Iowa keeps UCC records with the Secretary of State, in the Business Services office in Des Moines. You search the records through the Database Searches menu on the office site, and you file online through Fast Track Filing.
A few fees stand out. A lien search is $5 per debtor, and a UCC-1 filed online is $5. The paper rate is double or more. For the general idea, see the UCC search guide, and for the rest of the office, the Iowa office guide.
What does an Iowa UCC search show?
A lien search looks up financing statements against one debtor. It tells you which secured parties have filed a claim on that debtor's assets. Lenders run one before they lend, and buyers run one before they buy a business or equipment.
The office is only a repository. It records what filers submit and does not decide whether the filer had the authority to file. For that reason the state warns authorized filers to check the website often, so they notice a submission they did not make.
| Who takes UCC filings | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services, Des Moines (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Search UCC records | sos.iowa.gov/businesses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Search fee | $5 per debtor for a lien search (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Copies and certified searches | Copies $1 per page. Certified copies $3 plus the copy charge (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| File a UCC-1 | $5 online through Fast Track Filing. Paper is $10 for 1-2 pages, $20 for 3 or more (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Filing online | Fast Track Filing, the state online filing portal (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | A landlord's lien on farm products needs a UCC-1 financing statement. The office does not check a filer's authority. (sos.iowa.gov, checked ) |
How much do searches and copies cost in Iowa?
The fee schedule on the office page lists these amounts:
- Lien search: $5 per debtor
- UCC copies: $1 per page
- UCC certified copies: $3, plus the copy charge per page
- Federal lien search: $6 per debtor
- Federal lien copies: $5 per page
- Federal certified copies: $3, plus the copy charge per page
To order, use the Information Request form that the office provides.
How do you file a UCC-1 in Iowa?
Use the National UCC forms provided on the Secretary of State site. You only need to file one copy. The UCC-1 may be paired with its Addendum if you have more parties or space to fill.
Online, sign in to Fast Track Filing and file. The fee is $5 for each filing. By paper, the UCC-1 costs $10 for one or two pages and $20 for three or more pages. The UCC-3 and an information statement use the same paper rates. A federal lien filing costs $5.
Online is cheaper and also easier to track. Our UCC-1 filing guide covers what the form needs.
What is different in Iowa?
Landlord liens on farm products. In Iowa you need a UCC-1 financing statement to perfect a landlord's lien in farm products. Landlords use the national form, and no signatures are required. Timing, length of effect and content rules come from Iowa Code chapter 570, which is worth reading with a lawyer.
There is also a free remedy for a bad filing. An Affidavit of Wrongful Filing carries no fee.
You can search and file at the state yourself, and state fees are separate from anything we do. If you want help, you can ask our private filing service.
Sources
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.122.pdf: office name, name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, foreign LLC fee, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.112.pdf: LLC name endings, restricted words, name rule. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/490.401.pdf: corporation name endings. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.113.pdf: name reservation term. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/490.122.pdf: corporation filing fee, good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/489.212.pdf: report due date. Checked .
- sos.iowa.gov/businesses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc: who takes ucc filings, search ucc records, file a ucc-1, search fee, copies and certified searches, filing online, worth knowing. Checked .