California UCC Search

Debtor names, file numbers, and what a financing statement actually says.

California UCC Search

UCC Lien Search

Quick answer. A UCC lien search in a given state uses that state’s central filing office and the debtor’s exact legal name. County land records are a separate search. A California UCC search is the free UCC search on bizfile Online. The Secretary of State’s help guide says searches and plain copies do not require an account. Filter file type so a tax lien is not described as a financing statement.

Official office

California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division entity index

Open the official search

Phone: (916) 653-6814

1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

Public search is online. Phone support is offered on business days.

Steps

  1. Open bizfile and choose UCC

    Do not stop on the business search you used for the LLC.

  2. Search the legal debtor name

    Then the file number if a lender quoted one.

  3. Set the file-type filter

    Separate financing statements from tax liens and judgment liens.

  4. Download the plain copy

    The help guide says plain copies are free. Certified copies are the account path.

State UCC lien search

Texas uses SOSPortal and charges $1 before the search. Florida uses the Secured Transaction Registry at floridaucc.com. California’s bizfile UCC search is free and does not require an account. New York’s UCC public inquiry is on the Department of State site and includes federal tax lien notices. Delaware routes certified searches through authorized searchers. Ohio’s UCC portal searches by financing-statement number, debtor, or secured party.

Those are different systems. The state page you are on names the one that applies. Do not reuse another state’s login or fee.

Pick UCC, not the business-entity tab

bizfile’s UCC search accepts debtor, secured party, or file number. The same system includes judgment liens, attachment liens, and federal and state tax liens filed with the Secretary of State under the statutes that office lists. The business-entity search is a different tab and will not show a UCC-1.

Phone for the office is (916) 653-6814. Certified copies and amendments need an account. The public help PDF is the ucc-online-help document on the Secretary of State’s site.

Common mistakes

  • Using only the entity search.
  • Calling every row a UCC-1.
  • Expecting a login wall on a plain search.
  • Ignoring a state tax lien row because you wanted financing statements only and then claiming the file was empty.

Questions

Where is the CA UCC search?

In bizfile Online, on the UCC search, not the business-entity search.

Is a California UCC search free?

The Secretary of State’s help guide says the UCC search and plain copies are free and do not require an account.

Does bizfile show tax liens?

Yes, the types the Secretary of State files centrally, if you do not filter them out. Read the file type on the row.

Sources reviewed