How to Do a UCC Search: State-by-State Guide
Before you lend against equipment, buy a business's assets, or extend trade credit, you run a UCC search: it shows every financing statement on record against that debtor — who already claims their collateral, and who's first in line. This guide explains how UCC searches work, the rule that tells you which state to search, and links you straight to the official portal for each state we cover.
What a UCC search shows
- Every UCC-1 naming the debtor: secured party, file date, file number, collateral description.
- The filing's life story (UCC-3s): amendments, assignments to new lenders, continuations, and terminations.
- The lapse date — when each filing dies if it isn't continued (5 years from filing, §9-515).
- Your place in line: priority generally follows filing order — first to file or perfect wins.
Which state do you search? The debtor-location rule
You search where the debtor is located under §9-307 — not where the collateral sits and not where you are:
- Individual: their principal residence state.
- Registered organization (LLC, corporation, LP): its state of organization — a Delaware LLC operating in Texas is searched in Delaware.
- Other organizations: the state of their chief executive office.
And you search the debtor's exact legal name (§9-503). Under §9-506, a filing is seriously misleading — and ineffective — if a search under the correct name, using the filing office's standard search logic, wouldn't disclose it. Wrong name in, wrong answer out.
How to do a UCC search in 5 steps (any state)
- Fix the debtor's exact legal name and location state using formation documents (or the state's entity search) and the §9-307 rules above.
- Go to that state's central filing office portal — usually the Secretary of State (exceptions: e.g., Florida's privatized registry, New Jersey's Treasury division). State guides below link the official portal.
- Run the debtor-name search and review every hit: parties, collateral, file/lapse dates, and the full UCC-3 history.
- Check the through-date. Search results are a snapshot; note the date the data is current through, especially near a closing.
- Order the official/certified search when money depends on the answer. For most states that's a small fee (or a UCC-11 information request) and it's the version that counts as evidence.
UCC search by state — official guides
More states are being added. Each guide covers that state's official portal, account and fee details, step-by-step search instructions, and the local quirk that trips searchers up.
Go deeper than a search
A search tells you what's on record. The Private Money Rights Playbook teaches you how to be the secured party — UCC filing, trusts, private records, and the $10,000-a-Month Blueprint — and the UCC Talk24 Toolkit gives you the working tools: UCC-1 checklist, Articles 1–9 lookup, stamp and document generators.
Start with the filing guide: How to File a UCC-1 Financing Statement — and keep it alive with the UCC-3 Continuation rules.
UCC search FAQ
How much does a UCC search cost?
It varies by state: some states offer free online searching (e.g., California's non-standard search, Florida's registry), while official/certified searches typically run $5–$25 per debtor name. Each state guide above lists its fees.
Can I search UCC filings in all 50 states at once?
There's no single government 50-state database — records live with each state's filing office, and you search the state where the debtor is located. Commercial services aggregate state data for a fee, but the official record is always the state's.
What if a UCC search shows a lien on a business I'm buying?
That filing means a secured party claims an interest in the described collateral. Buyers typically require terminations or payoffs at closing for liens covering the assets being bought — get the certified search and address every active filing in the purchase documents.