Hawaii — Private Detective Agency Bond
An active Hawaii private-detective agency needs the Board-prescribed bond. HRS §463-12 sets a minimum of $5,000, and the Board’s standard form is for $5,000. Match The Southern Agency’s entry to the agency’s legal identity, keeping the responsible principal detective’s separate licensing file distinct from the entity’s application.
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- Recorded state
- Hawaii
- Bond type
- Private Investigator / Detective Bond
- Category
- Professional & occupational licenses
What this bond does
The applicant gives the bond to the Board of Private Detectives and Guards through DCCA’s Professional and Vocational Licensing Branch. The standard form names the State of Hawaii as obligee and secures faithful compliance with Chapter 463 and the Board’s rules. For an agency filing, identify the agency as the bond applicant rather than assuming the licensed manager’s name belongs there.
- Who needs it
- A corporation, partnership, joint venture, LLC, or LLP applying through the Board’s agency process for private-detective work in Hawaii. The agency must have a principal detective responsible for its direct management and control. The Board gives separate instructions for the principal’s individual license and for a sole proprietor’s application.
- Who it protects
- HRS §463-12 conditions the bond on honest business conduct and lets a person injured by the licensee’s wilful, malicious, or wrongful act bring an action in that person’s own name. The standard form also requires compliance with the governing chapter and rules and caps aggregate surety liability at its face amount. It does not guarantee a successful investigation or automatic payment of a complaint.
Your bond option
This is the option on record for this bond.
- Bond optionPurchase Now (opens in a new tab)Continue to our secure checkout partner, Propeller (opens in a new tab).
The bond amount describes the limit of the bond obligation, not the price. A listed amount does not establish what the requesting party requires. The premium is what you pay and must be confirmed for the actual option. An E&O limit, where listed, is separate errors and omissions insurance.
Sources
- Hawaii law: prescribed bond and injured-person action, HRS §463-12 (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Hawaii law: agency license and responsible principal detective, HRS §463-5 (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Hawaii Board: private detective, guard, or agency bond form (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Hawaii Board: detective or guard agency application and instructions (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Hawaii Board: bond maintenance guidance and current forms (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
Have these ready
- Agency legal name, BREG identity/trade-name records, and actual Hawaii business street address.
- Responsible principal detective’s name, individual licensing status, and the separate agency file.
- Board’s prescribed bond form, correct detective-agency selection, and actual required amount/effective period.
- Applicant and surety notarized execution on page 2, applicable power of attorney, and current Board submission instructions.
Questions about this bond
Does principal on the bond automatically mean the principal detective?
No. On the bond, principal means the applicant whose obligation is secured. The principal detective is the licensed person responsible for managing the agency. The Board’s instructions distinguish that individual’s application from the agency application and require the bond’s intended role to be identified.
Can I use a guard-agency application for the same business?
The Board requires separate agency applications if both detective and guard licenses are sought. Its shared bond form also identifies the role. This entry is for the private-detective agency; do not switch roles merely because the same form offers a Guard/Agency selection.
Does the even-year renewal date mean a new bond always offers two full years?
No. The agency instructions require renewal by June 30 of each even-numbered year regardless of the initial issue date. The State bond form continues with the license and renewals, but this purchase option supplies no term label. Confirm its actual instrument and dates separately.
Can an agency stop maintaining the bond when work is quiet?
A slowdown is not formal inactive status. The Board warns that a bond lapse immediately suspends the license until a successor is filed. Its agency instructions describe a separate inactive-status process with bond relief, during which the licensee cannot practice. Use that actual process rather than simply allowing coverage to lapse.