Pennsylvania · Department of State
PALS license verification: what the state says.
PALS, the Pennsylvania Licensing System, is where the Department of State’s licensing boards take applications, renewals and public verification. This guide covers scope, what a search shows, and what the state does not define.
Short answer: the Department of State says a PALS search shows a licensee’s licence number, status and whether they have faced disciplinary action. It does not publish definitions of status words such as Expired or Inactive on the pages checked. This page does not look anyone up.
What PALS verification is for
The Department of State’s “Verify a Professional or Occupational License” page says you can check the professionals you deal with for an active licence using the PALS search, and that you can look up a licensee’s licence number and status at any time. It adds that PALS lets you determine whether a licensee has ever faced disciplinary action, including licence suspension, fines or other penalties. The same system is used to apply for or renew a licence, and PALS shows status updates for an application.
The page mentions searching by licence number and does not say whether PALS also offers a name search. PALS is a script-driven web application that did not render for our text-based checks, so this guide describes only what the state’s own pages state. Open PALS to see the current search form.
Open the official Pennsylvania pages
Which boards PALS covers
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs page says there are 29 licensing boards and commissions, each with its own statute. They are Accountancy; Architects; Auctioneer Examiners; Barber Examiners; Certified Real Estate Appraisers; Chiropractic; Cosmetology; Crane Operators; Dentistry; Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists; Funeral Directors; Landscape Architects; Massage Therapy; Medicine; Navigation Commission; Nursing; Nursing Home Administrators; Occupational Therapy; Optometry; Osteopathic Medicine; Pharmacy; Physical Therapy; Podiatry; Psychology; Real Estate Commission; Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors; Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons; and Veterinary Medicine.
A trade that is not on that list is not licensed by these boards, so a PALS search for it should not be expected to find anyone. Check the list before you search.
What the state does and does not define
The verification page speaks of confirming an active licence and does not define other status labels. The apply-or-renew page does not address renewal cycles, expired, lapsed or inactive status, reactivation, grace periods or practising on an expired licence. For those it says to check the relevant board’s page, found through the Find Your Licensing Board Page link, or to call the Department of State at 1-833-DOS-BPOA (1-833-367-2762).
That gap is the reason for this page. If you see a status word on a PALS record, do not rely on a third-party site’s definition; the same word can mean different things between boards. Ask the board.
Reading a record: number, status, discipline
Three things are documented as available: the licence number, the status, and a disciplinary indicator. Treat them separately. A licence can show an active status while discipline is on record (for example a fine), and a licence can lack an active status for a purely administrative reason. The Department of State also publishes disciplinary notices on a separate Professional licensing disciplinary actions page, which the verification page points to.
Worked example (hypothetical scenario)
A clinic is onboarding a hypothetical massage therapist who gives a licence number. Step one: search PALS by that number and note the status shown. Step two: look for any disciplinary indication, which the state says PALS can show. Step three: if the status is anything other than the plain active one the clinic expects, do not guess its meaning. Call 1-833-367-2762 or open the Massage Therapy board page and ask whether the person may practise today. Step four: record the date and time of the check, since PALS is live and a status can change. Nothing here concerns a real person.
Name versus number
The state page mentions only a licence-number search. If you have the number from a posted licence, a business card or a contract, use it: it avoids the ambiguity of common names. If you only have a name, the PALS form itself is the place to see what options exist today. Because the state gives no number-format rule on the pages checked, this guide offers none.
Common mistakes
Using PALS for a trade that Pennsylvania does not license through these boards. Treating an unfamiliar status word as bad or good without asking. Skipping the disciplinary check. Trusting unofficial look-alike sites: the state reminds users to be on an official state website, ending in pennsylvania.gov or pa.gov, before entering personal information.
Who this is for
Employers and credentialing staff in healthcare, patients and clients checking a practitioner, salons and barbershops verifying staff, and licensees who want to understand what the public can see.
What this does not cover
This page does not search PALS, does not copy any record, and does not define statuses the state has not defined. It is general information, not legal advice. Nothing typed here is sent anywhere.
Sources
Every statement above about a portal comes from the pages below, each of which returned a normal page when fetched on October 20, 2026. Portals change, so check the live page.
- www.pals.pa.gov/ — PALS, the Pennsylvania Licensing System (retrieved October 20, 2026)
- www.pa.gov/services/dos/verify-a-professional-or-occupational-license — PA DOS: Verify a Professional or Occupational License (retrieved October 20, 2026)
- www.pa.gov/services/dos/apply-for-or-renew-professional-licensing — PA DOS: Apply for or renew professional licensing (retrieved October 20, 2026)
- www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa — Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs: the 29 boards (retrieved October 20, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify a Pennsylvania professional licence?
Use the PALS search linked from the Department of State’s verification page. The state says it shows the licence number and status.
Does PALS show disciplinary history?
The state says PALS lets you determine whether a licensee has ever faced disciplinary action, including suspension, fines or other penalties.
How many boards does PALS cover?
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs lists 29 licensing boards and commissions.
What do Expired, Lapsed and Inactive mean in PALS?
The Department of State pages checked do not define them. Check the relevant board page or call 1-833-DOS-BPOA (1-833-367-2762).
Can I renew a Pennsylvania licence in PALS?
Yes. The state says you can apply for or renew in the Pennsylvania Licensing System.
Are contractors in PALS?
Contractors are not among the 29 boards the state lists, so PALS is not the place to look for them.
How do I know I am on the real PALS site?
The state says to make sure you are on an official state website, which uses pennsylvania.gov or pa.gov.
Guide only — not a verification tool
This page describes official registers and links to them. It does not check anyone’s licence status, does not copy or proxy any register, and nothing you might type here is transmitted anywhere. Registers change and licensing rules differ by state and city; use the official source linked above and contact the regulator to confirm anything that matters. This is general information, not legal advice.