UCC Lien Search

Steps

1. Leave Sunbiz for entities

   Open floridaucc.com for financing statements.

2. Accept the search disclaimer

   The search screen explains compact name versus actual name. Read it.

3. Search the organization debtor

   Use the legal name from Sunbiz, not the fictitious name, unless the filing was made in the fictitious name.

4. Check amendments

   Terminations and continuations are later filings in the same registry.

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.

The registry is the UCC index, not Sunbiz

The registry is the centralized system for financing statements under Chapter 679, Florida Statutes. The vendor publishes the search, a walk-in address at 2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building D, Tallahassee, FL 32301, phone 850-222-8526, and weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern excluding state holidays.

Search logic follows Florida’s compact-name rules. The site says that logic is not warranted to match any other state. Run the debtor’s exact legal name, and read the on-screen rules before you treat a miss as a clear.

Common mistakes

• Searching Sunbiz and calling it a UCC search.
• Ignoring the compact-name rules.
• Using a document number from an LLC filing as a UCC file number.
• Assuming Florida’s logic matches Texas or Delaware.

Questions

Sources reviewed

• Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations search
• Florida Secured Transaction Registry
• Florida DOS UCC information