Where to Look in Pennsylvania
The six most productive places to start a people search in Pennsylvania. Each links directly to the official record source.
Official Pennsylvania Sources
State-level databases and agency record portals.
Pennsylvania Courts
Dockets, civil & criminal case filings, judgments.
Inmates & Offenders
State prison rosters, sex offender registries, jails.
Pennsylvania FAQ
Laws, fees, turnaround, and common questions.
1Best Starting Points in Pennsylvania
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/
The Unified Judicial System portal for Magisterial, Common Pleas, and Appellate cases.
What it's useful for: Finding statewide criminal dockets, civil filings, and traffic offenses.
https://www.corporations.pa.gov/
Official state registry for businesses and corporations.
What it's useful for: Discovering business ownership, addresses, and corporate officers.
https://www.pals.pa.gov/
State licensing portal.
What it's useful for: Verifying professional credentials across dozens of boards (nursing, real estate, etc.).
2Official State Sources
PA State Archives: https://www.phmc.pa.gov/Archives/ - Historical records dating back to PA's founding.
PA Vital Records: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/ - Certified births and deaths (restricted access).
PA Right-to-Know: https://www.openrecords.pa.gov/ - The Office of Open Records for filing FOIA-style state requests.
3Court Records
While the UJS Portal covers most courts, records for the major county courthouses (Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Lancaster, Chester, York, Berks, Lehigh, Dauphin) can also be queried locally for deeper civil action details or older archives not digitized by the state.
4Corrections & Inmate Records
https://inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov/
What it's useful for: Locating inmates currently housed in state correctional institutions.
https://www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us/
What it's official for: Searching registered sex offenders within PA.
5Property & Tax Records
Pennsylvania is divided into 67 recorder districts — one per county — each with an elected Recorder of Deeds. There is no single statewide portal, but most counties either host their own searchable database or participate in pa.uslandrecords.com, a multi-county platform indexing deeds, mortgages, and liens by party name and parcel address.
Property assessments are handled separately, by each county's Assessment Office. Counties such as Allegheny, Philadelphia, Montgomery, and York publish their own GIS-backed assessment portals where you can search by owner name and view assessed value, sale history, and parcel maps.
https://pa.uslandrecords.com/
Multi-county portal where many of Pennsylvania's 67 Recorders of Deeds publish indexed land records.
What it's useful for: Owner-name searches across participating counties — the closest thing PA has to a statewide deed search.https://padeeds.com/county-officials
Directory of every elected Recorder of Deeds in Pennsylvania, with contact information and county-specific links.
What it's useful for: Identifying the correct office when a county isn't on the unified portal, or when you need to request a paper copy.https://www.pa.gov/agencies/phmc/pa-state-archives/research-online/research-guides/land-records-overview
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's official guide to PA land records, including survey and warrant history.
What it's useful for: Researching colonial-era and historical PA land transactions, original land grants, and surveys.8Vital Records
Pennsylvania vital records are maintained by the Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, with the central office in New Castle. Births and deaths from 1906 to the present are held at the state level. PA vital records are not generally public — eligibility is restricted to the registrant, immediate family, legal representatives, and (for older records) genealogists working under specific access rules.
Birth records become available for general public/genealogy access 105 years after the date of birth, and death records 50 years after the date of death. Records from before 1906 are usually only available at the county level or through the State Archives.
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/health/programs/vital-records
The official state office for ordering certified copies of Pennsylvania birth and death certificates.
What it's useful for: Estate, identity, passport, and genealogy purposes — the authoritative source for PA certificates from 1906 forward.https://www.pa.gov/agencies/health/health-statistics/birth-death-and-other-vital-statistics
Annual reports on Pennsylvania births, deaths, marriages, and population statistics published by the Department of Health.
What it's useful for: Public-health research and aggregated demographic data — not individual records.https://pa-gov.libguides.com/c.php?g=1069281&p=8519408
Guide explaining how to access PA birth and death certificates that have aged into public availability (105/50 years).
What it's useful for: Genealogy research on ancestors with old enough records to be publicly viewable.More Pennsylvania Record Tools
Combine a people search with Pennsylvania-specific record searches for a complete profile. These companion directories are already live on PublicRecordCenter.com:
Search People in Other States
Every state's public records system works differently. Click any state for its dedicated people-search directory.
Frequently Asked Questions — Pennsylvania
Are PA property taxes public record?
Yes. Property assessments and tax records are managed at the county level. Searching the specific county's Board of Assessment portal will yield ownership and tax history.
How do I search Pennsylvania court records?
Use the UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. The Public Web Docket Sheets cover Pennsylvania's appellate courts, the Courts of Common Pleas (criminal and civil), Magisterial District Courts, and Philadelphia Municipal Court — all free.
How do I order a Pennsylvania birth or death certificate?
Through the PA Department of Health Division of Vital Records at pa.gov/agencies/health/programs/vital-records. Note that PA vital records are not generally public — only the registrant, immediate family, legal representatives, and qualified researchers may obtain certified copies.
How do I find a Pennsylvania inmate?
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections runs an Inmate Locator at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov for state prison inmates. County jails are managed separately by each county sheriff or warden.
Is the Pennsylvania sex offender registry public?
Yes. The Pennsylvania State Police Megan's Law Website at pameganslaw.state.pa.us is searchable by name, address, county, or ZIP code, free of charge.
How do I verify a Pennsylvania business?
Search the Pennsylvania Department of State Business Search at file.dos.pa.gov/search/business. It returns the entity name, file number, type, status, and registered office for any registered Pennsylvania corporation, LLC, or partnership.
Can I use Pennsylvania public records for an employment background check?
Only through an FCRA-compliant Consumer Reporting Agency. Pennsylvania also has the Criminal History Record Information Act (CHRIA), which adds state-level rules on top of the federal FCRA framework.
Final Takeaway: PA's Unified Judicial System portal is the crown jewel of public records research in the Commonwealth. Combined with county-level property searches and the Dept. of State business filings, researchers can build comprehensive profiles entirely through official free sources.
How do I search Pennsylvania court records?
Use the Unified Judicial System Web Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. The free public web docket covers Pennsylvania's appellate, common pleas (criminal), and magisterial district court cases.
What is the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law?
The RTKL is Pennsylvania's public records statute. Under the current RTKL, all state and local government records are presumed public. The Office of Open Records (openrecords.pa.gov) handles appeals.
How do I find a Pennsylvania inmate?
Through the PA Department of Corrections Inmate/Parolee Locator at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov. County jails are run separately by each County Sheriff or warden.
Where is the Pennsylvania sex offender registry?
The PA State Police Megan's Law site at pameganslaw.state.pa.us is free and searchable by name, address, or county. Tier I, II, and III offenders are listed per Pennsylvania's SORNA classifications.
How do I run a PA criminal background check?
Through the PA State Police's PATCH system (Pennsylvania Access to Criminal History) at epatch.pa.gov. Name-based searches are $22; results show convictions reported to the State Police repository.
Are Pennsylvania business filings public?
Yes. The PA Department of State Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations publishes a free business entity search at file.dos.pa.gov.
How do I obtain a Pennsylvania birth certificate as a relative?
Eligibility is restricted: the registrant, parents on the certificate, current legal spouse, or specific legal representatives. Other relatives may need court authorization. Birth records become public after 105 years.