District of Columbia private detective bonds.
$200 flat.
To be licensed as a private detective agency in the District of Columbia, you post a $5,000 surety bond — applications are processed through DLCP with final sign-off by the Metropolitan Police Department's Security Officers Management Branch. Ours is $200 flat, and no credit check.
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How much does a District of Columbia private detective bond cost?
$200 at the $5,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
License bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
License bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File with your license application
Your executed $5,000 bond arrives by email, ready to file with your DC private detective license application. Final sign-off is by the MPD Security Officers Management Branch.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
A private detective agency in the District of Columbia must be licensed, and that license is conditioned on a $5,000 surety bond. The bond is a public-protection guarantee that you'll conduct investigative work lawfully and within the District's rules for the trade.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety, and the District, with the public as the protected parties. License applications are processed through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, with final sign-off by the Metropolitan Police Department's Security Officers Management Branch (SOMB), which oversees private detectives, special police officers, and security officers in the District.
The bond protects the public, not you — if you violate the rules and someone is harmed, they can recover against it, and you repay the surety. The District runs these licenses on a fixed renewal cycle, so we track your term and notify you 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $5,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The carrier issues this bond for a term it sets; the term cannot be changed at checkout.
Renewal falls on the statutory date, October 31, in the year your term ends.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with your license application. Your executed $5,000 bond arrives by email, ready to file with your DC private detective license application. Final sign-off is by the MPD Security Officers Management Branch.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $200 at the $5,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other District of Columbia bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
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$200 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.