Iowa — Private Investigative Agency And Private Security Agency Bond
An Iowa agency seeking both private-investigation and private-security licenses needs at least a $10,000 surety bond under Iowa Code §80A.10. The minimum is $5,000 for just one licensed business type. Before using The Southern Agency’s application, confirm which types are in your DPS agency file; the words in this page’s title do not select them for you.
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- Recorded state
- Iowa
- Bond type
- Security / Investigation / Locksmith Bond
- Category
- Professional & occupational licenses
What this bond does
File the agency’s financial security with the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) for faithful, lawful, and honest operation by the applicant and its employees. DPS requires the bond and completed PD6 form together, with the same agency name used on the license application.
- Who needs it
- The agency applying for private-investigation, private-security, or both of those business licenses in Iowa. Identify the agency and its qualified licensee representative. The agency bond is different from the State-issued ID cards needed by workers who perform the regulated services.
- Who it protects
- Iowa Code §80A.10 lets a person injured by a breach of the bond’s conditions seek legal damages on it, with aggregate surety liability limited to the bond amount. PD6 is bound to a person injured by such a breach. DPS receives the filing; that receiving role should not be confused with the people protected by the obligation.
Your bond option
This is the option on record for this bond.
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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
- Iowa Code 2026 §80A.10: licensee’s bond (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Iowa DPS: obtaining an agency license (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Iowa DPS: PD6 License Surety Bond (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
Have these ready
- DPS agency profile/PD1 instructions, actual licensed business types, legal agency name, and licensee representative.
- Correct one-type $5,000 or multiple-type $10,000 minimum, completed PD6 activities, and matching issued bond.
- Authorized principal signer, witness, surety signature, and actual effective dates.
- Separate liability-insurance evidence with the matching agency name and current DPS upload/submission instructions.
Questions about this bond
Does having two investigators automatically mean a $10,000 bond?
No. Section 80A.10 bases these minimums on the number of licensed business types, not headcount. Private investigation alone is one type; private investigation plus private security is more than one. Employee ID requirements are separate.
Is DPS the only party the obligation protects?
DPS receives the licensing documents, but PD6 is bound to a person injured by a breach of its conditions. The statute provides an injured-person action for legal damages and limits aggregate surety liability to the bond amount. It does not promise payment of every complaint.
Can the liability insurance certificate replace PD6?
DPS lists them separately. Its instructions require liability-insurance evidence and the bond with completed PD6, with matching agency names. Follow the full State file rather than substituting one document for the other.
Can the surety end future coverage immediately?
PD6 provides certified-mail notice to the Commissioner of Public Safety and the principal, with thirty days after mailing before future liability ends. It preserves responsibility under its terms for covered acts before cancellation. Read the issued form and keep the State file current.