In Massachusetts, UCC records belong to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, whose Corporations Division also keeps company records. The Massachusetts office guide covers the whole office. People often type "mass ucc search", and the place they want is the UCC public search on the Secretary's site.
A UCC-1 financing statement costs $20 for up to two debtors. The web search costs nothing. Our UCC search guide explains how to read results, and the UCC-1 filing guide explains how filings are built.
How a Massachusetts UCC search works
The database page is called the UCC Public Search. It offers three paths: individual name, organization name or filing number. For an individual you can fill in last, first and middle names, a suffix, a city and a state. There is also a way to search for lapsed filings.
Financing statements stay in the system until at least one year after they lapse. That helps if you are checking a lender's older filing, because a filing that ran out last year can still show.
| Who takes UCC filings | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division, UCC database (corp.sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Search UCC records | corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/UCCSearch/UCCSearch.aspx (corp.sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Search fee | $10.00 for a UCC-11 listing of a debtor's filings (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Copies and certified searches | $30.00 for a UCC-11 listing with copies (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| File a UCC-1 | $20.00 for up to two debtors; amendment, continuation and termination also $20.00 (sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | Lapsed filings stay in the system for at least one year after they lapse (corp.sec.state.ma.us, checked ) |
What a search request costs
The web search is free. When you want the office to run a search for you, you send a UCC-11 information request. The fee schedule gives two prices.
- A UCC-11 search request is $10.00. It includes a computer listing of the debtor's UCC filings.
- A UCC-11 search request with copies is $30.00. It includes the listing and copies of the filings.
The UCC-11 form lets you choose a non-certified or certified search, and you can ask for all records or only unlapsed ones. The national instructions say certified searches may take longer and cost more. This guide does not list a certified search price because the fee schedule does not give one.
How to file a UCC-1 in Massachusetts
- Fill in the UCC-1 national form with exact debtor and secured party names.
- Pay $20.00. That covers up to two debtors.
- Send it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's UCC Division in Boston.
- Keep proof of what you sent.
The fee schedule shows every follow-up filing at $20.00 as well. That covers an amendment, a continuation, a partial release of collateral and a termination statement.
Online or paper
The fee table gives one price for each UCC filing and does not split it by method. This guide does not state how long recording takes, because the pages we read give no processing time. Ask the office or check its UCC pages before you rely on a date.
Names are the whole game
A UCC search only finds what you type. The national UCC-11 instructions tell searchers to use the exact full name of the debtor. Do not abbreviate words that are not already abbreviated. If the debtor is a registered organization, look at its current public record to find the correct name, because a trade name is not enough.
For a company, you can find the correct legal name in the Massachusetts business entity search, then run the UCC search with it. If the entity ending is part of the name, include it.
Our private filing service can prepare a UCC filing or request. State fees are separate, and you can file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth yourself.
Sources
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/about-us/contact-us.htm: office name, division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/cis/guide/secretary.htm: officeholder. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx: business search. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorpSearch/SearchOnlineHelp.aspx: search fields, search tips. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/NameReservation/SearchNameRes.aspx: name check. Checked .
- malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156c/Section3: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/download/Fee_Schedule.pdf: name reservation fee, corporation filing fee, report fee. Checked .
- malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156c/Section12: LLC filing fee, report due date. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htm: expedite fees, certificate fee. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/corpweb/CorporateOnlineFilings/OnlineFilingsWelcome.aspx: online filing. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/Certificates/CertificateOrderForm.aspx: good standing certificate, certificate ordering. Checked .
- www.mass.gov/doc/950-cmr-104-business-corporations/download: status terms. Checked .
- corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/UCCSearch/UCCSearch.aspx: who takes ucc filings, search ucc records, worth knowing. Checked .
- www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htm: search fee, copies and certified searches, file a ucc-1. Checked .