CHAPTER 591

An Act to authorize certain counties to regulate private detectives by
requiring investigations of moral character of applicants for licenses,
providing for the issuance of licenses, providing for the fixing of
certain fees, and providing penalties for violations of certain ordi-

nances.
[H 735]
Approved March 31, 1964

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. “Private detective” includes any person acting as a private
detective or security agent who undertakes for compensation to perform
any investigation for some other person. It shall not include an attorney
at law or a person employed by any corporation whose rates, fees,
services, or charges are subject to regulation by the State Corporation
Commission.

§ 2. The governing body of any county having a population of more
than two hundred thousand may adopt ordinances requiring any person
undertaking to act as a private detective to make a written application to
the Commonwealth’s Attorney of the county for a certificate of good
eine character. Such application shall set forth the following infor-
mation:

(1) The name and address of the applicant;

(2) Place and date of his birth;

(3) All addresses at which applicant has resided during the past ten

years ;

(4) A complete record of any arrests for or convictions of crime;

(5) The type of discharge, if any, from the Armed Services of the

United States;
(6) Whether the applicant has ever been a patient in an institution
for the treatment of the mentally ill;

(7) The names and addresses of all employers of the applicant within

the past ten years.

§ 8. The Commonwealth’s Attorney shall make such investigation
concerning the applicant as he deems necessary and shall within a period
of forty-five days from the date of the application make a certificate con-
cerning the moral character of the applicant to the judge of the circuit
court of the county.

§ 4. The judge of the circuit court of the county shall review the
report of the Commonwealth’s Attorney and if he is satisfied that the
applicant is a person of good moral character he shall direct the clerk of
such court to issue to him a license as a private detective. Such license
shall be renewed every three years; provided, that no reinvestigation by
the Commonwealth’s Attorney shall be necessary unless the judge of the
circuit court in his discretion requires the same.

§ 5. The ordinance adopted by the governing body may fix reason-
able fees to be paid by applicants to cover the costs of investigations
required hereunder.

§ 6. The county ordinance may provide penalties for persons under-
taking to act or acting as a private detective without the license re-
quired by such ordinance; any person violating such ordinance shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and punished as provided therein.