A person employed by one employer in connection with that employer's affairs is exempt from chapter 80A. Which worker does section 80A.2 carve out of that exemption?Iowa Code section 80A.2(3)
A process server must find a defendant before serving papers. When is that work exempt under rule 661 IAC 121.3(10)?661 IAC 121.3(10)
An agency holds one Iowa license and wants to offer both private investigation and private security. What does rule 661 IAC 121.4 require?661 IAC 121.4
An investigation firm based in another state works a civil case that began and is filed in that state, with a few investigative steps in Iowa. How does rule 661 IAC 121.4(2) treat this?661 IAC 121.4(2)
In Iowa Code chapter 80A, who is "the commissioner" that issues licenses?Iowa Code section 80A.1(4)
May an agency licensed by the Iowa Department of Public Safety employ a peace officer to do investigative work?661 IAC 121.3(14)
On what condition may an Iowa peace officer engage in the private investigation business without a license?Iowa Code section 80A.2(2)
Rule 661 IAC 121.3(6) exempts persons exclusively employed in investigations and adjustments for insurance companies. Who falls outside that exemption?661 IAC 121.3(6)
Show all 76 questions (68 more)
Who needs a license and who is exempt, continued
Rule 661 IAC 121.5(2) says a license applicant must not be a peace officer. Which officer does it except from that bar?661 IAC 121.5(2)
The statute lists eight matters a private investigation business looks into. Which ninth matter does rule 661 IAC 121.2 add?661 IAC 121.2
Under Iowa Code chapter 80A, which work is "private investigation business" when done for hire or reward?Iowa Code section 80A.1(9)
Which business needs no Iowa license because rule 661 IAC 121.3 exempts it?661 IAC 121.3(9)
Which fact, by itself, does NOT establish that a business is conducting business in Iowa under rule 661 IAC 121.4(2)?661 IAC 121.4(2)
Which professional is on the list of persons Iowa Code chapter 80A does not apply to, while performing the duties of that profession?Iowa Code section 80A.2
The agency license: applying, bond, insurance and renewal 24
A corporation applies for an Iowa private investigative agency license. Besides the president, to whom do the personal requirements of section 80A.4(1) apply?Iowa Code section 80A.4(2)
A licensee has not finished continuing education when the license expires. What may the Iowa department grant?661 IAC 121.22(6)
A licensee's insurance certificate reaches its expiration date. How long does rule 661 IAC 121.4(6) give to comply before the license is automatically revoked?661 IAC 121.4(6)
A renewal application reaches the department after the license has already expired. What does rule 661 IAC 121.10 provide?661 IAC 121.10
An applicant files for an Iowa agency license and then stops responding. After how long is the application deemed abandoned?661 IAC 121.4(5)
An employee has worked for a licensed Iowa agency for less than 90 days when its license expires. What else must be true for the continuing education exemption in rule 661 IAC 121.22(2)?661 IAC 121.22(2)
An Iowa investigator takes a college course for credit. How many continuing education hours does each semester hour of credit equal?661 IAC 121.22(4)
Besides the bond, section 80A.10A requires proof of financial responsibility. How does rule 661 IAC 121.4(6) say that proof is given?661 IAC 121.4(6)
By when must Form #PD3, the Iowa renewal application, be submitted to the commissioner?661 IAC 121.10
The department disapproves a license application. What happens to the fee deposited with it?Iowa Code section 80A.5(2)
The department has not finished processing a complete renewal application when the license lapses. What is the status of the license?661 IAC 121.10
Fingerprints sent with an application are rejected as unreadable the first time. What does rule 661 IAC 121.7(2) allow?661 IAC 121.7(2)
For how long does rule 661 IAC 121.22 make an Iowa licensee retain the attendance records and course outlines behind a credit claim?661 IAC 121.22(5)
How does a surety end its future liability on a bond filed with the Iowa department?Iowa Code section 80A.10(4)
How many hours of continuing education must an Iowa private investigative agency licensee complete in the two years before the license expires?661 IAC 121.22(2)
One Iowa agency conducts two kinds of business under chapter 80A, private investigation and private security. What is the least its surety bond may be?Iowa Code section 80A.10(1)
Rule 661 IAC 121.22 gives credit in whole hours only. What is the least instruction time that counts as one of those hours?661 IAC 121.22(3)
Rule 661 IAC 121.4(6) lists three groups of offenses that a licensee's personal injury insurance must cover. Which is one of them?661 IAC 121.4(6)
What is the fee for a two-year Iowa private investigative agency license?Iowa Code section 80A.5(3)
What is the minimum surety bond for an agency licensed to conduct only a private investigation business in Iowa?Iowa Code section 80A.10(1)
What is the most of the Iowa continuing education requirement that correspondence and formal individual study programs may fill?661 IAC 121.22(4)
What minimum age does Iowa Code section 80A.4 set for a private investigative agency licensee?Iowa Code section 80A.4(1)
What qualifications must each employee of an Iowa licensee have under section 80A.4(3)?Iowa Code section 80A.4(3)
Which criminal record bars a license under Iowa Code section 80A.4(1)(c)?Iowa Code section 80A.4(1)
Employee identification cards 11
A member of the public asks an on-duty investigator for identification. When may the employee refuse to show the identification card?661 IAC 121.11(4)
A new employee of a licensed Iowa agency starts work on a temporary identification card. For how long is that card valid?Iowa Code section 80A.7(1)
An employee's identification card is stolen. What does rule 661 IAC 121.11(1) require of the licensee?661 IAC 121.11(1)
An investigator leaves a licensed Iowa agency. Within how many days must the identification card be surrendered to the commissioner?661 IAC 121.11(1)
An investigator works for two licensed Iowa agencies at once. What does the Department of Public Safety say about identification cards?Iowa Department of Public Safety, Frequently Asked Questions, items 12 and 13
What does Iowa Code section 80A.7 charge each time an agency applies for a card for one of its investigators?Iowa Code section 80A.7(2)
What does Iowa Code section 80A.7(3) make unlawful for a licensed agency?Iowa Code section 80A.7(3)
Which employee of a licensed Iowa agency needs no identification card under rule 661 IAC 121.6?661 IAC 121.6
Which item does rule 661 IAC 121.11(1) say an Iowa employee identification card includes?661 IAC 121.11(1)
Who is assessed the fees for processing the fingerprints of an Iowa agency's employee?Iowa Code section 80A.7(5)
Who owns an employee identification card issued under Iowa Code section 80A.7?Iowa Code section 80A.7(4)
Badges, advertising, reports and records 13
A flood covered by a governor's disaster emergency proclamation destroys an Iowa agency's license. What is the fee for the replacement license?661 IAC 121.24
A licensed agency has three offices in Iowa. What does rule 661 IAC 121.8 require for displaying the license?661 IAC 121.8
An Iowa client tells the investigator that no written report is wanted. What does rule 661 IAC 121.15 tell the licensee to do?661 IAC 121.15
How long must an Iowa private investigative agency keep its copy of a client's investigation report?661 IAC 121.15
Under Iowa Code section 80A.11, what must a licensee give a client who asks for it?Iowa Code section 80A.11
Under rule 661 IAC 121.13, which name may an Iowa licensee's cards, letterhead and advertising set forth?661 IAC 121.13
Under rule 661 IAC 121.17, who is responsible for ascertaining that an agency's employees meet the Iowa statute and rules?661 IAC 121.17
What badge may an employee of an Iowa private investigative agency use under rule 661 IAC 121.12?661 IAC 121.12
What does the Iowa commissioner charge for a duplicate license when the original is lost or destroyed?Iowa Code section 80A.8
When must an Iowa licensee make its retained copy of a client report available to the commissioner?661 IAC 121.15
Which record about licensed agencies does Iowa Code section 80A.17 make a public record?Iowa Code section 80A.17
Which statement does Iowa Code section 80A.9 forbid a licensee or employee to make?Iowa Code section 80A.9(2)
Who must personally sign the descriptive reports and cover letters an Iowa private investigative agency sends to a client?661 IAC 121.15
Discipline, penalties and reciprocity 14
A client pays an Iowa agency in full under a contract, and the agency then willfully refuses to do the work. What can follow under section 80A.12?Iowa Code section 80A.12(8)
An applicant for an Iowa license has a pending court action whose result would be disqualifying. What does rule 661 IAC 121.16(5) provide?661 IAC 121.16(5)
An Iowa agency stops taking cases for a time but wants to keep its license. What may the commissioner allow under rule 661 IAC 121.16(2)?661 IAC 121.16(2)
An Iowa license is to be revoked on a child support certificate of noncompliance. When does the revocation take effect?661 IAC 121.21(2)
For Iowa licensing, when does an offense committed in another jurisdiction count as an "aggravated misdemeanor" under rule 661 IAC 121.2?661 IAC 121.2
How long may an Iowa temporary permit issued by reciprocity to an out-of-state agency last?661 IAC 121.23(1)
Iowa Code chapter 80A attaches no specific penalty to some of its provisions. What is a violation of one of those?Iowa Code section 80A.16(1)
The surety on an Iowa licensee's bond becomes insolvent. How long after the commissioner's notice does the licensee have to file a new bond?Iowa Code section 80A.12(5)
Under Iowa Code section 80A.12, which handling of case information can cost a licensee the license?Iowa Code section 80A.12(4)
What offense does a person commit under Iowa Code section 80A.16 by falsely advertising as a licensed private investigator?Iowa Code section 80A.16(2)
What offense is engaging in a private investigation business in Iowa without a current valid license?Iowa Code section 80A.16(3)
Which conduct is an example of moral turpitude in rule 661 IAC 121.2?661 IAC 121.2
Which document from the child support recovery unit lets the Iowa commissioner deny, suspend or revoke a license or identification card?661 IAC 121.16(1)
Which fact may the Iowa department weigh against an applicant's good moral character under rule 661 IAC 121.5(6)?661 IAC 121.5(6)
How this list was compiled: Iowa Code chapter 80A, Private Investigative Agencies and Security Agents (Iowa Code 2026), and Iowa Administrative Code 661, chapter 121, Bail Enforcement, Private Investigation, and Private Security Businesses (as published February 5, 2025), each read on October 16, 2026 on the Iowa Legislature site (https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/80A.pdf and https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/chapter/661.121.pdf); and the Iowa Department of Public Safety's licensing page and its Frequently Asked Questions (https://dps.iowa.gov/divisions-iowa-department-public-safety/administrative-services/pipsbe), read the same day. Each question names its section or rule and links to it. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the text of the law and the state pages named under "source". Nothing comes from an examination, a sample test, a testing company, a training course or a prep publisher.
How it works
Iowa gives no private investigator examination, so this unofficial Iowa private investigator license practice test is law practice: 76 questions of our own on Iowa Code chapter 80A. Not affiliated with the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Read the full guide
An agency license and an ID card
Iowa licenses the business. The agency holds a two-year license, and each employee who does investigative work carries an identification card that the department issues (Iowa Code 80A.3 and 80A.7).
What is left out
Bail enforcement and private security provisions are asked only where they share a rule with investigators. The weapons permit law is not asked.
A $5,000 surety bond for one kind of business, $10,000 for more than one (Iowa Code 80A.10).
No badge is approved for a private investigative agent (661 IAC 121.12).
Offer every client a written report and keep your copy three years (661 IAC 121.15).
Questions and answers
Do you have to take a test to be a private investigator in Iowa?
No. The Department of Public Safety's Frequently Asked Questions answer the examination question with a plain no, and the examination subrules of 661 IAC 121.4 were rescinded effective May 1, 2005.
How do I get a private investigator license in Iowa?
Apply to the Department of Public Safety's Program Services Bureau with fingerprints, a surety bond, a certificate of liability insurance and the license fee. An applicant must be at least 18 and may not be a peace officer (Iowa Code 80A.4).
How much does an Iowa private investigator license cost?
$100 for a two-year agency license, $10 for each identification card and $30 for the fingerprint background check, according to the department's Frequently Asked Questions. The surety bond and the liability insurance are bought separately.
Do Iowa private investigators need continuing education?
Yes: 12 hours in the two years before the agency license expires, for the licensee and for each employee investigator. An employee with less than 90 days at the agency can be exempt (661 IAC 121.22).
Can I work as a private investigator in Iowa with a license from another state?
Only with an Iowa license or a temporary permit. A reciprocity permit lasts up to 90 days and is not renewable, and the home state must give Iowa licensees similar privileges (661 IAC 121.23).