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.
Property & Tax Records
Deeds, assessor data, owner history, liens.
Inmates & Offenders
State prison rosters, sex offender registries, jails.
Vital Records
Birth, death, marriage, divorce — certified records.
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.
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.
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.