How to check a real estate license in Pennsylvania

To check a Pennsylvania real estate license, use the Department of State's Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) search. The department says PALS shows a licensee's license number and status and whether they have ever faced disciplinary action by their licensing board. The department also posts a monthly listing of disciplinary actions, and it can expunge some disciplinary matters after five years. To complain, submit a Statement of Complaint Form on PALS. In most instances the department cannot get money back for you. The Real Estate Recovery Fund can compensate people who cannot collect a court judgment against a licensee for fraud, misrepresentation or deceit.

Sources checked Sep 28, 2026 on official Pennsylvania government pages. Next review due Mar 28, 2027.

Look up the license

Open the Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS)

What the search shows

According to the regulator’s own description, the search shows:

License number
License status
Whether the licensee has ever faced disciplinary action by their licensing board

Match the license number as well as the name. Different people can share a name.

Check for disciplinary actions

The Department of State posts a monthly listing of disciplinary actions by its licensing boards and commissions, with the sanction, a brief reason, the effective date and whether it has been appealed.

Open the official page

File a complaint

Submit a Statement of Complaint Form on the department's PALS website.
If you need a form mailed to you, the department's complaint page lists an email address and phone numbers to ask for one.

Limits on what the regulator can do

In most instances the department cannot get monetary restitution on your behalf.

Open the official complaint page

Real Estate Recovery Fund

The fund can compensate a person who won a final civil judgment against a Pennsylvania real estate licensee for fraud, misrepresentation or deceit in a real estate transaction and could not collect it after exhausting all legal and equitable remedies. The Commission's page says complete details about the fund are in Chapter 8 of the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act.

This page summarizes the regulator’s own pages. It is not legal advice.

Read the official page

What a license check cannot tell you

A current, active license shows that the state allows the person to practice. It does not show sales results, skill or client satisfaction.
A lookup shows the record as of the regulator’s last update. Check again close to when you sign an agreement.
The department can expunge some disciplinary matters after five years, so older discipline may not appear.