Pennsylvania Securities License Requirements Guide

Navigate PA's securities licensing. Learn who needs a license, types (Series exams, state registration), application steps, fees, and compliance with the Pennsylvania Securities Act.

Verified May 14, 20269 statute sources

AI-drafted, human-reviewed

How we build these guides

Sourcing

Adapters pull primary data from the FAA, IRS, OpenStates, DSIRE, NORML, PubMed, Census/BLS/FRED, Google Civic, and Data.gov.

Generation pipeline

Multi-stage AI pipeline: structural outline → long-form draft → cross-family fact-check editor → readability polish → FAQ enrichment. Each stage uses a different model family so factual drift is caught before publish.

Quality gates

Soft gates on word count, citation count, and banned-phrase screening; hard blocks if required sections are missing.

Verification cadence

Pages are re-verified quarterly. verified_at updates on every pass.

Not legal advice. Consult an attorney or CPA for binding guidance.

PennsylvaniaSecurities / blue sky licensing

Broker-dealers, agents, investment advisers, and investment adviser representatives operating in Pennsylvania require state registration through the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DOBS). This is in addition to any federal requirements.

Quick Answer: Key PA Securities Licensing Requirements

Pennsylvania requires registration for four main categories of securities professionals: Broker-Dealers, Agents (registered representatives), Investment Advisers (IAs), and Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs). The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DOBS) oversees all these registrations.

Most individuals and firms file through FINRA's Central Registration Depository (CRD) system for broker-dealer related registrations. For investment adviser registrations, they use the Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD). Pennsylvania receives and processes these filings.

Exam requirements vary by role. The most common are:

Broker-dealer agents: Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam, the Series 7 exam, and the Series 63 exam for state registration.
Investment adviser representatives: The Series 65 exam, or the Series 66 exam combined with the Series 7 exam.
Broker-dealers (firms): File Form BD through CRD.
Investment advisers (firms): File Form ADV through IARD.

Consult the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities directly at www.dobs.pa.gov for current fee schedules and processing timelines. These figures are updated periodically.

Who Needs a Securities License in Pennsylvania?

The Pennsylvania Securities Act of 1972

Sources & Verification (9)

An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in forgery and fraudulent practices, providing for the offense of digital forgery.
An Act amending Titles 20 (Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries), 23 (Domestic Relations) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in intestate succession, further providing for rules of succession; in administration and personal representatives, providing for liability of executor; in proceedings prior to petition to adopt, further providing for rules of succession, for hearing, for alternative procedure for relinquishment and for hearing; in support matters generally, further providing general administration of support matters, repealing provisions relating to paternity and further providing for continuing jurisdiction over support orders; in general provisions relating to children and minors, repealing provisions relating to acknowledgment and claim of paternity; in jurisdiction, further providing for bases for jurisdiction over nonresident; enacting the Uniform Parentage Act; providing for parent-child relationship for certain individuals, for voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, for genetic testing, for proceeding to adjudicate parentage, for assisted reproduction, for surrogacy agreements and for information about donors; and, in organization and jurisdiction of courts of common pleas, further providing for original jurisdiction and venue.
An Act amending the act of December 22, 2005 (P.L.474, No.94), known as the Breach of Personal Information Notification Act, further providing for definitions, for notification of the breach of the security of the system, for exceptions and for notice exemption; repealing provisions relating to civil relief; providing for protection of personal information, for civil relief, for information security and for applicability; and repealing provisions relating to applicability.
An Act providing for stabilization and security of Pennsylvania's electricity supply and for identifying and designating sites suitable for natural gas electric generation projects.
An Act providing for the installation of electrified security systems on commercial entities' property and property in exclusive nonresidential use.
An Act providing for duties of direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies and for prohibition on disclosure of genetic data of consumers; and imposing civil penalties.
An Act designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 67586, located over the South Branch of Bear Run on State Route 1053 in Banks Township, Indiana County, as the PFC John Tabacsko Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8377, carrying Pennsylvania Route 53 over Bear Rock Run in Lilly Borough, Cambria County, as the Corporal James D. Sloan Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8387, carrying Pennsylvania Route 53 over Patty's Run in Gallitzin Township, Cambria County, as the USMCR Mary A. Lidwell Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of State Route 3037 from the intersection with Waltz Mill Flats Road to Segment 0170/Offset 0950 in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County, as the PFC Earl "Butch" Long Memorial Highway; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 25406, carrying Pennsylvania Route 346 over Willow Creek in Corydon Township, McKean County, as the Private First Class Bruce A. Cobb Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 22726, carrying Pennsylvania Route 934 over Swatara Creek in East Hanover Township, Lebanon County, as the WO1 John Stephen Chrin Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 44210, carrying State Route 2001 over Kreutz Creek in Windsor Township, York County, as the Private Myles Ness Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 56130, carrying Pennsylvania Route 562 over Manatawny Creek in Amity Township, Berks County, as the PFC Travis C. Zimmerman Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of State Route 2051 from the intersection with Elizabeth Street (segment 0020/offset 1600) to the Decatur Township Line (segment 0030/offset 0000) in Osceola Mills Borough, Clearfield County, as the IC3 James S. Dunlap Memorial Highway; designating the bridge identified as Bridge Key 48006, carrying State Route 3007 over Carson Run in Knox Township, Clearfield County, as the Sgt. Ronald Bloom Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of Pennsylvania Route 164, Cove Mountain Road, from the intersection with Frederick Road in Taylor Township to the intersection with Agway Road in North Woodbury Township, Blair County, as the Representative Jerry A. Stern Memorial Highway; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Keys 5599/5600, carrying Interstate 99 over PA Route 36 in Logan Township, Blair County, as the Jack E. and Sheldon L. Chambers Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 31496, carrying Pennsylvania Route 985 over North Branch Quemahoning Creek in Jenner Township, Somerset County, as the PFC Paul A. Gilbert Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 4262, carrying State Route 2016 over Shaffer Creek in East Providence Township, Bedford County, as the PFC Charles O. Snyder Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 1723, carrying State Route 3017 over Peters Creek in the Borough of Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County, as the Janice Butko Cmar Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 37601, carrying Pennsylvania Route 462 over a tributary of Kreutz Creek in Hellam Township, York County, as the Roger Lee Fraker Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 18630, carrying Pennsylvania Route 305 over the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River in Alexandria Borough, Huntingdon County, as the Craig Walker Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 12334, carrying State Route 2012 over McElhattan Creek in Wayne Township, Clinton County, as the Master Sergeant Robert F. Johnson Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 33747, carrying US Route 322 over Sugar Creek in Sugarcreek Borough, Venango County, as the Earle Chandler Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 69027, carrying Worthington Mill Road over Neshaminy Creek in Wrightstown Township, Bucks County, as the Colonel Daniel L. Rubini Memorial Bridge; designating the portion of U.S. Route 15 in Monroe Township and Shamokin Dam Borough, Snyder County, from its interchange with existing U.S. Routes 11/15 and U.S. Route 522 north of Selinsgrove to its interchange with existing U.S. Route 15 and Pennsylvania Route 147 south of Winfield as the Joseph McGranaghan Memorial Highway; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8430, carrying Pennsylvania Route 160 over the North Branch Little Conemaugh River in the borough of Wilmore, Cambria County, as the Potchak Brothers Memorial Bridge; designating the portion of Interstate 180 from the Lycoming-Northumberland County line to the interchange with existing U.S. Route 15 and U.S. Route 220 in Lycoming County as the Kenneth C. Larson, Jr., Memorial Highway; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 5664, on that portion of Old Pennsylvania Route 220 North over the Beaverdam Branch of the Juniata River in Allegheny Township, Blair County, as the Baker Brothers Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 44229, on that portion of Pennsylvania Route 22, 3rd Avenue, over Blair Gap Run in Duncansville Borough, Blair County, as the Sergeant Robert E. Davis Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 5784, on that portion of State Route 3013, Dunnings Highway, over Beaverdam Creek in Greenfield Township, Blair County, as the Arthur R. Walter, Jr., Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 47600, on that portion of Pennsylvania Route 220, East Pleasant Valley Boulevard, over Little Juniata River in Antis Township, Blair County, as the Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Lee Swayne Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 68408, on that portion of Wopsononock Avenue over Spring Run in the City of Altoona, Blair County, as the Private First Class James A. Behe Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 45589, located on that portion of Spring Road over the Conodoguinet Creek in North Middleton Township, Cumberland County, the Sergeant Patrick C. Hawkins Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of Pennsylvania Route 183, also known as Bernville Road, from the intersection with Mt. Pleasant Road in Penn Township, Berks County, southbound to the bridge over Licking Creek in Penn Township with identification number 0601830180000 as the Staff Sergeant Norman W. Reifsnyder Memorial Highway; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 7027, carrying Pennsylvania Route 413 over U.S. Route 1 in Middletown Township, Bucks County, as the Corporal John F. Muffler Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8510, carrying PA Route 271 over Pergrin Run in the borough of Nanty Glo, Cambria County, as the PFC William P. O'Farrell Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 8457, carrying U.S. Route 219 over PA Route 869 in Adams Township, Cambria County, as the Seaman First Class John M. McGinty Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of Pennsylvania Route 352 also known as Middletown Road, from the intersection with State Route 4008, also known as Gradyville Road, in Edgmont Township, Delaware County, to the intersection with Pennsylvania Route 452, also known as North Pennell Road, in Middletown Township, Delaware County, as the Chief Joseph J. Montgomery, Jr. Memorial Highway; designating a portion of State Route 1006, also known as Ferry Road, from the intersection with Limekiln Road to the intersection with Pennsylvania Route 313, also known as Swamp Road, in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, as the Judge R. Barry McAndrews Memorial Highway; designating the entire portion of Pennsylvania Route 232 within the Borough of Rockledge, Montgomery County, as the PFC Helmut Boehm Memorial Highway; designating the portion of Pennsylvania Route 51 from Segment 0280/Offset 0000 to Segment 0300/Offset 0570 in Whitehall Borough, Allegheny County, as the Hon. Raymond T. Book Memorial Highway; designating the bridge, identified as Bridge Key 28737, carrying 13th Street over Bushkill Creek in the City of Easton, Northampton County, as the Honorable James F. Prendergast Memorial Bridge; designating the western roundabout on State Route 1001 at the intersection of New Britain Road and South Easton Road in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, as the Blue Star Family Tribute Roundabout; designating the eastern roundabout on State Route 1001 at the intersection of New Britain Road and Sauerman Road in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, as the Gold Star Family Tribute Roundabout; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 56035, carrying U.S. Route 422 over State Route 2005 and Cherry Run in Plumcreek Township, Armstrong County, as the George W. McAuley, Jr. Memorial Bridge; designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 27695, carrying State Route 3006, also known as Whitehall Road, over Kepner Creek in East Norriton Township, Montgomery County, as the E. Pearl Smith Memorial Bridge; and making a repeal.
An Act authorizing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the Social Work Licensure Compact; and providing for the form of the compact.
An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in trade and commerce, providing for the offense of unlawful towing and towing storage facility practices; and imposing penalties.

Last verified: May 14, 2026

Editorial process: See methodology →

How we verify: 9 source adapters (FAA, DSIRE, IRS, OpenStates, etc.) → AI draft → AI editor → AI polish → spot human review.

Gear & Tools for Pennsylvania Projects

Affiliate disclosure: some links below are affiliate links (Amazon and partner programs). If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Product selection is not influenced by commission — see our full disclosure.