North Carolina SOS UCC Search Portal Down Again - Critical Filing Deadline Tomorrow
I'm losing my mind here. Have a UCC-1 continuation that MUST be filed by end of business tomorrow in North Carolina and their SOS portal has been giving me error messages all afternoon. Every time I try to do a north carolina sos ucc search to verify the existing filing details, it times out or shows 'system maintenance' messages. This is a $2.8M equipment loan that lapses if I don't get this continuation filed on time. The original UCC-1 was filed 4 years and 11 months ago, so I'm cutting it close on the 5-year window. Has anyone else been having issues with the NC Secretary of State UCC search system today? I tried calling but got put on hold for 45 minutes before the line went dead. Really need to confirm the exact debtor name formatting and filing number before I submit the continuation paperwork.
28 comments


Ravi Sharma
The NC portal has been glitchy all week. I managed to get through around 6 AM this morning but it's been spotty since then. For continuation filings this close to deadline, you might want to consider doing it in person at the SOS office in Raleigh if possible. They usually stay open late during filing rushes.
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Isabella Santos
•Unfortunately I'm based in Charlotte and won't make it to Raleigh before close. The online system HAS to work. This is exactly the kind of situation that makes me hate electronic filing systems.
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Freya Larsen
•Been there. NC portal crashed on me during a critical amendment filing last year. Ended up having to overnight paper forms which cost a fortune in expedited fees.
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Omar Hassan
Try accessing the north carolina sos ucc search through their alternate URL - sometimes the main portal is down but the backup search function still works. Also, if you have the original filing number, you can usually pull up the exact details even when the general search is acting up. What's the UCC-1 file number?
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Isabella Santos
•I have the filing number but want to double-check the debtor name spelling since it's a corporate entity with multiple subsidiaries. One letter off and the continuation gets rejected.
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Omar Hassan
•Smart thinking. Corporate debtor names are where most continuation filings get tripped up. The search should show the exact formatting from the original UCC-1.
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Chloe Taylor
•This is why I always keep printed copies of the original UCC-1 filings. Can't trust these state portals when you need them most.
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ShadowHunter
Had this exact problem last month with a different state system. Ended up using Certana.ai's document verification tool to cross-check my continuation against the original UCC-1. You just upload the PDFs and it instantly flags any inconsistencies in debtor names, addresses, or collateral descriptions. Saved my butt when I discovered a minor spelling difference in the subsidiary name that would have caused a rejection.
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Isabella Santos
•Interesting - never heard of that service. How does it work exactly? Does it access the state databases directly?
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ShadowHunter
•No, it's document-to-document comparison. You upload your original UCC-1 and your continuation form, and it highlights any mismatches. Super helpful for catching those tiny errors that cause rejections.
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Diego Ramirez
•That actually sounds useful. I've had continuations bounced back for the stupidest reasons - missing commas, different abbreviation formats, stuff like that.
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Anastasia Sokolov
UPDATE: Just tried the NC search again and got through! Looks like they fixed whatever was causing the timeout errors. The north carolina sos ucc search is working normally now, at least from my end.
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Isabella Santos
•THANK YOU! Just got in and pulled up my original filing. Debtor name formatting looks correct. Now to get this continuation submitted before deadline.
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Sean O'Connor
•Glad it worked out. Nothing worse than state portal issues when you're up against a filing deadline. Been there too many times.
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Zara Ahmed
For future reference, North Carolina allows you to file continuations up to 6 months BEFORE the 5-year expiration date. Don't wait until the last minute if you can help it - gives you buffer time for portal outages like this.
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Isabella Santos
•Yeah, learned that lesson the hard way. This particular loan had some payment modifications that delayed our filing schedule, but you're absolutely right about the early filing window.
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Luca Conti
•Most people don't realize you can file continuations early. I usually set calendar reminders at the 4-year mark to avoid these last-minute panics.
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Nia Johnson
•Same here. Have a spreadsheet with all continuation deadlines marked 6 months in advance. State portals go down at the worst possible times.
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CyberNinja
Why is it that every state UCC system seems to crash right when you need it most? It's like they design these things to fail during critical filing periods.
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Mateo Lopez
•Because they probably run on systems from 1995 and don't budget for proper maintenance. NC is better than some states but still has issues.
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Aisha Abdullah
•At least NC has online filing. Some states still require paper forms mailed in. Talk about stressful deadlines.
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Ethan Davis
FYI - if the portal is still giving you trouble, NC SOS has an emergency filing hotline for deadline situations. Found that out during a similar crisis last year. Worth calling if you get stuck again.
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Isabella Santos
•Good to know! Do you happen to have that number handy? I'll keep it in my contacts for future emergencies.
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Ethan Davis
•It's buried on their website somewhere in the UCC section. Had to dig for it but they do have an after-hours emergency contact for critical filings.
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Yuki Tanaka
FINAL UPDATE: Got the continuation filed with 2 hours to spare! Portal stayed stable long enough to complete the submission. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions - especially the tip about Certana.ai for document checking. Will definitely use that for future filings to avoid these last-minute verification scrambles.
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ShadowHunter
•Glad you made it! Yeah, the document verification tool really takes the guesswork out of continuation filings. Much better than manually comparing PDFs line by line.
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Anastasia Sokolov
•Congrats on beating the deadline. Nothing like that feeling of relief when a critical filing goes through at the last minute.
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Sean O'Connor
•Well done. Hopefully NC gets their portal issues sorted out soon. These deadline crunches are nerve-wracking enough without technical problems.
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