How to Find Information on Companies & Businesses in Pennsylvania

Finding information on businesses in PA can be easy on the Web.

Information on corporations, businesses and companies operating in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be found through a number of state and county government websites, watchdog sites and general information sites, such as chambers of commerce or even Yellow Pages, if you are simply looking for a phone number and address.

Things You'll Need

• Computer

Instructions

1. Search the registry of businesses and corporations operating in the state at the Pennsylvania Department of State (see the Resources below for a link). The information available includes who registered the business and officers of the company. Simply go to the site and enter the name or partial name of the business you are looking for into the search box and press "Enter." You will have to enter a pictured phrase into the next page for the state's verification system, designed to ensure that you are a person, not a computer program or virus. Then sort through the results.

2. Find licenses for certain professions and agencies, such as nurses or social work centers, at the state department site, LicensePA.state.pa.us. Information on suspended licenses or other disciplinary actions is also available. There are several search fields listed on the page; the more you fill out, the more specific your search will be. Initially the page is loaded to search for a person; however, above the search fields you can click an option to "search for a facility."

3. Look for information on The Better Business Bureau, which has a national site, BBB.org. The BBB also maintains regional sites in the Washington to Philadelphia area (DC-EasternPA.BBB.org), Pittsburgh area (Pittsburgh.BBB.org) and northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA.BBB.org). These sites offer information on whether a company or business is accredited by the Bureau, a rating for the business based upon complaints, contact information, a list of customer complaints and any government actions taken against the business.

   From the home page of any BBB site, you can click to search for a business with an orange button on the left of the page, "Check Out a Business or Charity." From there you will be able to search by business name, phone number or address. You can also click "Find a BBB-Accredited Business" and search the directory of businesses by name, category or with a general search.

4. Check out the Pennsylvania Officer of Consumer Advocacy, which accepts complaints about businesses and public utilities. The site posts formal complaints filed against public utilities in Pennsylvania by the advocacy agency (see Resources for a link to the full text of the complaints).

5. Look up lists of memberships on chamber of commerce websites. You can usually find contact information here and locate links to member sites. The state website is PAChamber.org. For Philadelphia, the website is GreaterPhilaChamber.com. For Pittsburgh, go to AlleghenyConference.org.

References

• PA State Department: Licensing
• Better Business Bureau

Resources

• PA Department of State: Corporation Search
• PA Office of Consumer Advocate: Formal Complaints, Answers and Interventions