I've seen this question but it's a few years old and isn't specific to a state.
I am past the inspection stage on a potential new house and the seller wants to use a certain plumber to do some repairs. They forwarded me an estimate and the plumber's address comes up as a residence. I realize that doesn't necessarily mean much, but Googling the business name also yields no results. Does the state of Pennsylvania maintain a searchable online database of licensed contractors in the state, so I can see if this plumber is in fact licensed and insured in PA (specifically, the city of Philadelphia)?
Best Answer
It turns out that licensing for plumbers (and other contractors) in the city of Philadelphia is separate from whatever licensing concerns the rest of the state of Pennsylvania. I ended up calling the city's 311 information line and they were able to search their database of licenses for me (it turns out this guy is not licensed).
The city does maintain an online database of licensed professionals of several types (including plumbers) here: http://www.phila.gov/li/Pages/FindLicensedProfessional.aspx. But from what I was told by the city, that list is not comprehensive, only contractors who agree to appear there show up. So if someone is listed there, they are definitely licensed, but if they aren't listed, that doesn't necessarily mean they are not licensed. For a definitive answer, you need to call the city's 311 line.