Permissible Purpose: What You Must Certify Before Ordering a Search
2026-06-04
Every PersonFinder order requires you to select and certify a permissible purpose. It is a short checkbox with real legal weight. Here is what it means and why it protects everyone involved.
What 'permissible purpose' actually means
A permissible purpose is a lawful, legitimate reason to obtain and use someone's personal information. The concept sits at the center of privacy law in the United States: personal data is not free for the taking, but neither is it locked away entirely. Instead, the law asks a gatekeeping question, why do you need this, and permits access when the reason is one the law recognizes. Skip tracing is legal precisely because the people who use it, attorneys, collectors, investigators, insurers, real-estate professionals, have recognized reasons to locate specific individuals. Permissible purpose is how you demonstrate, up front, that you are one of them.
Where the requirement comes from
The permissible-purpose framework is stitched together from several federal laws, each covering a slice of the data landscape.
The FCRA
The Fair Credit Reporting Act governs information used for eligibility decisions, credit, insurance, employment, and housing, and imposes strict rules on it. PersonFinder is not a consumer reporting agency and its reports are not consumer reports, so they may not be used for any of those FCRA-covered purposes.
The DPPA
The Driver's Privacy Protection Act restricts personal information from motor-vehicle records to specific permissible uses, such as litigation, service of process, and judgment enforcement. Vehicle and VIN searches carry this additional requirement.
The GLBA
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act restricts non-public personal financial information, so searches that touch financial data, like locating bank accounts for a levy, require a recognized permissible purpose under that statute.
Common permissible purposes
At checkout you select the purpose that matches your matter. The options reflect the everyday, lawful reasons customers order searches: a legal proceeding or judgment enforcement; debt collection; a real-estate transaction; locating a witness, heir, or beneficiary; an insurance claim; or another legitimate business purpose. Each of these maps to a recognized use under the framework above. Selecting accurately matters, because your stated purpose defines the boundary of how you may lawfully use the results, and because certain search types depend on a compatible purpose, an asset or vehicle search in aid of judgment enforcement, for example, rests on that being your real reason.
What is not a permissible purpose
It is just as important to know the lines you cannot cross. You may not use a search, or the information it returns, to stalk, harass, intimidate, or harm anyone; personal curiosity, monitoring an ex-partner, or tracking someone without a legitimate business or legal reason are never permissible. And you may not repurpose a skip-trace report for an FCRA-covered decision: do not use it to screen a job applicant, evaluate a prospective tenant, or make a credit or insurance eligibility determination. Those decisions require an FCRA-compliant consumer report from a consumer reporting agency, which PersonFinder is not. Using a location report for a screening decision is both a breach of your certification and a potential legal violation.
Exactly what you certify at checkout
The certification is short and specific, and you agree to it before payment. It reads: 'I certify that I have a lawful permissible purpose for this search, that I am not using the results for any FCRA-covered purpose (credit, insurance, employment, or tenant screening), and that the purpose selected above is accurate.' By placing the order you also affirm, under our terms, that you have a lawful permissible purpose under all applicable federal, state, and local laws, that your stated purpose is accurate, and that you will use the results solely for that purpose. Misuse of the information may subject you to civil and criminal penalties. This is not fine print for its own sake; it is the mechanism that keeps the service lawful for everyone who uses it.
Why we ask, and why it protects you
Requiring a certified permissible purpose is not a hurdle we impose reluctantly, it is a feature that protects legitimate customers and the people they search for alike. For you, it creates a clear, documented record that you obtained the information for a lawful reason, which matters if your use is ever questioned. For subjects, it ensures their information is accessed only for recognized purposes. And for the industry, it keeps skip tracing a trusted professional tool rather than a privacy free-for-all. If you are ever unsure whether your reason qualifies, the safe move is to consult counsel before ordering; this guide is educational information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Do I have to prove my permissible purpose?
You select and certify your purpose at checkout. That certification is a binding representation that your reason is lawful and accurate, and that you will use the results solely for that purpose. Keep your own records of why you ordered the search.
What if my reason is not on the list?
The list covers the most common lawful purposes, and there is an 'other legitimate business purpose' option. If you are unsure whether your reason qualifies as permissible, consult an attorney before ordering.
Can I use the results for something other than my stated purpose?
No. You certify that you will use the results solely for the purpose you selected. Repurposing the data, especially for any FCRA-covered decision, violates your certification and may carry legal penalties.