Licensing & Credentials

Verified Investigative Experience and Clean Background

In California, private investigators are regulated under the Business and Professions Code and overseen by BSIS, a division of the Department of Consumer Affairs. Licensing requirements include:

​

• Verified investigative experience

• Background screening

• Ongoing regulatory compliance

• Adherence to professional conduct standards

​

Spade & Archer operates in accordance with these requirements and maintains active compliance with regulatory obligations applicable to licensed investigators.

​

Clients are encouraged to verify licensure and understand the regulatory framework governing investigative services before engaging any investigator.

Licensure is not a formality — it is a system of professional accountability.

Spade & Archer does not operate as:

​

• A data brokerage

• An OSINT-only research firm

• A skip-tracing service

• A call center or lead aggregator (like Angies List, Bark, Thumbtack, or Trustify)

​

Investigative authority is not delegated to unlicensed personnel, offshore researchers, or automated systems.

All investigative work is conducted under licensed oversight and professional responsibility.

​

This distinction is particularly important in matters involving litigation, regulatory review, or reputational risk.

Always lawful, and always err on the side of caution

Spade & Archer conducts investigations within the lawful scope of private investigator authority, including:

​

• Family and personal investigations

• Business and corporate matters

• Litigation and legal support

• Digital and cyber-related inquiries

​

Investigations are designed to be lawfully obtained, defensible, and responsibly documented, particularly when findings may be reviewed by attorneys, courts, or other third parties.

​

If an investigation cannot be conducted legally or ethically, it will not be undertaken.

Watch for out-of-state and "digital investigation" companies.

The investigative industry includes a growing number of services that operate outside licensing frameworks, often marketing themselves as “digital investigations,” “online intelligence,” or “background research.”

​

Spade & Archer does not rely on:

• Unverified databases

• Automated scraping tools

• Unauthorized access methods

• Informal or unethical practices

​

Licensure ensures that investigative methods are constrained by law, ethics, and accountability — safeguards that protect clients from legal exposure and unreliable outcomes.