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How to Find Business Records in Michigan
Michigan Business Records
Searching for Business Records in Michigan
In Michigan, a number of business documents are available for viewing by
the public. The Michigan Secretary of State maintains UCC filings
pertaining to security interests. Additionally, the Michigan Department
of Labor and Economic Growth maintains records of Michigan corporations.
Here are some tips on accessing some of Michigan�s business records
online.
What Records Are Maintained by the Michigan Secretary of State and
Department of Labor and Economic Growth?
In Michigan, business may take a number of forms, including corporations
and limited liability companies. Some business formats are treated
separately by the law, so that it is necessary for the State of Michigan
to keep records about which businesses are incorporated. Documents
pertaining to incorporated businesses are made available for viewing by
the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth.
Additionally, the Michigan Secretary of State maintains UCC filings,
which are records of security interests held by individuals or
organizations in collateral owned by debtors in exchange for loans. Some
of this information is available for free online; to obtain additional
information it is necessary to register and provide credit card
information.
Why Would a Business Not Have Documents On File?
Not all businesses choose to �incorporate,� or adopt a corporate form.
Particularly in the case of a business owned by an individual, it is not
uncommon for a business to be operated as a sole proprietorship or some
other business form not necessitating corporate forms to be filed.
Additionally, bear in mind that businesses often choose to incorporate
in a state other than where they might keep offices. For this reason, if
a business is not incorporated in the State of Michigan, it is entirely
possible that it has incorporated in another state entirely.
How Can I Search for Records Maintained by the Michigan Secretary of
State and Michigan of Department of Labor and Economic Growth?
Business records in Michigan are made available online by the Michigan
Department of Labor and Economic Growth. To begin a search for business
records, visit the website of the Michigan Department of Labor and
Economic Growth, found here: www.michigan.gov/cis. At the top of the
screen, click the option �Online Services,� which will take you to a
page with the same title. Under the heading �Commercial Services and
Corporations,� select the option �Business Entity Search.� This will
open a new window and a page entitled �Corporation Division Business
Entity Search.�
From the Corporation Division Business Entity Search, you may select to
search the database by name, keyword, or identification number. Results
will be returned in list form, including the name of the business entity
matching the search criteria, the ID number of the entity, and the type
of entity. Each business name appears in blue and is a clickable link.
Clicking on a name in the list will take you to a page including
additional information about the business entity, including the resident
agent, office address, formation date, jurisdiction of origin, and
status. Additionally, a link at the bottom marked �View Document Images�
will take you to a page bearing a list of documents that have been filed
in conjunction with that business entity, including the number of pages
and the date filed. To the left of the name of each document in a small
picture that looks like a camera. Clicking on the camera picture will
allow you to view a scanned image of the document.
To view UCC filings, begin by visiting the Michigan Secretary of State�s
website, located at www.michigan.gov/sos. At the top of the web page,
click on the option �Online Services.� This will take you to a new page,
also entitled �Online Services.� Under the heading �Services to
Businesses,� click on the option �UCC Online.� You will be taken to a
page where you can choose �Register,� �Login,� or �Debtor Name Quick
Search.� The �Debtor Name Quick Search� option will take you to a page
where you can search for UCC information by the name of an individual or
an organization. However, the website informs searchers that the Debtor
Name Quick Search is not an official UCC search. To do so, it is
necessary to register and provide credit card information, then log in
using the registration information.
However, the Debtor Name Quick Search can provide useful information.
After inputting the individual or organization name, the results are
returned in list form. This returns file numbers, dates and status for
names matching the search criteria, so that when a formal UCC search is
launched, the proper information can be targeted.
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