To find out who owns a Pennsylvania business you usually start with the state registry, then check licences and property records. Each step answers a different question, and the first often gives you a company name rather than a person.
Start with the official source: The Pennsylvania Department of State's Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations runs the Business Entity Search. Open the official Pennsylvania search. Basic searches there are for looking up one business at a time.
1. Search the Pennsylvania business registry
The Pennsylvania Department of State's Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations keeps the register of companies. Use its Business Entity Search and type the business name. The record normally gives the legal name, whether it is active or dissolved, when it was formed, the registered agent and the registered office. Read the record itself for the exact fields it shows today.
In Pennsylvania: The Department of State says records are searched by exact name or by File Number, and that its records do not show officer addresses or stockholders.
Watch out for: a registered agent that is a law firm, an accountant or an agent company that serves many businesses. Its name tells you nothing about the owner. When you see that, move on to the next step.
2. Check licences issued to a named person
Liquor, food, contractor and professional licences are issued to a person or a company, and a sole proprietor's licence is in their own name. City councils and licensing boards publish agendas that name who applied. It is some of the clearest public evidence of who runs a business.
3. Look up the property
For a business that owns its building, the county recorder of deeds and the county assessment office shows who owns the parcel and where the tax bill goes. If the business rents, the record names the landlord, not your prospect. Match the name before you rely on it.
4. Read what the business says about itself
An "about" page, a Facebook page, a Google Business Profile and owner replies to reviews often name the founder. Local papers report openings and sales, which is the fastest way to find out that a business changed hands.
When you still can't tell
- Franchises: the person on site manages the place; decisions may sit with a franchise group.
- Holding companies: one company is owned by another, and the trail usually ends after two steps.
- Recent sales: records lag, so an older record can name the previous owner.
If you can't find the owner, write to the role ("the person who looks after your bookings") rather than guessing a name.
What the Pennsylvania records look like
These are the biggest kinds of business in our Pennsylvania data, with how many of each we can reach:
- Health care: 47,465 businesses, 17% with an email on file, 94% with a phone number.
- Salons and personal services: 43,135 businesses, 42% with an email on file, 85% with a phone number.
- Restaurants and food: 35,494 businesses, 32% with an email on file, 77% with a phone number.
- Construction and trades: 30,948 businesses, 24% with an email on file, 72% with a phone number.
- Retail: 20,408 businesses, 18% with an email on file, 56% with a phone number.
In Pennsylvania, salons and personal services listings are the most likely to show an email on file (42%), and health care are the most likely to have a phone number (94%). Start with the first group when you need an owner's email, and with the second when you plan to call.
Doing it for many Pennsylvania businesses
BeatTheDoor holds 342,715 Pennsylvania businesses from state records and listings, with the most in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown. 65,890 have an email on file, and 4,020 have been checked and have no website found. The owner is shown where public records name one, with where it came from. See the Pennsylvania business counts by trade and city, or read the general guide, how to find the owner of a small business. If you sell website work, see how to find businesses with no website.