A UCC filing tells the public that a creditor claims a security interest in a business's personal property. North Carolina's records sit with the Secretary of State's UCC Section and can be searched free online, or by written UCC-11 request for a $38 fee. Ivyview Lenders, a small-business funding broker in Greenville, North Carolina, suggests running your own search before applying.
| Where NC UCC records are kept | NC Secretary of State, UCC Section (Chapter 25, Article 9) |
|---|---|
| Online search | Free, according to the Secretary of State |
| Written search (UCC-11 form) | $38 fee, according to the Secretary of State |
| Common filings | UCC-1 financing statement; UCC-3 amendment, including termination |
What a UCC filing is, and what it isn't
The UCC Section of the NC Secretary of State describes its job as providing “a method of giving notice of a security interest in personal property to interested third parties.” When a lender or funder takes collateral such as equipment, inventory or receivables, it usually files a UCC-1 financing statement naming the business as debtor and describing the collateral.
A filing is not a court judgment, a late-payment mark or a sign of default. It simply puts the world on notice that someone claims an interest. Equipment loans, inventory lines, many working capital products and merchant cash advances can all come with one.
Where North Carolina records are, and what a search costs
The UCC Section operates under Chapter 25, Article 9 of the North Carolina General Statutes. It says its records are “open to the public, and can be searched for free over the Internet.” For a search performed by the office, it will run one “by written request on a UCC-11 Information Request form for a $38 fee.” Both points were checked on the Secretary of State's site in October 2026.
The free online search is enough to see what's on file. A written UCC-11 search is useful when someone needs a search performed by the filing office itself.
How to search your own business
- Pull your entity's exact legal name from the Secretary of State's business records. Filings are indexed by the debtor's name.
- Search that exact name in the UCC records. Then try former names and any name the business used before converting from a sole proprietorship.
- For each result, note the file number, filing date, secured party and any amendments.
- Open the filing itself and read the collateral description. The search list alone won't tell you whether it covers one machine or everything.
- Match each filing to an agreement in your files. If one doesn't match anything, find out why before a partner asks.
Reading a filing: blanket lien or specific collateral
The collateral description decides how much a filing matters to the next partner:
- Specific collateral: a description of particular equipment, often with a model or serial number. It usually affects only that item.
- A blanket lien: language such as “all assets” or long lists of asset categories covering accounts, inventory, equipment and general intangibles. It reaches most of what the business owns.
- Receivables: filings by merchant cash advance funders often describe accounts or future receivables. A merchant cash advance is not a loan, but the filing still shows up in a search.
When more than one creditor claims the same collateral, priority decides who is paid first. As a general rule, an earlier filing ranks ahead of a later one, though Article 9 has exceptions, notably for lenders that finance the purchase of the collateral itself. This is why a new partner looking at an existing blanket lien may ask about that creditor's position, or about how much of the business's assets are already pledged.
Secured, unsecured and what the filing says about collateral
“Secured” financing is tied to collateral the creditor can claim if the business defaults; equipment financing is the clearest case, since the equipment usually secures it. Products marketed as unsecured may still involve a UCC filing on general business assets, a personal guarantee from the owners, or both. Read the agreement for the words “security interest” and “guaranty,” and compare them with what the UCC-1 later describes.
For how collateral fits each product, see equipment financing and inventory financing.
Clearing a filing after payoff
Paying off the debt does not automatically remove the filing from the public record. The usual route is a UCC-3 amendment marked as a termination, filed by the secured party.
- Get a written payoff letter and keep proof of the final payment.
- Ask the secured party, in writing, to file a termination statement.
- Search the record again after a few weeks to confirm the termination appears.
- If it doesn't, follow up in writing and keep copies of every request.
Article 9 requires a secured party to file or send a termination within a set period after the debt is paid and the debtor makes an authenticated demand, and a financing statement generally lapses five years after filing unless a continuation is filed. If a creditor won't terminate a paid-off filing, talk with an attorney.
Before you apply: a lien check
- Search the UCC records under the business's exact legal name and any former names.
- List every active filing with its secured party and collateral in your debt schedule.
- Mark any filing for a debt that's already paid, and request its termination now.
- Bring the list to your conversation with us or any partner. Unexplained filings slow a file down; explained ones usually don't. What lenders look for covers the rest of the review.
By Ivyview Lenders · Updated