In Missouri, UCC liens are filed with one office: the Uniform Commercial Code Division of the Secretary of State. It is the central filing office for personal property liens. A lender files there, and a buyer, banker or lawyer searches there. That is true no matter which county the debtor is in.
Missouri splits its fees by the way you file. Paper costs more than online, and a search is a separate $27.00 request. Business records sit with a different division, and you can read about them in the Missouri office guide.
What does the Missouri UCC Division hold?
A UCC-1 financing statement names the debtor and the secured party and describes the collateral. The state treats the filing as the step that perfects the lien. Information on these filings, either as a list or as copies, is given to any requesting party.
You use a search to see what liens a business has before you lend to it, buy its assets or buy the company. You file when you are the lender and want your claim on record. Our UCC search guide explains what a search result means, and the UCC-1 filing guide shows how a financing statement is built.
How much does a Missouri UCC search cost?
A UCC-11 search request is $27.00 for all. Copies are $1 per page. Pay by check made out to the Director of Revenue. A credit card works too, but it adds a convenience fee. The state says it does not collect or keep that fee.
| Who takes UCC filings | Missouri Secretary of State, UCC Division, the central filing office for personal property liens (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Search fee | $27.00 for a UCC-11 search request (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
| Copies and certified searches | $1.00 per page for copies (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
| File a UCC-1 | $17.00 on paper plus $1.00 per attachment page (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
| Filing online | Online filings are $10.00 per filing plus a convenience fee (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | A financing statement is effective for five years and can be continued for five more years. (sos.mo.gov, checked ) |
The search fee covers the debtor name you ask about. Name the debtor the way it appears on its public organizing document, because UCC searches look for a close match to a name and not a business address.
How much does a Missouri UCC-1 cost?
On paper, a UCC-1 financing statement is $17.00 plus $1 per page for attachments. A UCC-3 termination is $17.00 per filing.
Online, the price is $10 per filing plus a convenience fee. That rate covers all financing statements, continuations, amendments, releases, assignments and terminations.
Online or paper
Missouri accepts both. Paper filings are received by mail or by hand delivery at the Jefferson City office. Online filings are paid by credit card or from a prepaid ACH account, which the state can withdraw from your bank account directly.
For a single filing, online is the cheaper choice. A lender who files often gains the most from the ACH account, since each filing is fast and no check has to be written.
A Missouri quirk to remember
A Missouri financing statement lasts five years. Anyone who wants the lien to continue must file a continuation, and the state allows the lien to be continued for an additional five years. Put the date in your diary on the day you file. A lapsed filing can leave you unperfected.
If you want help, you can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can file or search at the state yourself.
Sources
- www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Business/fees.pdf: office name, division, officeholder, mailing address, street address, name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, report fee, good standing certificate, certificate fee, assumed names (DBA). Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/generalinfo: phone, business search, search fields, online filing, certificate ordering, search tips. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/business/faqs.asp: name check, name reservation term. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/startbusiness: corporation name endings. Checked .
- revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=347.020: name rule. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/business/faqs: report due date, registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/filings: late penalty. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/bsd/reinstate: status terms. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/ucc: who takes ucc filings, worth knowing. Checked .
- www.sos.mo.gov/ucc/fees: file a ucc-1, filing online, search fee, copies and certified searches. Checked .