UCC Division- Overview
The Uniform Commercial Code Division (UCC) serves as the state repository for financing statements regarding security interests. These financing statements are filed by banks, mortgage companies, and other lending institutions against the secured collateral of individuals and other entities that are located within the state.
The Secretary of State is responsible for filing and maintaining financing statements on secured transactions under Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as adopted in Kentucky, effective July 1, 2001.
The UCC Branch is the branch of the Office of the Secretary of State that is responsible for administering the duties of the Secretary of State pursuant to Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. In addition to filing and maintaining financing statements, including amendments and correction statements, the UCC branch provides information to the public on the filed records.
The following summary is intended to assist customers with filing UCC records with the Secretary of State and with conducting searches of the Uniform Commercial Code Index Search. It is not intended as a comprehensive manual on secured transactions under Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code in Kentucky and is neither a replacement for applicable statutes and rules, nor a substitute for legal advice.
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Filing Officer Functions |
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In administering its ministerial duties under Revised Article 9, the filing office files UCC records. The filing office can reject records for the grounds set forth in the statutes and administrative regulations. In filing a UCC record, the filing office makes no determination as the legality, sufficiency or correctness of the record.
In administering its ministerial duties under Revised Article 9 relating to records maintenance the filing office maintains an information management system to store, index and retrieve optical images of UCC records. Except as provided in Revised Article 9 and administrative regulations, the filing office transfers data from the UCC records to the UCC information management system exactly as set forth in the records. The filing office makes no effort to detect errors.
All financing statements accepted for filing remain "active" in the records of the filing office for all debtors and secured parties until one year after the financing statement lapses.
The Secretary of State searches and issues reports on all active financing statements, regardless of the filing of any amendments, assignments terminations or correction statements which purport to change, add or delete parties or to assign or terminate security interest. Search reports include information about the initial financing statement and any subsequent filings of record. The searchers are responsible for determining the effectiveness of filed records.
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UCC Searches and Copies |
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The Secretary of State maintains a searchable index for all active UCC records that provides for the retrieval of a record by the name of the debtor and by the file number of the initial financing statement to which the record relates and which associates with one another each initial financing statement and each filed UCC document relating to the initial financing statement.
A person may request from the Secretary of State a search of the UCC records to determine whether there are any active financing statements naming a particular debtor. However, it is the responsibility of the searcher, not the Secretary of State, to determine whether a particular financing statement naming a particular debtor is presently effective.
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UCC Index Search |
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Contact Information |
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For more information regarding UCC filings, please contact the UCC Branch of the Office of the Secretary of State:
- by phone at (502) 564-2848;
- by fax at (502) 564-7411;
- by Email; or
- by mailing your inquiry to: Office of the Secretary of State
UCC Branch
PO Box 1470
700 Capital Avenue, Suite 153
Frankfort, KY 40601
The Office of the Secretary of State is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm EST.
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