Minnesota Private Investigator License Practice Test
Unofficial questions on the Minnesota statutes and board rules behind a private detective license, which is granted without an examination.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Minnesota Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services. Bank checked October 14, 2026.
A company is paid to send someone in person each time a client's burglar alarm goes off. Which business is that under section 326.338?Minn. Stat. § 326.338, subd. 4
A Duluth man is paid to gather evidence for lawyers preparing a civil trial. Is that private detective business?Minn. Stat. § 326.338, subd. 1
A factory employs its own security guards, who work only on the factory's property. What is the factory?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 10c
A law firm employs an investigator who works only on the firm's legal matters. Do sections 326.32 to 326.339 apply to her?Minn. Stat. § 326.3341
A licensed collection agency traces a debtor's address for a client that holds a lien on the debtor's car. What does section 326.3341 say?Minn. Stat. § 326.3341
An employee carries handcuffs and no other equipment. How does section 326.32 class that?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 1b
An employee investigates a claim someone has made against her own employer. Is she covered by the licensing law?Minn. Stat. § 326.3341
An employer pays an outside investigator to check the honesty of people applying for jobs. Does section 326.338 cover that?Minn. Stat. § 326.338, subd. 1
Show all 98 questions (90 more)
Who is a private detective; exemptions, continued
Does a proprietary employer need a license from the board?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 1a
For a fee, a St. Cloud woman finds out where people have moved and reports to her clients. How does Minnesota law treat that?Minn. Stat. § 326.338, subd. 1
On a job, an investigator keeps a handgun in the glovebox and never touches it. Is she "armed with a firearm"?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 1a
What does "license" mean in sections 326.32 to 326.339?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 9
What is a "Minnesota office"?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 10b
What must a "qualified representative" of a corporate license holder do?Minn. Stat. § 326.32, subd. 12
Which insurance adjuster does section 326.3341 exempt?Minn. Stat. § 326.3341
Which of these does section 326.3341 exempt by name?Minn. Stat. § 326.3341
Which paid act is private detective business under section 326.338?Minn. Stat. § 326.338, subd. 1
The board 10
An initial application is still incomplete some time after it was first submitted. After how long does the board review whether the process must be repeated?Minn. R. 7506.0110, subp. 2
Besides the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's superintendent, who sits on the board?Minn. Stat. § 326.33, subd. 1
The board denies a license application. What must it tell the applicant?Minn. Stat. § 326.3311
For how long may a board member serve as chair once designated?Minn. Stat. § 326.33, subd. 2
How are complaints to the board about a possible violation processed?Minn. R. 7506.0160
Section 326.3321 puts an executive director in the unclassified service. By whose appointment?Minn. Stat. § 326.3321, subd. 1
What does the board do about people operating as private detectives without a license?Minn. Stat. § 326.3311
What does the board's review of an initial license application include, besides the application and the executive director's findings?Minn. R. 7506.0110, subp. 2
Who appoints the licensed and public members of the Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services?Minn. Stat. § 326.33, subd. 1
Who conducts background investigations and reports to the board on new applications and complaints?Minn. R. 7506.0110, subp. 1
Qualifying, applying, bond and reissuance 35
A business moves to an address that is not on its license certificate. Section 326.3385 allows how long for written notice?Minn. Stat. § 326.3385, subd. 1
A corporation applies for a private detective license. Who in the corporation must meet the licensing requirements?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 4, as amended by Laws 2026, ch. 83, § 8
A license applicant has 30 employees and files a net worth statement. What net worth must it show?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
A license holder sells the business. May the license go to the buyer?Minn. Stat. § 326.3389
A licensed corporation wants to designate a new qualified representative. What fee does section 326.3386 set?Minn. Stat. § 326.3386, subd. 3
A man with no license tells people at a trade show that he is available to do investigations for hire. Has he broken section 326.3381?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 1
A person is found to have done private detective business without a license. For how long is the person barred from applying?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 4
A two-year license reaches its expiration date. What does section 326.3385, subdivision 3 have the holder do with the certificate?Minn. Stat. § 326.3385, subd. 3
A woman worked as an unlicensed private detective for two years. May that time count as experience for a license?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 4
An agency with its home office in Chicago opens a Minnesota office. What must it provide?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 5
An applicant for reissuance files incomplete papers that can be fixed soon. What may the board issue?Minn. R. 7506.0130, subp. 1
An applicant paid the license fee and the board then refused the license. What does section 326.3386 do with the money?Minn. Stat. § 326.3386, subd. 2
An applicant was convicted in Iowa of an act that would be theft in Minnesota. What follows?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 3
An applicant with no employees files a net worth statement as proof of financial responsibility. What net worth must it show?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
Besides convictions and false statements, what else disqualifies an applicant?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 3
For reissuance fees, who counts as one employee?Minn. R. 7506.0140, subp. 2
How many hours of employment as an investigator must an applicant for an individual private detective license show?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 2
How many references does each individual signing the application submit?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 2
May a signer's sister-in-law be one of the references?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 2
The qualified representative of a corporate license holder resigns. What notice is due?Minn. Stat. § 326.3385, subd. 2
Rule 7506.0130 treats a late reissuance filing as a lapsed license for 60 days. What is its holder allowed?Minn. R. 7506.0130, subp. 2
Section 326.3382 asks for proof of ability to respond in damages. Which filing is satisfactory proof?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
Section 326.3382, subdivision 3 has the applicant execute a surety bond to the state. In what penal sum?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
Under section 326.3381, subdivision 2, a license stays effective for what period if the holder keeps to the law?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 2
What age must each person signing a license application have reached?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 1
What does a license holder remit to the board when seeking reissuance?Minn. Stat. § 326.3383, subd. 1
What does the board's fee page list for a new individual private detective license?Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Private Detective and Protective Agents Board, License fees
What must an applicant for reissuance keep in force?Minn. Stat. § 326.3383, subd. 3
When the board receives a license application, for how long does it post notice of it in its office?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 2
Which conviction disqualifies a person from holding a license under section 326.3381?Minn. Stat. § 326.3381, subd. 3
Which coverage must the personal injury insurance include?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
Which employer's investigative work counts toward the 6,000 hours?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 2
Who gives the statement that an applicant has the required hours of experience?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 2
Who signs the annual net worth statement an applicant files with the board?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 3
Who signs the application of a corporation whose principal place of business is in Minnesota?Minn. Stat. § 326.3382, subd. 1
Employees, cards and training 18
A former employee keeps an agency badge after being fired. After how long is that a misdemeanor?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 3
A new hire's criminal record report has not come back. What may the conditional employee do meanwhile?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 1
A private detective employee leaves the profession for four years and returns. What does rule 7506.2600 require?Minn. R. 7506.2600, subp. 1
An employee finished preassignment training with one Minnesota licensee two years ago and now joins another. Who owns the training certificate?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 2
An employee tells a friend what she learned on a client's case. What is that under section 326.336?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 4
How many hours of certified continuing training a year are required of an unarmed license holder or employee?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 2
How many hours of preassignment or on-the-job certified training must the rules require of a new employee, and by when?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 2
How much continuing training a year is added for a person who is armed with a firearm or a weapon?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 2
In a board-certified training program, how many minutes equal one training hour?Minn. R. 7506.2200, subp. 1
May an employee carry a weapon while undergoing on-the-job training?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 2
The report shows a new employee was convicted of a disqualifying offense. What must the employer do?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 1
Under section 326.336, subdivision 2, an employee's identification card comes from whom?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 2
What must a license holder submit about employee training at license renewal?Minn. R. 7506.2700, subp. 1
When a license holder hires a person to work as a private detective, what goes to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 1
Which of these must appear on an employee's identification card?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 2
Which subject must preassignment training for private detectives include?Minn. R. 7506.2600, subp. 4
Who answers for the good conduct of the unlicensed people a license holder employs?Minn. Stat. § 326.336, subd. 1
Who meets the training requirements of section 326.3361 without taking the board's courses?Minn. Stat. § 326.3361, subd. 4
Conduct, discipline and penalties 18
A license holder is asked to take a client whose interests may conflict with a current client's. What must happen first?Minn. R. 7506.0150, subp. 1
A license holder prints "Hennepin County Investigations Unit" on business cards in a way that implies a government tie. What does section 326.3384 say?Minn. Stat. § 326.3384, subd. 1
A license holder prints "state patrol" on uniforms so as to imply a government tie. How is that graded?Minn. Stat. § 326.3384, subd. 2
A license holder wants to subcontract an investigation to an unlicensed party. When does rule 7506.0150 allow it?Minn. R. 7506.0150, subp. 4
A revocation period has run out. What else must the person do to be licensed again?Minn. R. 7506.0180, subp. 2
An employee of a license holder is convicted of a first violation of the labor dispute rules in subdivision 1b. For how long is the license suspended?Minn. Stat. § 326.3384, subd. 2
The board imposes an administrative penalty for an act that is also a crime. How do the two relate?Minn. Stat. § 326.3388
The board writes to a license holder. How long does the license holder have to respond?Minn. R. 7506.0150, subp. 3
For a serious violation the board may revoke a license. For what period?Minn. R. 7506.0170, subp. 3
How soon must an administrative penalty be paid?Minn. R. 7506.0170, subp. 7
May a license holder provide armed protective personnel to a strike location?Minn. Stat. § 326.3384, subd. 1a
Section 326.3387 lists bases for refusing, suspending or revoking. Which one is on the list?Minn. Stat. § 326.3387, subd. 1
Unless another penalty is specifically provided, what is a violation of sections 326.32 to 326.339?Minn. Stat. § 326.339
What administrative penalty do the rules set for a serious violation?Minn. R. 7506.0170, subp. 6
What is the longest suspension the board may order for a violation that is not serious?Minn. R. 7506.0170, subp. 4
What makes a failure to comply a "serious violation" under the board's rules?Minn. R. 7506.0170, subp. 1
Which penalty may the board impose only after a contested case hearing?Minn. Stat. § 326.3387, subd. 2
Which word may a license holder not display on a vehicle in a way that implies it is a government agency's?Minn. Stat. § 326.3384, subd. 1
How this list was compiled: Minnesota Statutes sections 326.32 to 326.339 (private detectives and protective agents), as amended by Laws of Minnesota 2026, chapter 83, and Minnesota Rules chapter 7506, each read on October 14, 2026 on the Office of the Revisor of Statutes' site (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/326.32, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2026/0/Session+Law/Chapter/83/ and https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/7506/); and the Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services' requirements summary (https://assets.dps.mn.gov/files/pdb/application-requirements-procedures.pdf) and License fees page, read the same day. Each question names its section or rule part 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
Minnesota gives no private detective examination, so this unofficial Minnesota private investigator license practice test is law practice: 98 questions of our own on Statutes 326.32 to 326.339. Not affiliated with the Board of Private Detective and Protective Agent Services.
Read the full guide
An interview in place of a test
The board reviews each first application, the executive director's background findings and an in-person interview of the applicant or qualified representative (Minnesota Rules 7506.0110).
Where this law is taught
Preassignment training for a private detective's new employees must cover the Minnesota private detective and protective agent statutes and administrative rules, beside privacy, ethics and liability (Rules 7506.2600, subpart 4).
What is left out
Statutes, rules and the board's own pages only. The use of force sections 609.06 and 609.065, the data practices statutes and the board's forms are not asked.
The statute calls the license private detective; a protective agent license covers guard work (sections 326.32 and 326.338).
Unlicensed work never counts toward the 6,000 hours, and bars an application for one year (section 326.3382).
Address changes, successor notices and license surrenders all run on seven days (section 326.3385).
Questions and answers
Is there an exam for a Minnesota private investigator license?
No. Sections 326.3381 and 326.3382 set an application, references, fingerprints, experience, a bond and proof of financial responsibility, and the board's requirements summary lists no test.
How do I become a private investigator in Minnesota?
Work 6,000 hours as an investigator for a licensed agency, a federal investigative service, a city police department or a sheriff's office, then apply to the board with five references, a $10,000 surety bond and proof of financial responsibility (section 326.3382).
How much is a private detective license in Minnesota?
The board's fee page lists $1,000 for a new individual private detective license and $1,900 for a corporation or LLC. Renewal starts at $540 and rises with the number of employees.
How long does a Minnesota private detective license last?
Two years, as long as the license holder complies with the statutes and the rules. The board reissues it on an application, a list of current employees and the expired license (sections 326.3381 and 326.3383).
Do private investigators in Minnesota need training?
Yes. The rules require 12 hours of preassignment training within the first 21 days of employment and six hours of continuing training a year, with six more hours for anyone armed (section 326.3361).