New Jersey One-Party

Licensing & Regulation

New Jersey licenses PIs through the New Jersey State Police, Private Detective Unit, under N.J.S.A. 45:19-8 et seq. Applicants must be 25+, U.S. citizens, demonstrate five years of investigative experience (often as a law-enforcement officer or licensed PI employee), submit fingerprints, and post a $3,000 surety bond. NJ has among the more stringent experience requirements.

Physical Surveillance

Public surveillance is permitted. New Jersey has aggressive privacy torts. GPS tracking on a non-owned vehicle is constrained by N.J.S.A. 2C:12-10 (stalking).

Audio & Video Recording Consent

New Jersey is a one-party-consent state under N.J.S.A. 2A:156A-4. The recording party must be a participant. Hidden video in private areas is criminalized.

Domestic, Marital & Infidelity Investigations

New Jersey allows fault-based divorce; adultery is a ground. Marital misconduct can affect alimony in cases of dissipation. PIs do significant matrimonial work. Accessing a spouse's accounts violates N.J.S.A. 2C:20-25 (computer criminal activity).

Cybersecurity, Hacking & Digital Investigations

N.J.S.A. 2C:20-25 et seq. (computer-related crimes) is broad. OSINT is permitted; pretexting is barred. NJ has data-broker rules.

Missing Persons, Skip Tracing & Harassment

New Jersey State Police coordinate missing-persons cases. DPPA fully applies. N.J.S.A. 2C:12-10 (stalking) is broad.