How do I get a copy of a filing?
Request a search by filing an Information Request (UCC11). The fee for a copy search is $15.00 for each filing plus $1.00 per page.
Request a search by filing an Information Request (UCC11). The fee for a copy search is $15.00 for each filing plus $1.00 per page.
Our online search (https://TNBEAR.TN.gov/UCC) displays summary information about a financing statement (debtors, secured parties, dates). Information Requests (UCC11) can now be submitted online and as soon as payment is complete, you are able to retrieve a .pdf file of the images.
Please note that a financing statement fling will not appear in a UCC11’s search results until the processed-through date in the office has passed the online filed date and time. The processed-through date appears in red at the top of the UCC Online Services page
Currently, credit cards, debit cards, and e-check payments are available for web filed documents. File online at https://TNBEAR.TN.gov/UCC
We do not accept faxed or emailed filings. However, you may file online at https://TNBEAR.TN.gov/UCC.
UCC forms are available online on our Business Forms & Fee page.
Use the online UCC search tool or file a UCC11 Information Request.
T.C.A. § 47-9-516(b) provides a list of rejection reasons. The following are some examples:
Please be sure that any filing not submitted on a Secretary of State form (especially search requests) includes all of the required information. Our forms contain all of the required information.
A UCC financing statement is effective for a period of five (5) years. A financing statement lapses or terminates at the end of the five-year period. A continuation statement can be filed to extend the lapse date if it is filed within six (6) months before the security interest expires. An initial financing statement filed in connection with a public-finance transaction or manufactured-home transaction is effective for a period of thirty (30) years after the date of filing if it indicates that it is filed in connection with a public-finance transaction or manufactured-home transaction. If a debtor is a transmitting utility and a filed initial financing statement so indicates, the financing statement is effective until a termination statement is filed.
A UCC financing statement is valid until it lapses.
If the recording tax on the stated indebtedness has been paid at the county level, the following are required:
Make sure any receipt that you provide is readable. If you request an exemption from the indebtedness tax, you MUST request it in writing with an explanation for the request.
A recording tax of eleven and one-half (11.5¢) cents for each one hundred ($100) dollars of indebtedness is due on any financing statement or amendment to a financing statement. You must state the “maximum principal indebtedness for Tennessee recording tax purposes” on either the face of the instrument or on an attached sworn statement “ The first two thousand ($2,000) dollars of total indebtedness is exempt from the recording tax; however, the exemption can only be taken once in relation to a financing statement. This tax is often referred to as the indebtedness tax.
The filing fee is fifteen dollars ($15.00) per debtor. When there are multiple debtors listed on a single financing statement, a fifteen dollar ($15.00) fee is required for each debtor. If multiple statements are filed, be sure to include the fifteen dollars ($15.00) fee for each debtor. Each different address listed for a debtor is considered a separate debtor for filing fee purposes.
The UCC Section provides public notice that a security agreement (the document that grants the security interest) exists between a specific debtor and creditor (called a secured party) and describes the collateral involved. The Secretary of State’s office is the central filing office for certain financing statements and other lien documents provided for in the Uniform Commercial Code. Filing a financing statement with our office allows a creditor to perfect a security interest in the collateral and establish priority in case of debtor default or bankruptcy. Documents filed include initial financing statements, amendments, assignments, and other UCC filings authorized by Tennessee statutes.
A UCC-1 is a “financing statement” filed to provide notice that a creditor has a security interest in a debtor’s personal property. It is not an agreement. It is just notice to the world that one person claims an interest in someone else's property, usually as collateral for a debt.
UCC stands for Uniform Commercial Code. It is a uniform law that governs commercial transactions, including sales of goods, secured transactions and negotiable instruments. It is a comprehensive set of statutes created to provide consistency among the states. It is called a uniform law because the same law exists in many states.
You should bring all of the documentation you have received since your appeal began, any witnesses you wish to question during the hearing, and anything you wish to introduce as an exhibit (with extra copies) at the hearing.
Please refer to the orders issued in your case for additional information.
For Tenncare and Safety cases, you typically do not have to file anything with APD before the hearing unless you are specifically directed to do so by the judge.
For other case types, you may be required to file a Witness and Exhibit List, or other documents as directed by the ALJ assigned to your case. Please refer to the orders issued in your case for specific information.
Please note, if the opposing party in your case files a motion, APD’s rules allow seven days for you to file a response to that motion.
If you wish to pursue mediation in addition to a due process hearing, you will be assigned two case numbers – one case number for your mediation and a different case number for your due process case. Two different ALJs will be assigned to the two tracks of your case – one ALJ for your mediation and a different ALJ for your due process case. This is to prevent statements that are made and discussions that may happen during the mediation from affecting the ruling of the ALJ in your due process hearing. If you have both a mediation and a due process case with APD, your due process case may be postponed until the conclusion of your mediation.
APD and our ALJs cannot give you legal advice. If you are debating between a hearing and mediation, you may want to seek legal counsel.
However, a few important things to know …
Mediation is an alternative method for trying to resolve a legal dispute, rather than going to a formal hearing, in which a mediator helps disputing parties reach a mutually agreeable solution to their differences in their case. If the parties request mediation, a different ALJ other than the one assigned to the due process case will serve as the mediator.
A hearing is a more formal legal proceeding, much like a trial in court. At the end of a hearing, either the judge or the board or commission will determine the outcome of the case.
If you are unable to attend your scheduled hearing, you will need to request a continuance. Preferably, you can first contact the opposing party to discuss your need for a continuance. If you can mutually agree upon a new date, then both parties can file a joint motion for continuance. If you are unable to contact the other party or are unable to reach a mutual agreement for a continuance, then you may file a Motion for Continuance with APD. Both a joint motion or an individual Motion for Continuance should include the specific reasons why the party or parties cannot attend the scheduled hearing and need a new hearing date. In both scenarios, it is up to the ALJ whether or not the request for a continuance will be granted.
Unlike cases in criminal court, you are not entitled to have an attorney appointed for your administrative case before APD. You may, however, hire an attorney to represent you at your own expense.
Cases before APD are official legal proceedings and they can be complicated. We understand that, and we try to make the process, hearings, and orders as straightforward as possible. However, we also encourage those with complicated cases and who cannot afford an attorney to reach out to your local bar association or Legal Aid Society in your county or region.
In some hearings, the judge alone will hear your case. The judge’s decision will be made in a written order which will be sent to both parties. In some hearings, your case will be heard by a board or commission that is sitting with the judge. In this type of hearing, the board or commission will determine the outcome of the case, while the ALJ makes legal rulings on procedure but does not decide the final outcome.
An administrative hearing involves a dispute over the administration or implementation of government laws and rules. An administrative hearing is conducted in basically the same way as a trial with both parties presenting evidence to an Administrative Judge or to a board or commission.