To search for liens, fill in only the criteria you want to search on and click "Search for Liens." The index will select any liens found matching your criteria and download them from the Secretary of State's Office.

When entering your search criteria there are several things to keep in mind:

1. "Less is more" - By entering less information you may be provided with more results. For example: By entering "Harv" in the last name field your results will include "Harvey", "Harve", "Harvest", "Harvesting" and "Harvesters".

2. Punctuation - Avoid entering punctuation unless you know for certain exactly how it was used. For example: The Widget Company, Incorporated could be entered as a debtor in several ways? "The Widget Company", "The Widget Co.", "The Widget Company, Inc.", "The Widget Company Inc.", or The Widget Company Inc". Using punctuation in the search may cause certain variations to be excluded.

3. Narrow your search - There are multiple ways to narrow your searches. Multiple fields may be entered simultaneously to find specific information. For example: A debtor last name may be coupled with a first name or a city name or a secured party name or a secured party city, or any combination of those options.

4. Free Search - Take advantage of the free search option to find the best way to search to get the results you need. Once you have discovered the best search criteria for your results, use the premium search to access detailed information and images in one search rather than several.

5. Checkboxes

   1. Match name exactly - This checkbox does exactly what it says. When checking this box, the search will match exactly what you have entered as search criteria. No extraneous information will be included in the search results.

   2. Show recently lapsed liens - When a UCC reaches its lapse date the status of the UCC changes from "Current" to "Lapsed-Inactive". Our office is required to keep "Lapsed-Inactive" filings searchable for 1 year. By checking this checkbox, those "Lapsed-Inactive" filings will be included in your search results.

6. Lien numbers - Enter lien numbers without spaces or dashes.

   1. B 2010-1010101-0 should be entered as B201010101010

Once your search results arrive there are many options for displaying the information to suit your needs:

1. Page Numbers - Search results are displayed with 20 results per page. If your search returns more than 20 results you can take advantage of the dropdown menu as seen here:

   

   1. Each page item on the drop down menu displays the first search result on that page. (Page number information will change depending on how the results are sorted (see #3 below).) Simply select the page you wish to view and click the "Jump to Page" button.

   2. Clicking on >> will advance you one page at a time.

   3. Clicking on >| will advance you to the last page of the results.

   4. Clicking on << will take you back one page.

   5. Clicking on |< will take you back to the first page of the results.

2. Basic and Detailed Views - When your search results arrive they will show only basic information. You can switch from basic to detailed information and back again in a couple of ways:

   1. Click on [ Expand All ] (just above the results) and all results will expand to show detailed information.

   2. Click on the next to each individual result and that result will expand to display detailed information.

   3. Click on [ Collapse All ] (just above the results) and all results will contract to show only basic information.

   4. Click on next to the detailed result and that result will contract to show only basic information.

3. Sorting options - Search results may be sorted by clicking on one of the column names (Lien, Type, Debtor, Status, Filing Date, Expiration Date):

   1. Each column may be sorted in ascending or descending order.

      1. You will see (ascending) or (descending) next to the column name you've chosen to sort.

      2. The first click on a column name will sort by that column's information in ascending order.

      3. The second click on a column name will sort by that column's information in descending order. (You must wait for the column to finish sorting the first click before clicking the second time.)

   2. Depending on which column you choose to sort by, the drop down menu at the top will change to reflect that information. For example: If you choose to sort by Filing Date, the drop down menu at the top will look like this: which allows you to navigate through the results by filing date, rather than filing number.

4. Document Images - By clicking on a "Lien Number" such as B200509867136 or clicking on an Amendment Number (which can be found in the detailed information) such as - you can open a PDF or XML copy of the original document, which you can save or print for your records.