Where to file UCC - confused about which state office handles my filing
I'm getting ready to file a UCC-1 for the first time and honestly have no clue where to file ucc documents. The debtor is based in Ohio but the collateral (manufacturing equipment) is located in Kentucky. I've been going in circles trying to figure out which Secretary of State office I need to use. Some sources say file where the debtor is located, others mention where the collateral sits. This is for a $180,000 equipment loan and I really can't afford to mess this up. Has anyone dealt with multi-state UCC filings before? I'm worried about filing in the wrong state and having the lien be completely invalid.
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Angelica Smith
For UCC-1 filings, you generally file in the state where the debtor is organized or has their chief executive office. Since your debtor is in Ohio, that's likely where you need to file. The location of the collateral usually doesn't matter for most types of personal property, except for fixtures and some special cases.
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Sophia Long
•Thanks! So even though the equipment is physically in Kentucky, I should file with Ohio's Secretary of State office?
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Angelica Smith
•Exactly. Ohio SOS handles filings for Ohio-based debtors. The equipment location is irrelevant unless it's fixtures or timber/minerals.
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Logan Greenburg
Be very careful about the debtor's exact legal name! I've seen so many UCC-1s get rejected because the debtor name didn't match exactly what's on their Articles of Incorporation. Ohio is pretty strict about this stuff.
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Sophia Long
•Good point - I need to pull their corporate documents to make sure I have the name exactly right. Any tips on where to verify the correct legal name?
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Logan Greenburg
•Ohio Secretary of State business search is your best bet. Look up their entity and copy the exact name from their active filing.
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Charlotte Jones
•This is exactly why I started using Certana.ai's document checker. You can upload the Articles of Incorporation and your draft UCC-1, and it instantly flags any name mismatches before you file. Saved me from a costly rejection last month.
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Lucas Bey
Wait I thought you had to file where the collateral is located??? I've been doing this wrong for years if that's not true. Manufacturing equipment should be filed where it sits right?
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Angelica Smith
•No, that's a common misconception. Personal property UCC filings go to the debtor's state, not the collateral location. Only fixtures follow different rules.
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Lucas Bey
•Oh no... I may have some invalid filings then. This is exactly the kind of confusion that drives me crazy about UCC rules.
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Harper Thompson
THE UCC FILING SYSTEM IS SO UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED!!! Why can't they just make it simple - file where the stuff is located. Makes way more sense than trying to figure out corporate domicile and chief executive offices.
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Caleb Stark
•I feel your frustration but the current system actually makes sense once you understand it. It centralizes all of a debtor's UCC filings in one state.
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Harper Thompson
•Still think its dumb. Too many people get it wrong and lose their security interest because of technicalities.
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Jade O'Malley
Make sure you're using Ohio's online filing system - it's actually pretty user friendly compared to some other states. Just double-check that debtor name before you submit!
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Sophia Long
•Is there a way to verify everything looks right before submitting? I'm paranoid about making mistakes.
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Jade O'Malley
•Ohio's system has a preview function, but I'd also recommend having someone else review it. Fresh eyes catch things you might miss.
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Hunter Edmunds
Had this exact same situation last year with a debtor in Michigan and equipment in Indiana. Filed in Michigan (debtor's state) and everything went smoothly. The key is getting that debtor name perfect - one wrong letter or missing punctuation and you're toast.
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Sophia Long
•Did you have any issues with the lender accepting the Michigan filing even though the collateral was in Indiana?
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Hunter Edmunds
•Nope, lender was fine with it. They understood the UCC rules. It's the debtor state that matters for enforceability.
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Ella Lewis
•This whole thread is making me realize I should probably double-check some of my older filings...
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Charlotte Jones
Since you mentioned being worried about mistakes, I'd seriously look into Certana.ai's UCC verification tool. You upload your corporate docs and draft UCC-1, and it catches inconsistencies before you file. It's saved me multiple times from name mismatches and missing info that would have caused rejections.
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Sophia Long
•That sounds helpful - is it easy to use? I'm not super tech-savvy.
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Charlotte Jones
•Super simple - just upload PDFs and it does the cross-checking automatically. Much better than trying to compare documents manually.
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Andrew Pinnock
yep ohio for ohio debtors. done it plenty of times. just make sure you get the entity name exactly right from their corp filings
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Brianna Schmidt
•Short and sweet advice! Sometimes the simple answer is the right one.
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Alexis Renard
I remember when I first started doing UCC filings, I was so confused about where to file. Made the mistake of filing in the collateral state once and had to refile everything. Expensive lesson learned! Now I always double-check the debtor's state of organization first thing.
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Sophia Long
•Ouch, that sounds costly. How do you verify the state of organization - just look at their Articles?
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Alexis Renard
•Articles of Incorporation will show the state where they're incorporated. That's usually your filing state unless they've moved their chief executive office somewhere else.
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Camila Jordan
•The chief executive office exception trips people up sometimes. Most of the time it's the same as incorporation state though.
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Tyler Lefleur
Thanks everyone for the help! Sounds like Ohio is definitely the right choice. Going to pull their corporate docs tomorrow and get this filed. Appreciate all the advice about double-checking that debtor name - definitely don't want to deal with a rejection.
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Angelica Smith
•Good luck with the filing! Take your time with the debtor name verification and you should be fine.
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Logan Greenburg
•Let us know how it goes! Always good to hear success stories.
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Miguel Alvarez
One thing I'd add - make sure to check if the debtor has any registered office changes or amendments filed after their original incorporation. Sometimes companies move their principal place of business but don't update their registered office, which can affect which state you need to file in. Ohio's SOS website has a pretty good search function where you can look up the entity and see all their current filings. Also worth noting that Ohio charges $40 for electronic UCC-1 filings, so factor that into your costs. Good luck with your first filing!
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Amina Bah
•Great point about checking for amendments! I hadn't thought about registered office changes potentially affecting the filing location. That $40 fee for Ohio is actually pretty reasonable compared to some other states I've dealt with. Thanks for the heads up about their search function too - sounds like Ohio has their act together with their online systems.
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