Delaware UCC Search

How UCC filings show up in the public record, and a way to order the search.

Delaware 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. Delaware does not give the public a self-serve certified UCC search. Since December 1, 2001, those searches are performed by a Delaware Authorized UCC Searcher. Filings are electronic. The Division lists the searchers.

Official office

Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations entity index

Open the official search

Phone: (302) 739-3073

John G. Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901

Phone assistance during Division business hours. In-person visits are by appointment.

Steps

  1. Confirm you need a Delaware search

    Delaware is the right office when Delaware is the debtor’s location under Article 9, often the formation state of a registered organization. Do not assume every contract’s “Delaware company” was formed there without checking the charter.

  2. Use an authorized searcher for the certified result

    Pick from the Division’s list. A random vendor is not the same thing.

  3. File electronically if you are filing

    Paper mailed to Dover is not the path the Division accepts.

  4. Read assignment display

    The Division has said an assigned secured party shows as added and the prior party is not shown as removed.

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.

Certified search means an authorized searcher

Read corp.delaware.gov/uccsearch and the authorized-searcher list before you promise a same-day screenshot. A “search to reflect” is the narrow exception the Division names. Everything else goes through a searcher who pulls a certified search from the state’s system.

Filings go through the e-UCC application or an authorized filer. The Division does not take paper UCC filings directly. Administrative rules discuss search logic and fees. Ask the Division or the searcher for the current search fee rather than trusting an old photocopy of the rules.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting a free Delaware debtor box to be a certified search.
  • Mailing a paper UCC-1 to the Division.
  • Ignoring the authorized-searcher list.
  • Treating a charter search as a UCC search.

Questions

Can I search Delaware UCC filings myself?

Certified searches go through a Delaware Authorized UCC Searcher. The Division explains this on its UCC search page.

How do I file a Delaware UCC?

Electronically, through the state’s e-UCC application or an authorized filer.

What is a UCC-11 in Delaware?

The information request used to ask for a search. In Delaware that request is carried out through the authorized-searcher process.

Sources reviewed