Authority Projects - About the UCC System

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Information about the UCC Central Indexing System

With the passage of legislation in 1993, the state of Georgia established a statewide system for the indexing of Uniform Commercial Code documents. Georgia became the first state in the nation to privatize this traditional state function by outsourcing the indexing of the instruments to a third-party vendor.

Under the current system, a secured party need only file in one county to receive statewide notification of his lien position. When a filing is presented to a local clerk of superior court, the clerk has 24 hours in which to transmit the UCC document to the Authority and the Authority then has 24 hours in which to add the filing to the statewide index. Prior to 1995, it was necessary to file in all 159 Georgia counties to receive statewide notification. The central index provides secured parties with greater protection while saving them both time and money.

The Authority provides free, statewide access to its database through search terminals installed in all clerk of superior court offices. Additionally, the system was upgraded to allow Internet access by subscription for parties desiring 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access.

History of UCC Article 9

Revised Article 9 (RA9) of the UCC is the result of a ten-year project by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform Laws (NCCUSL). NCCUSL is a quasi-state reform group that recommends uniform legislation for all 50 states. RA9 became effective July 1, 2001 across the nation.

Revised Article 9 gives much greater responsibility to the private sector. At the same time, it removes responsibility, liability and all discretion from the filing officers (Clerks of Superior Court) and the filing system. The customer is completely responsible for filing accurate information and for knowing the correct name or names under which the filings should be searched.