Private Investigators in Pennsylvania by City

Licensing

How Pennsylvania Licenses Private Investigators

Pennsylvania has no statewide licensing board for investigators. Under the Private Detective Act of 1953, 22 P.S. Section 11 and following, licenses are granted by the court of common pleas in the county where the detective's office is located. Applicants file a petition with the county clerk of courts, submit fingerprints, and a judge decides whether to grant the license after a background review that often involves the district attorney.

This means there is no single statewide search for a client to use. The license record lives with the county that issued it. Ask the investigator which county court licensed them and for the license number, then check with that county's clerk of courts. Individuals and businesses are licensed separately, and a business license names the officers the court has approved.

Courts

How Pennsylvania Courts Are Organized

Pennsylvania's general trial court is the court of common pleas, organized into 60 judicial districts that cover its 67 counties. Most districts follow a single county, while a few combine two counties. Courts of common pleas hear felonies and major civil cases, and many have a family division for divorce and custody and an orphans' court division for estates. Magisterial district judges handle minor criminal cases, traffic matters and small civil claims, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have municipal courts.

Communities

Pennsylvania Communities With a Private Investigator Page

Every Pennsylvania community over 3,000 residents, by population (U.S. Census Bureau, April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimates (Vintage 2024)).

Read the full Pennsylvania investigator guide

Neighboring states: Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · New York · Ohio · West Virginia