§ 58-92-101. Definitions.

9/1/2026As used in this chapter: (1) "Board" means the Security Services Licensing Board created in Section 58-63-201. (2) (a) "Conviction" means an adjudication of guilt by a federal, state, or local court resulting from trial or plea. (b) "Conviction" includes the following, regardless of whether the imposition of a sentence was suspended: (i) a plea of no contest; (ii) a plea in abeyance; or (iii) an Alford plea. (3) "D.B.A." means the same as that term is defined in Section 42-2-101. (4) "DOD civilian" means the same as that term is defined in Section 53H-11-202. (5) (a) "Private investigation" means engaging in business or accepting employment to conduct an investigation for the purpose of obtaining information about: (i) crime, wrongful acts, or threats against the United States or a state or territory of the United States; (ii) the identity, reputation, character, habits, conduct, business occupation, honesty, integrity, credibility, knowledge, trustworthiness, efficiency, loyalty, activity, movements, whereabouts, affiliations, associations, or transactions of an individual or group of individuals; (iii) the credibility of witnesses or other individuals; (iv) the whereabouts of a missing person or the owner of abandoned property; (v) the causes and origin of, or responsibility for: (A) a fire; (B) libel; (C) slander; (D) a loss; (E) an accident; or (F) damage or an injury to real or personal property; (vi) the business of securing evidence to be used: (A) before investigating committees or boards; or (B) in a civil trial or criminal trial and in the preparation for the civil trial or criminal trial; (vii) the prevention, detection, and removal of installed devices for eavesdropping or observation; (viii) the business of "skip tracing" a person that has become delinquent in the person's lawful debts, either when hired by an individual, collection agency, or through the direct purchase of the debt from a financial institution or entity owning the debt or judgment; or (ix) serving civil process. (b) "Private investigation" does not include: (i) a person engaging in activities that are exempt under Section 58-92-306; (ii) a person operating as a collection agency; (iii) a person operating as a credit reporting agency; (iv) a person or an employee conducting an investigation on the person's or employee's behalf or on behalf of an employer if the employer is not a private investigator under this chapter; (v) an employee of an attorney licensed to practice law in this state; or (vi) a currently licensed certified public accountant as that term is defined in Section 58-26a-102. (6) (a) "Private investigation agency" means an entity: (i) under the control of a private investigator agent; and (ii) created by a private investigator agent to manage the private investigator agent's or the private investigator agent's employee's clients and cases. (b) "Private investigation agency" includes an entity that contracts with or employs a private investigator agent, a private investigator registrant, or a private investigator apprentice. (7) "Private investigator agent" means an individual that holds a private investigator agent license under Section 58-92-303. (8) "Private investigator apprentice" means an individual who holds a private investigator apprentice license under Section 58-92-305. (9) "Private investigator registrant" means an individual who holds a private investigator registrant license under Section 58-92-304.