Kentucky's UCC records are kept in Frankfort by the UCC Division of the Secretary of State. It is the state repository for financing statements under Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 355, which is the state's version of Article 9. Banks, mortgage companies and other lenders file there against collateral of people and businesses located in the state. Our Kentucky office guide covers the business entity side. For a general explanation, read our UCC search guide and UCC-1 filing guide.
How do you search Kentucky UCC filings?
Use the search tools on the Secretary of State's UCC pages. A standardized search by debtor name is the basic search and it is free. Search reports include the initial financing statement and any later filings of record, such as amendments, assignments, terminations and corrections.
| Who takes UCC filings | UCC Division, Kentucky Secretary of State, Frankfort (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Search fee | No charge for a standard debtor name search; $5.00 for certified results (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
| File a UCC-1 | $10.00 up to two pages; $20.00 over two pages (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
| Filing online | Electronic financing statements and amendments cost $5.00 (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
| UCC forms | sos.ky.gov/bus/UCC/Pages/UCC-Forms.aspx (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Paper filings are acknowledged by email if you give an address in Box B (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | Title lien statements on cars and other titled property go to the county clerk, not the UCC Division. (sos.ky.gov, checked ) |
The office says searchers are responsible for deciding whether a record is effective. The filing office does not judge legality, sufficiency or correctness when it files a record. Read the full report, not just the first line.
How long do records stay visible?
All financing statements accepted for filing remain active in the filing office's records until one year after the statement lapses. That gives you a window to see recently lapsed liens. The office searches and reports on all active statements regardless of amendments, assignments or terminations that purport to change the parties.
What do Kentucky UCC services cost?
Here is the fee list from the state's UCC fee page and FAQ.
- Electronic financing statements and amendments: $5.00.
- Written financing statements, amendments and correction statements of two pages or fewer: $10.00.
- The same written filings of more than two pages: $20.00.
- Certified search results: $5.00.
- Certified copies: $5.00 per certificate for each file number, plus a per page charge for copies attached.
The state's fee page and its FAQ list different per page amounts for plain copies, so read the live fee page before you order copies. The office refunds a small overpayment. If you underpay, it refuses the filing and sends it back.
Paper or electronic?
Electronic is cheaper and you can pay by card, ACH or prepaid account. Paper filings use the standard forms the office provides. They include the financing statement, the addendum, the additional party sheet, the amendment forms and the information request. To list more debtors, use the addendum for one more debtor or the additional party form for three.
If you file on paper and give an email address in Box B, the office emails the acknowledgement. Mail goes to the Office of the Secretary of State, UCC Division, 1025 Capital Center Drive, Suite 201, P.O. Box 718, Frankfort, KY 40601. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Its phone is (502) 564-3490.
What mistakes cost you?
Names are the usual problem. Organization names go into the system exactly as written on the record, even if they look like two names. Individual names are entered the same way. Putting a name in the wrong box, or sending it wrong, can make the filing ineffective, because the office does not hunt for errors.
For a Kentucky company, copy the legal name from its record in the entity search. Our guide to changing a registered agent explains why that record matters.
If you want help with a filing, you can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can file at the state yourself.
Sources
- www.sos.ky.gov/Pages/Contact.aspx: office name, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/default.aspx: division, name check, name reservation form, registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/sos-office/Pages/Biography.aspx: officeholder. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/OnlineServices/Pages/default.aspx: business search, search fields, name check, online filing, certificate ordering. Checked .
- apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/chapter.aspx?id=38578: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/Fees.aspx: name reservation fee, name reservation term, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, report fee, good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/Annual-Reports.aspx: report due date, late penalty. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/FAQs.aspx: processing time. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/businessrecords/Pages/FAQs.aspx: certificate fee, status terms. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/UCC/Pages/default.aspx: who takes ucc filings. Checked .
- www.sos.ky.gov/bus/UCC/Pages/FAQs.aspx: search fee, file a ucc-1, filing online, worth knowing. Checked .
- sos.ky.gov/bus/UCC/Pages/UCC-Forms.aspx: ucc forms, processing time. Checked .