If you are about to lend money, buy a business or buy equipment from a company, you need to know whether someone already has a claim on it. A UCC search answers that. It looks up the financing statements, called UCC-1 filings, that lenders and sellers file to give notice of a security interest.
The search is run against the debtor's name, in the state where the debtor is located. For a registered business such as an LLC or corporation, that is the state where it was formed.
Who keeps the UCC records in each state?
Most states file UCC statements with the Secretary of State or the department that runs business filings. A few split the work. Georgia sends UCC filings through the clerks of superior court and their shared authority,.
Pick your state in the table. Each state page names the office, the search link, the fees the office publishes and the checked source.
| State | Who takes UCC filings | Search fee | File a UCC-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Secretary of State, PO Box 5616, Montgomery, AL 36103 | $20.00 per debtor name search, plus $1.00 per page of copies | $20.00 for the first two pages, $2.00 for each extra page |
| Arizona | Arizona Secretary of State, not the Corporation Commission | UCC 11 search request, price varies by the search asked for | $9 |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services, Little Rock | $6.00 per search, with or without results | $16.00, termination included |
| California | California Secretary of State, UCC filing office (916) 653-3516 | Free online UCC search, no account needed | $5.00 online; $10.00 or $20.00 on paper, by page count |
| Colorado | Colorado Secretary of State, which files UCC financing statements and certain statutory liens | Free, searches are online | $8.00 for a UCC financing statement |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division | $50 for a request for information | $50 |
| Delaware | Delaware Division of Corporations, UCC Section | see the office | see the office |
| Georgia | Clerk of Superior Court in any Georgia county, indexed by the GSCCCA, not the Secretary of State | $15.00 per debtor name for a certified search report from the Authority | $25.00 per filing, $50.00 with an initial assignment, paid to the clerk |
| Idaho | Idaho Secretary of State, UCC Division | $3 for a non-certified search; certified searches go through a copy request | $3.00 online, $6.00 print and mail, $26.00 fillable PDF (1 or 2 pages) |
| Illinois | Illinois Secretary of State, Uniform Commercial Code Division, Springfield | $10 for an information request (search report) | $20 for a UCC financing statement |
| Iowa | Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services, Des Moines | $5 per debtor for a lien search | $5 online through Fast Track Filing. Paper is $10 for 1-2 pages, $20 for 3 or more |
| Kentucky | UCC Division, Kentucky Secretary of State, Frankfort | No charge for a standard debtor name search; $5.00 for certified results | $10.00 up to two pages; $20.00 over two pages |
| Louisiana | Any of the 64 Louisiana parish Clerks of Court, not the Secretary of State | $30 per debtor name for a certified search; $400 a year for unlimited database use | see the office |
| Maryland | Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), UCC division | $2.00 service fee per certified search result | $25 for 8 or fewer pages, $75 for 9 or more |
| Massachusetts | Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division, UCC database | $10.00 for a UCC-11 listing of a debtor's filings | $20.00 for up to two debtors; amendment, continuation and termination also $20.00 |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of State, UCC section | $6 per debtor name | $15 per filing, for UCC-1 and UCC-3 alike |
| Missouri | Missouri Secretary of State, UCC Division, the central filing office for personal property liens | $27.00 for a UCC-11 search request | $17.00 on paper plus $1.00 per attachment page |
| Nevada | Nevada Secretary of State, UCC Department, Carson City | UCC11 information request costs $30.00 online, $60.00 by mail | $30.00 online; by mail $60.00 for 1 to 2 pages |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, UCC Section, Trenton | Certified search certificate $25.00 plus $1.00 per page, plus $5.00 portal fee | $25.00 per filing plus a $5.00 portal fee. UCC-3 is the same |
| New York | Division of Corporations, State Records and UCC, One Commerce Plaza, Albany | $25 per debtor, $50 if the results are issued under seal | $20 online, $40 on paper or by fax |
| North Carolina | Uniform Commercial Code Section, NC Department of the Secretary of State | Free online; $38 per debtor name by written request | $38.00 by mail for 1 to 2 pages; $45.00 for 3 to 10 pages |
| Ohio | Ohio Secretary of State | Twenty dollars for a written search request, five dollars if it only asks whether a financing statement names the debtor | Twelve dollars to file and index a record |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma County Clerk, UCC Central Filing Office, Annex Building, 320 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, Oklahoma City | $10 per debtor name for a UCC-11 or UCC-4 certified information request | $10 for 1 to 5 pages, plus $1 for each added page after 5 |
| Oregon | Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division, Public Service Building, Salem | see the office | see the office |
| Pennsylvania | Department of State UCC section, PO Box 8721, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8721, phone 717-787-1057 option 3 | $12.00 per debtor name | $84.00 per form: financing statement, amendment or statement of claim |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Secretary of State, UCC division | $5.00 search fee per request | $8.00 for pages 1 and 2, $2.00 for page 3, $1.00 for each page after |
| Tennessee | Secretary of State, Division of Business Services, UCC line 615-741-3276 | $15 for a certified list of filings | $15 per debtor |
| Texas | Texas Secretary of State, Uniform Commercial Code section, Austin | $1 per search, paid before the search runs | $5.00 for a UCC-1 filed online (from an older fee page, check the portal) |
| Utah | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code | $12 for a lien search | $12 per page; terminations and UCC 5 are free |
| Virginia | Virginia State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Office, UCC Section | $7.00 noncertified search; copies of 26 or more pages add $10.00 | $20.00 each; amendments also $20.00 each |
| Washington | Washington Department of Licensing, UCC filing office, Olympia | Online search responses are free | $23 online for a financing statement or amendment |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services | Free online search of filings | $20.00 on paper for a standard form |
What does a UCC search show?
A financing statement has three parts the law requires: the debtor's name, the name of the secured party or its representative, and a description of the collateral. The record under UCC section 9-502 is the same idea in every state, because states use the same model law.
The result tells you who has a claim and over what. It does not tell you how much is owed. For that, you ask the secured party.
How do you run a UCC search?
- Get the exact legal name of the debtor. For a company, copy it from its record in the state business search.
- Open the filing office's UCC search page. Our state pages link it.
- Search the debtor name. Try the name with and without punctuation and endings such as LLC or Inc.
- Open each result and check the filing date, the secured party and the collateral.
- If a lender, court or buyer needs proof, order a certified search or copies from the office.
How long does a UCC filing last?
Under UCC section 9-515, a filed financing statement is effective for five years from the filing date. A continuation statement can be filed only in the six months before that period ends. If nobody continues it, it lapses. Our UCC-3 guide covers continuations, amendments and terminations.
What does a UCC search cost?
Each state sets its own fees for searches, certified searches and copies. We show only the amounts the office publishes. If a state page shows no fee, we have not confirmed one on an official page, so check the office before you pay.
Need a lien search ordered or a UCC-1 filed for you? You can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can always search and file yourself on the state's site. To file a statement, read the UCC-1 filing guide.
Sources
The rules above come from the model law text. State fees, offices and links come from each state's own pages, listed on the state pages.