Pennsylvania Phone Number Search

What is a Pennsylvania Phone Number Search?

Several online phone number search services assist individuals in researching Pennsylvania phone numbers. These services offer information on landlines and cellphones for free or upon payment. Premium phone number search services typically provide criminal background checks, marriage history, divorce history, etc. The phone number lookup process also aids individuals seeking to identify spam callers and phone scams. The best reverse phone lookup services offer multiple services to cater to a wide range of users.

Notably, before phone number information was easily accessible on the internet, people had to search for Pennsylvania cell phone numbers and landlines using physical telephone directories. These were typically available in local libraries.

Besides online phone number search tools, the Pennsylvania Department of General Services also provides an official telephone directory to the public. This directory is updated quarterly and contains an alphabetical listing of agencies within the Pennsylvania government's legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

Individuals can purchase a copy of the directory from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's online bookstore. The directory is also available for purchase at the brick-and-mortar museum store on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Below is the store's address:

The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0024

What is a Pennsylvania Phone Number?

In the past, cell phone companies in Pennsylvania connected one caller to the other using a phone number consisting of two letters and five numbers. The letters helped the caller know which switchboard to dial. (This is presently known as a mobile carrier.) The last five numbers were the call recipient's distinctive identifier.

In recent times, cell phone companies utilize a 10-digit number system created under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The 10-digit number system comprises the following:

A three-digit area code
A three-digit prefix code
A four-digit line number

The area code is the first three digits of a cell phone number or landline. In addition to connecting a caller to the recipient, some area codes identify an unknown caller's general location. Interestingly, if multiple people live in the same area, they can have the same area code. Similarly, neighbors who live close by can have the same prefix code. However, line numbers are always unique to a customer. Two people cannot have the same line number, but a business or person can have multiple line numbers.

What is a Pennsylvania Reverse Phone Number Lookup?

A reverse phone number lookup is a directory of phone numbers that includes information about the owners of phone numbers. Compared to the typical phone directories, a reverse phone number lookup can provide extensive information about a caller using only their phone number. This includes the caller's street address, criminal record, and other public information.

In most cases, members of the public conduct a reverse phone number lookup to identify unknown callers and avoid robocalls or spam calls. Nevertheless, some people use the service to reconnect with friends and relatives.

There are various free and paid online services where people can perform a reverse phone lookup on Pennsylvania phone numbers. An individual can access any of these tools and insert a phone number into the embedded search box to obtain results.

It is important to note that an unlisted phone number may not be provided in the search results. Also, if an old cell phone number is the subject of the search, the area code may have been changed, and the results will show no matching record.

What Information is Included in a Reverse Phone Lookup?

Typically phone number searches or a reverse phone lookup will provide the following information:

Full name
Address (current or previous)
Gender
Type of Phone: (landline or cellphone)
City the phone number was registered in
Email address
State or city of the area code
When the phone number was first used
Any information available in public records
The phone company that provided the reverse phone lookup

How to Conduct a Pennsylvania Reverse Phone Number Lookup

Interested persons can conduct a phone look up using an online phone number search website. Generally, the following information will be required to look up cell phone numbers on such sites:

The phone number owner's first or last name
A residential or business address
An email address (in a few cases)

Can Others Find Me By My Phone Number in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Anyone can easily find a person with their cell phone number through Pennsylvania internet services. For instance, many people publish their phone numbers on social media platforms or use them to register or log in. This makes it easy for reverse phone services to retrieve them, making it easy to locate a person in the state.

Can I Get a Free Reverse Phone Lookup Service in Pennsylvania?

Yes. A free reverse phone lookup service offers rudimentary phone number information to a user. Unlike paid services, free reverse phone lookup sites maintain less comprehensive databases and source information from public domains. As such, they are most helpful during the initial research stage.

A typical free reverse phone lookup service will require the user to check this phone number by entering the unknown 10-digit phone number and click search to obtain matching results, which may include an address, type of phone, and the owner's name. Searchers may also conduct a free reverse phone lookup by name depending on the service.

What is a Reverse Phone Directory in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a reverse phone directory is a collection of phone numbers linked to people's names, addresses, and other public information. These directories allow interested members of the public to obtain certain details by looking up a cell phone number. Regardless, reverse phone directories have other purposes besides personal uses. For example, law enforcement and other emergency services use reverse phone directories to establish the origin of requests for aid.

Most reverse phone directories (also called reverse phone search applications) can be found on the internet upon a general search. Interested persons can input a phone number into an application to retrieve important information about the owner of a phone number.

How to Find a Person in Pennsylvania

Other than phone lookup services, several online databases can assist parties in locating a person in Pennsylvania. Irrespective of the type of service used, i.e., paid or free, an individual can use details such as a first or last name, phone number, or address to retrieve valuable information, including:

A person's full name, age and address
Birth records
Death records
Criminal records
Court records
Licensing information
Marriage certificates
Divorce records
Data from the census bureau
Real estate transactions

Third-Party Phone Search Services in Pennsylvania

Third-party phone search services are free and paid web applications created by private companies that can help individuals in Pennsylvania and other parts of the United States uncover the identity behind an incoming call. These applications can extract information about the owner of a phone number, including the owner's location, email address, and possibly device information.

What is a Pennsylvania Phone Number Area Code

According to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, an area code is a "three-digit code to signal the electronic routing equipment that the call is long distance". Pennsylvania uses the area code format "YZZ," where "Y" is a number from two to nine and "Z" is any digit from zero to nine.

Until 1997, the state had four area codes: 814 (Northwest), 412 (Pittsburgh area), 717 (Central), and 215 (Philadelphia). However, the four became insufficient due to the increase in cell phone usage and the consumer demand for extra phone lines. Thus, from 1997 to 2000, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission included five new area codes: 724 in greater Pittsburgh; 570 in Northeastern Pennsylvania; and 610, 484, and 267 in Southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2001, a sixth area code (878) was activated in the greater Pittsburgh area, and so on.

Over the years, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have established several conservation measures to delay area code exhaustions. However, the delay lasted until 2013, when area code 272 was added to some Pennsylvania regions.

Presently, Pennsylvania utilizes various methods of area code relief. The common ones are the two-way or three-way geographic area code split and an overlay.

The two-way geographic split involves splitting the exhausting area code into two geographic areas. This leaves the existing area code to serve a portion of the geographic area and gives a new area code to the remaining regions.
Overlay: This is when multiple area codes serve the same geographical area. New area codes operate in the same geographical area as the old area code that requires relief. This method allows current customers to retain their area codes and phone numbers. Numbers with new area codes may be assigned to customers requiring extra lines or those with new phones.

How to Lookup A VoIP Number in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania residents can use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers to make voice calls over an internet connection rather than with a phone line. Some VoIP services only connect calls to people using the same service, while others allow calls to people who have a phone number, whether local or international. Any individual can use VoIP services on their computer, a special VoIP phone, or a regular phone connected to a VoIP adapter.

There are various methods to look up a VoIP number in Pennsylvania, including:

A reverse phone lookup: This is a fast and cheap method to lookup a VoIP number. By entering a number into a VoIP number lookup application, the app can reveal the owner's name and address. There are free apps that perform this search, but others charge a fee for extra features. This includes identifying numbers that have been spoofed and searching on a batch of numbers after receiving multiple anonymous calls.
Contacting the VoIP service provider: VoIP service providers have the personal information of subscribers registered with them. As such, anyone can trace a VoIP call by contacting the relevant service provider. However, the interested party must provide a caller ID and the time of the call. Sometimes, the service provider may require proof of abuse before the caller's details are released.
CNAM (Caller ID Name) lookup: An individual must have a VoIP number to perform a CNAM lookup through a VoIP service provider. VoIP service providers do not usually provide the service unless the requester is a registered subscriber. Unlike caller ID numbers that are easily spoofed, Caller ID names cannot be forged. This makes it a reliable VoIP lookup method.
Using a packet analyzer: Installing a packet analyzer on a VoIP phone helps store data about the calls received. Following installation, the individual can enable the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) filter. This provides the IP address and CNAM in the "from" field on the invite packet. However, the user needs to have the SIP filter enabled before a call comes in for this method to work.

Phone Number Searches With Data Action Integration in Pennsylvania

The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes a data action as a system operation that processes personally identifiable information. This technology is relevant to businesses and other entities that maintain large databases, particularly companies that use business intelligence tools or customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions to collate or analyze data.

In such scenarios, a data action integration can be applied to the unstructured data stored in the software to root out information - for example, the information linked to the phone numbers of a particular group of individuals (say, customers).