Missouri One-Party
Licensing & Regulation
Missouri licenses PIs through the Missouri Board of Private Investigator and Private Fire Investigator Examiners under Mo. Rev. Stat. §324.1100 et seq. Applicants must be 21+, U.S. citizens or legal residents, demonstrate experience or training, pass an examination, and submit fingerprints.
Physical Surveillance
Public surveillance is permitted. Missouri's privacy torts and stalking statute (Mo. Rev. Stat. §565.225) constrain intrusive conduct. GPS tracking on a non-owned vehicle is risky.
Audio & Video Recording Consent
Missouri is a one-party-consent state under Mo. Rev. Stat. §542.402. The recording party must be a participant.
Domestic, Marital & Infidelity Investigations
Missouri is a no-fault divorce state but considers marital misconduct in property division and maintenance. PIs document patterns. Accessing a spouse's accounts violates Mo. Rev. Stat. §569.095 (tampering with computer data).
Cybersecurity, Hacking & Digital Investigations
Mo. Rev. Stat. §569.095-099 (computer crimes) parallels the CFAA. OSINT is permitted; pretexting is barred.
Missing Persons, Skip Tracing & Harassment
Missouri State Highway Patrol coordinates missing-persons cases. DPPA fully applies. Missouri's stalking statute is broad.