Public Professional Licensing Records Information

In most of the states, professional licenses are required to pursue certain skilled practices like medicines, law, pharmacy and architecture. The database of public professional licensing records are stored and maintained by licensing boards or agencies operated under respective states.

Some states also offer online search of these records. The records include information on address of the present office, past occupational experiences, concentration or specialization, license status and education. Some states also provide additional information like any complaints lodged or disciplinary actions taken against the individual.

To Access the Database

For license records, you will need to visit the database of that particular field. This means that every department has its specific board of licenses. However, some states have an integrated system that houses information of licenses for all kinds of professions. As for example, the state of Alabama has one such system. If you are a resident of Alabama State and looking for information on professional license of an individual, you need to visit http://www.alabama.gov/portal/secondary.jsp?page=Working_ResourcesbyProfession.

Similarly, if you are a Maine resident and want to search public professional license records of a professional of this same state, visit http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/license_search.htm.  To get the list of professions for available license records, click on http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/professions.htm. Maine Office of Licensing and Registration also provides information on the disciplinary actions taken against a licensee. To view this page, you can go to http://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/discipline.htm.

About the Service

Professional license records look up is a part of employment screening too. That is, before hiring an employee, the employer can look into his or her records to know about occupational background and the validity of the license.

Though the information on public professional licensing records are accessible to anybody, the illegitimate use of this information is illegal and punishable offense. The release of this information is in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and state specific policies regarding the issue.

To Request for the Records

As mentioned earlier, you can view the records online. You can also request for the written transcripts of these records. Public records system of the state is responsible for processing these requests. There are two types of requests that can be made- for the transcripts of the records and the files of complaints. There are helpline numbers for these departments which can be obtained from the state portal.

This is not a free service. There are different fees stipulated for different for different professions. It might be different on state basis too. Visit the official site of your state to go to the page of license of records where you will find about the service fees and procedure to access the records.

Renewal Policy of Professional Licenses

The date or year of renewal of the professional license is not one and same through out the country. In Wisconsin, the date of renewal for the license of an architect or any professional engineer is July 31st of any even year while for the license of an MD (medicine and surgery) is October 31st of odd year.

On the other hand, in California, an architect can apply for renewal of the license when it is less than two months left to its expiration. Renewal fee is also different in every state and profession. Refer to the Department or the official website to get the further details.