Washington — Private Investigative Agency Bond
Washington lets a private investigative agency meet its financial-guarantee requirement with either a $10,000 surety bond or qualifying liability insurance. The Southern Agency’s RLI option is for the bond route. Match the actual agency and principal, rather than treating it as a separate employee’s investigator credential.
Also known as Washington Private Investigative Agency Bonds
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- Recorded state
- Washington
- Bond type
- Private Investigator / Detective Bond
- Category
- Professional & occupational licenses
What this bond does
The agency bond runs to the State of Washington and uses the Department of Licensing’s Private Investigative Agency Surety Bond form. It supports the agency’s compliance with the governing law and DOL rules and the payment of amounts adjudged for covered violations in conducting the agency business.
- Who needs it
- The principal in the Washington private investigative agency’s licensing file, with the correct doing-business-as agency name and physical Washington location. DOL’s instructions distinguish owners, partners and qualifying agents. The agency’s financial guarantee is part of its business-license endorsement process, not a replacement for individual licensing qualifications.
- Who it protects
- The DOL form allows a person damaged by a covered legal or rule violation by the principal or an agent to bring an action on the bond. The surety’s aggregate liability for all claims is capped at the $10,000 sum. That is defined protection under the instrument, not unlimited coverage for every professional 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, RLI (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
- Washington DOL: private investigative agency licensing (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Washington DOL: Private Investigative Agency Surety Bond, 689003 (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
- Washington RCW 18.165.050: agency qualifications and transfer (opens in a new tab)Checked October 21, 2026
Have these ready
- Actual legal principal, doing-business-as agency name and physical Washington location.
- Agency owner/partner/qualifying-agent details and the investigative-experience certification or examination route.
- Choice of DOL’s $10,000 bond or the specified bodily-injury/property-damage insurance evidence.
- Accepted form, exact dates, fingerprint/background records and the business-license endorsement file; any ownership/transfer approval kept separate.
Questions about this bond
Does DOL require both this bond and the listed insurance?
For the agency’s financial guarantee, DOL lists alternatives: its $10,000 surety bond or a certificate with at least $25,000 bodily-injury and $25,000 property-damage coverage. Other insurance obligations are a separate question.
Does the bond apply to an employee’s separate investigator credential?
This listing concerns the agency financial guarantee. Match the principal and agency business-license file; purchase does not establish an individual employee’s qualifications or issue a separate credential.
Does the one-year earlier-acts provision let the agency keep working after cancellation?
No. It addresses covered acts or omissions occurring on or before the cancellation/termination date. Keep the required accepted financial guarantee in place for the actual agency operation rather than treating that provision as a new licensing year.