How long must a PI business keep its prescribed records, such as client contracts?
BC Private Investigator overview
BC Private Investigator: Licence rules, conduct and PI businesses
Carrying and showing your licence, 14-day reporting, no uniform and no badge, the banned words detective and police, the B.C. code of conduct, business licences, insurance and records, enforcement and penalties, and why bug sweeping needs a security consultant licence.
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Study reference: B.C. private investigator law and public guidance (Oct 2026), Ch. 2 Licence rules and conduct — Security Services Act ss. 7–9, 11, 20, 26, 28–45; B.C. Reg. 207/2008 ss. 7–14
All 14 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
How long must a PI business keep its prescribed records, such as client contracts?
- At least 2 calendar years
- At least 5 calendar years
- At least 6 months
- Until the client asks for them back
Within how many days must a PI report a criminal charge against them to the registrar?
- 60 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
- 30 days
A PI wants to carry a metal badge to show during interviews. Is that allowed?
- No, licensees may not carry an identification badge
- Yes, as long as it is kept out of sight
- Yes, if it says PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
- Yes, as long as the registrar's crest does not appear anywhere on it
What general liability insurance must a licensed PI business carry at minimum?
- $100,000
- $1,000,000
- $500,000
- $5,000,000
A PI tells a witness, 'I work with the police, so you must answer.' Which rule is broken?
- Failing to carry a security business licence while out on the job
- Using a recorder without a battery backup
- Misrepresenting the nature of their legal authority
- Failing to report a change of address in time
May a B.C. licensee wear a security uniform while doing private investigator work?
- Yes, during daytime surveillance only
- Yes, if the client asks for one in writing
- No, uniforms are banned for PI work
- Yes, if it shows the word INVESTIGATOR
An interview subject asks a PI to prove they are licensed. What must the PI do?
- Refuse, since PIs work covertly
- Give the employer's phone number
- Show a business card instead
- Produce the licence they are carrying
May a licensed PI carry a firearm while on surveillance in B.C.?
- No, licensees may not carry firearms
- Yes, if the client agrees in writing
- Yes, if they hold a federal firearms licence for it
- Yes, in remote areas only
A PI applicant hides a past conviction on the licence application. What is the legal consequence?
- A requirement to re-take the course and exam
- Supplying false or misleading information is an offence
- Nothing, as long as the conviction happened more than five years ago
- Only a warning letter from the registrar
What is the maximum administrative penalty for a business entity under the Security Services Act?
- $10,000
- $50,000
- $5,000
- $100,000
What does the code of conduct require about information a PI learns on a file?
- Publish it once the file is closed and paid
- Share it with any other client who might find it useful for their own file
- Delete it all on the day the file is closed
- Keep it confidential unless work or law requires disclosure
A client asks a PI firm to sweep an office for hidden listening devices. Which licence covers this work?
- A locksmith licence
- A security alarm installer licence
- No licence, since it is a technical job
- A security consultant licence
Which business name would break the Security Services Act?
- Pacific Investigations Ltd.
- Pacific Fact-Finding Inc.
- Pacific Research Services
- Pacific Detective Agency
A licensed PI firm wants an unlicensed friend to help on one surveillance. Is that allowed?
- Yes, for a single short assignment
- Yes, if the friend only drives the vehicle and does not take notes
- Yes, if the client is told in advance
- No, only licensed workers may do the work
Licence rules, conduct and PI businesses: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Using the licence
- A licence cannot be transferred or used by someone else; surrender it immediately on expiry, cancellation, suspension or refusal of renewal.
- While doing security work, carry the licence and produce it on request of anyone to whom you hold yourself out as a security worker.
- Report to the registrar within 14 days a change of residential address, a criminal charge or a conviction.
Uniforms and words
- A licensee must not wear a uniform while doing private investigator work.
- No one in security work may describe the work or business with the words "detective", "law enforcement", "peace officer" or "police".
- No identification badge may be carried; no logo resembling a police logo; no advertising implying a link with a police service.
Code of conduct
- Act with honesty and integrity; obey all laws; treat everyone equally without discrimination; no abusive language or unnecessary force; respect privacy and keep work information confidential unless disclosure is required; co-operate with police when the law requires; never unfit through alcohol or drugs; no false statements or complaints; never misrepresent your licence or your legal authority.
Businesses
- A PI business needs a security business licence; it may employ only licensed workers for security work.
- Business licensees keep prescribed records (client contracts, advertising, payroll, each worker's hours and type of work) for at least 2 calendar years.
- Business licensees carry general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.
- The registrar may limit a business licence to an address or to one aspect of security work; the licence is posted in a public place at each office.
Firearms and equipment
- Licensees may not carry firearms while doing security work (armoured car guards may be permitted).
- Restraining devices, prohibited weapons and items designed to control people are banned without authorization.
Enforcement
- The registrar may cancel or suspend a licence after a hearing, or immediately to protect the public.
- Complaints from the public: the registrar may refuse one made more than a year after the complainant knew the facts.
- Administrative penalties up to $5,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a business entity.
- Supplying false or misleading information to the registrar or an inspector is an offence.
Security consultant (technical surveillance countermeasures)
- Detecting electromagnetic, acoustical or other devices that can intercept, transmit or examine private communications or records is the work of a "security consultant", a separate licence type.
Study the Licence rules, conduct and PI businesses rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get oneThe Security Services Act definition of a private investigator, who is exempt (lawyers, journalists, insurance adjusters, pre-employment screening), the PI and PI-under-supervision licences, the PSKN Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam, the 2,000-hour and police-experience routes, and out-of-province investigators.
- Courts, burden of proof and testifyingThe levels of Canadian and B.C. courts, the Civil Resolution Tribunal and Small Claims Court limits, criminal and civil burdens of proof, subpoenas, oaths, direct and cross-examination, and what counts as a crime for licensing.
- Arrest, force and criminal harassmentWhy a PI has only a citizen's powers, arrest without warrant under section 494, delivery to police, use of force under sections 25 to 27, 34 and 35, Charter rights, and how surveillance can cross into criminal harassment under section 264.
- B.C. PIPA: consent, investigations and public sourcesHow B.C.'s Personal Information Protection Act applies to PI firms: consent and deceptive practices, the investigation exception, prescribed publicly available sources, access requests, safeguards and retention, and restricted records.
- Privacy Act, recording and surveillance limitsB.C.'s statutory tort of violation of privacy, its exceptions, eavesdropping and surveillance, use of a name or portrait, one-party consent to record under Criminal Code section 184, filming from public places, GPS trackers and criminal harassment.
- Human rights, the Charter and young personsB.C. Human Rights Code grounds in services and employment, the code of conduct's equality duty, the Charter, the Youth Criminal Justice Act's age definitions and declaration of principle, the publication ban, and interviewing people under 18.
- Mandate, surveillance and undercover workSetting a justifiable mandate, preparing for surveillance, standard equipment, obeying traffic law, detecting counter-surveillance, solo and team methods, subjects with lawyers, and the rules of undercover operations.
- Interviews, statements and reportsPreparing and conducting interviews, recording only with a party's consent, the parts of a written witness statement, corrections and initials, voluntariness, objective reports, correcting notes, and using notes in court.
- Evidence handling and information sourcesThe six steps for containing evidence, chain of custody, protecting original video, business and electronic records under the Canada Evidence Act, and lawful research sources such as directories, registries, PPSR and court files.
- Technology, countermeasures and safetyTechnical surveillance countermeasures and the security consultant licence, interception and computer-system rules, wireless cameras and GPS, authenticating electronic files, insurance, and WorkSafeBC rules for lone and at-risk work.