531
With the director's authorization, for how long may an investigator licensed in a reciprocal state continue in California an investigation that originated in the home state?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7520.5
Terminology 8
In the Evidence Code, what is an "inference"?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 600(b)
In the Private Investigator Act, who is a "qualified manager"?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7512.7(a)(1)
Under the Civil Code, what is libel?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 45
What does the Act mean by "skip tracing"?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7541.1(a)(5)
What is an "electronic tracking device" in Penal Code 637.7?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 637.7(d)
What is an "investigative consumer report" under Civil Code 1786.2?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 1786.2(c)
What is the name of the process by which the attendance of a witness is required?Cal. Code Civ. Proc. Sec. 1985(a)
Which person is an "employee" as the Private Investigator Act defines the word?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7512.11
Civil and criminal liability 11
A client directs an investigator to trespass and photograph a family at home. Under Civil Code 1708.8(e), can the person who directed it be liable?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 1708.8(e)
A person injured by illegal eavesdropping sues under Penal Code 637.2. What may be recovered?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 637.2(a)
A person who is not an officer wears a law enforcement officer's insignia so that a witness will believe he is one. What is this under Penal Code 538d(a)?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 538d(a)
An investigator falsely tells a subject's neighbors, aloud, that the subject was convicted of a crime. Which wrong does Civil Code 46 describe?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 46
An investigator logs into a subject's computer account without permission and copies the data. Which Penal Code section makes knowingly accessing and, without permission, copying computer data a public offense?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 502(c)(2)
An investigator uses a false representation to obtain information from a Department of Motor Vehicles record. What is this under Vehicle Code 1808.45?Cal. Vehicle Code Sec. 1808.45
How does Vehicle Code 1808.21 treat a residence address in a Department of Motor Vehicles record?Cal. Vehicle Code Sec. 1808.21(a)
What civil fine can follow a physical or constructive invasion of privacy under Civil Code 1708.8?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 1708.8(d)
What does Penal Code 136.1 punish?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 136.1(a)
When may a private person, such as an investigator, arrest another for a misdemeanor under Penal Code 837?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 837
Within what time must an action for libel, slander or false imprisonment be brought under Code of Civil Procedure 340?Cal. Code Civ. Proc. Sec. 340(c)
Evidence handling 11
A witness offers what a neighbor said outside the hearing, to prove that what the neighbor said is true. What is this evidence called?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 1200(a)
An investigator's file for an attorney holds a memo of the attorney's impressions and legal theories. What does Code of Civil Procedure 2018.030 say about such a writing?Cal. Code Civ. Proc. Sec. 2018.030(a)
How does the Evidence Code define "evidence"?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 140
Is a photograph a "writing" under Evidence Code 250?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 250
Knowing that a paper record is about to be produced in evidence at a trial, a person willfully destroys it to keep it out. What is the offense under Penal Code 135?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 135
Under Evidence Code 702, what must a witness who is not an expert have before testifying about a matter?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 702(a)
What does Evidence Code 1401 require before a writing, such as a report or a photograph, may be received in evidence?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 1401(a)
What is "direct evidence" under Evidence Code 410?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 410
What is preparing a false or ante-dated record with intent to produce it as genuine at a trial, under Penal Code 134?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 134
What makes evidence "relevant" under Evidence Code 210?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 210
Which fact helps a surveillance log qualify under the business records rule of Evidence Code 1271?Cal. Evidence Code Sec. 1271
Undercover investigations and surveillance 13
A client employer asks an undercover investigator to put a video camera in the employee locker room. What does Labor Code 435 say?Cal. Labor Code Sec. 435(a)
A person trespasses on property in order to record a confidential conversation in violation of section 632. What does Penal Code 634 add?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 634
Besides being a misdemeanor, what can a violation of the tracking device law cost a licensed private investigator?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 637.7(f)
Does knowingly entering the airspace above another person's land without permission, to capture images of private family activity in an offensive manner, fall under Civil Code 1708.8(a)?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 1708.8(a)
For a fee, an outside investigator poses as a worker at a client's plant and reports to the employer on employees' honesty and breaches of rules. Is this private investigator work under section 7521?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7521
From public land, an investigator uses a long lens to capture a family's private activity inside a home, in a way offensive to a reasonable person, when the image could not otherwise be had without a trespass. Which wrong does Civil Code 1708.8(b) describe?Cal. Civil Code Sec. 1708.8(b)
Penal Code 633.5 lets one party record a confidential communication to obtain evidence that another party committed certain crimes. Which crime is on its list?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 633.5
Section 7539(g) limits entry into private buildings that are closed to the public. What makes such an entry by an investigator permissible?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(g)
What is the fine for a violation of Penal Code 632 by a person with no prior conviction under the eavesdropping sections?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 632(a)
When does Penal Code 637.7 allow an electronic tracking device to be used on a vehicle?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 637.7(b)
Which act is disorderly conduct under Penal Code 647(j)(1)?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 647(j)(1)
While working undercover, may a licensee's employee make a statement meant to give the impression of being connected with a state or federal government?Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 7539(e)
Whose consent does Penal Code 632 require before a confidential communication may be recorded?Cal. Penal Code Sec. 632(a)
How this list was compiled: California Business and Professions Code, Division 3, Chapter 11.3 (Private Investigator Act, Sections 7512 to 7573.5), and sections of the Penal Code, Civil Code, Evidence Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Labor Code and Vehicle Code, each read on October 12, 2026 in the Legislative Counsel's own copy of the codes (the California Law files at https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/, last changed October 11, 2026; each section opens at https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/). The five topics are the subjects the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services lists for its two-hour multiple-choice examination in the Private Investigator License Factsheet (https://www.bsis.ca.gov/forms_pubs/pi_fact.shtml). Each question names its section and links to it. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the text of the codes. Nothing comes from the bureau's examination, the testing company, a candidate handbook, a training class or a prep publisher.
How it works
This unofficial California private investigator practice test asks the law behind the state examination: 80 questions on the Private Investigator Act and the Penal, Civil and Evidence Codes. Not affiliated with the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services.
Read the full guide
The five subjects of the examination
The five topics in the menu are the subjects the Bureau's Private Investigator License Factsheet lists. The Bureau publishes no weights; the Private Investigator Act, which the factsheet says is sent to each applicant, carries the most questions here.
What the real examination is
Taken by computer once the Bureau approves an application, with a pass or fail result before you leave. The Bureau publishes no pass mark, so this page states none.
What is left out
The Bureau's regulations in Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, court decisions, federal law and field technique.
Every agreement for investigator services is in writing, and no charge accrues before the client's written authorization (Business and Professions Code 7524).
No badge, and no entry to a private building without the owner's consent (Business and Professions Code 7539).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the California private investigator exam?
The Bureau does not publish a count. Its factsheet says only that the examination is two hours long and multiple choice. This page has 80 questions of its own, and a score here predicts nothing about the real examination.
What is on the California private investigator exam?
Laws and regulations, terminology, civil and criminal liability, evidence handling, and undercover investigations and surveillance, as the Bureau's factsheet lists them. Section 7527.1 also tells the Bureau to consider questions on privacy law and professional ethics.
What are the requirements to be a private investigator in California?
Be at least 18, pass a criminal history background check, have three years (6,000 hours) of paid investigation experience, less with a qualifying degree, and pass the examination (Business and Professions Code 7526 and 7541; the Bureau's factsheet).
Can a private investigator record a conversation in California?
Not a confidential one without the consent of all parties: Penal Code 632 makes that an offense, with a fine up to $2,500 per violation. Section 633.5 has a narrow exception for a party gathering evidence of crimes such as extortion.
What happens if I fail the California private investigator exam?
You may be tested again after a written request or reexamination application and the reexamination fee, which section 7527.5 requires for each later attempt. The Bureau's examination page describes the request.