Louisiana One-Party

Licensing & Regulation

Louisiana licenses PIs through the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator Examiners under La. R.S. 37:3500 et seq. Applicants must be 18+, complete an approved 40-hour pre-licensure course, pass a written examination, submit fingerprints, and have no disqualifying felonies. Renewal is annual.

Physical Surveillance

Public surveillance is permitted. Louisiana's civil code recognizes a tort of invasion of privacy. GPS tracking on a non-owned vehicle is constrained by the stalking statute (La. R.S. 14:40.2).

Audio & Video Recording Consent

Louisiana is a one-party-consent state under La. R.S. 15:1303. The recording party must be a participant. Video voyeurism is a separate felony (La. R.S. 14:283).

Domestic, Marital & Infidelity Investigations

Louisiana is a community-property state operating under Napoleonic civil-law principles. It allows fault-based divorce; adultery is a recognized ground that affects spousal support. PIs are heavily retained in matrimonial work. The all-important caveat: Louisiana's strong community-property regime means even "separately maintained" accounts may be community property in fact — accessing them without consent still risks computer-crime exposure.

Cybersecurity, Hacking & Digital Investigations

La. R.S. 14:73.1 et seq. (Computer Related Crimes) parallels the CFAA. OSINT is permitted; pretexting is barred federally.

Missing Persons, Skip Tracing & Harassment

Louisiana State Police coordinate missing-persons matters. DPPA fully applies. La. R.S. 14:40.2 (stalking) is broad.