A Washington UCC record is a public notice that a lender or seller has a claim on a business's personal property. Many people expect the Secretary of State to hold these. In Washington the file belongs to the Department of Licensing, which runs a UCC filing office in Olympia.
So liens live in the Department's UCC system, apart from the company record. The Washington office guide covers company records and the Secretary of State. This page covers UCC.
What the Washington UCC file contains
The file holds financing statements, amendments, continuations, assignments and terminations that secured parties filed against a debtor. The Department treats an electronic filing as filed the moment you submit it, and that sets the filing position.
A search starts with a debtor name. The online system also lets you search by secured party name, which makes it useful when you do not know the file number or are unsure how a name was recorded.
How to run a UCC search in Washington
Go to the Department's online UCC page and enter the name. Results appear right away and cost nothing. If you want the filings as copies, order a search report with copies. The fee is $15 per debtor name.
Paper requests use a UCC-11 form and are mailed to the Department's UCC office at its PO Box in Olympia. Online is better for most people, because mail adds time at both ends.
| Who takes UCC filings | Washington Department of Licensing, UCC filing office, Olympia (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Search UCC records | dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc/ucc-online-filing-and-searches (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Search fee | Online search responses are free (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Copies and certified searches | $15 per debtor name for a search report with copies (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| File a UCC-1 | $23 online for a financing statement or amendment (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Filing online | Online with Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or electronic funds transfer (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Paper filings take at least 2 days longer than online (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Worth knowing | Paper financing statement costs $30 and covers the first 2 pages (dol.wa.gov, checked ) |
Washington UCC filing fees
Online, a financing statement or a financing statement amendment costs $23. You pay by Visa, MasterCard or American Express. The Department also takes electronic funds transfer.
On paper, a financing statement costs $30. That covers the first 2 pages, including an addendum or additional party page if one is attached. Pay by check or money order made out to the Department of Licensing, or set up an ACH arrangement. The Department says all filing and search fees are nonrefundable.
Fees change. Look at the Department's fee page before you send money, so the number on your check matches the current one.
Filing a UCC-1 step by step
- Look up the exact legal name of the debtor on the Secretary of State's company record. A registered company must be named as it is registered.
- Open the online UCC filing service and complete the form. The site tells you when a minimum requirement is missing and will not let you continue until it is fixed.
- Pay by card and print your acknowledgement.
- Search the debtor name afterward and confirm the new record appears.
Our UCC-1 filing guide explains each box on the national form, and the UCC search guide shows how to read a result. These pages describe the process. They are not legal advice.
Washington details worth knowing
Online users with their own systems can look at business-to-government filing, which uses XML and avoids retyping data. Most small filers do not need it.
A paper filing is the right choice only if you must attach something on paper or pay by check, or if you have no internet access. The Department itself says it costs more and takes longer.
If you want help, you can ask our private filing service. State fees are separate, and you can file at the state yourself.
Sources
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/contact-us: office name, division, officeholder, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, corporation filing fee. Checked .
- ccfs.sos.wa.gov/: business search, certificate ordering. Checked .
- data.wa.gov/api/views/f9jk-mm39.json: search fields. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/limited-liability-company-llc-professional-llc-pllc-filing-resource-page: LLC name endings, LLC filing fee, report fee. Checked .
- app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=23.95.305: corporation name endings, restricted words, name rule. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-10/Name_Reservation.pdf: name reservation fee, name reservation term, name reservation form. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-scheduleexpedited-service: nonprofit filing fee, late penalty, expedite fees, good standing certificate, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/online-filing-instructions/register-foreign-non-wa-limited-liability-company-llc-online: foreign LLC fee. Checked .
- app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=23.95.255: report due date. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/online-filing-instructions/start-domestic-wa-limited-liability-company-llc-online: online filing. Checked .
- app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=23.95.415: registered agent rule. Checked .
- dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc/ucc-paper-filing-and-searches/ucc-paper-filing-and-search-fees: who takes ucc filings, worth knowing. Checked .
- dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc/ucc-online-filing-and-searches: search ucc records, filing online. Checked .
- dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc/ucc-online-filing-and-searches/ucc-online-filing-and-search-fees: search fee, copies and certified searches, file a ucc-1. Checked .
- dol.wa.gov/professional-licenses/uniform-commercial-code-ucc/ucc-paper-filing-and-searches: processing time. Checked .