Liens on a Montana business before you buy
How do I find liens on a Montana business before buying it?
One search per name, at the Secretary of State
Lien searching in Montana is one office and one form: a $7 debtor search at the Secretary of State, per name searched.
The office's own description of the route is direct. Searches run by debtor or secured party, through the UCC11 Information Request form, and a standard search returns the debtor and secured party names, the filing number and the filing date. Copies and collateral detail add $5.
What makes the search worth doing properly is what one search returns. Every lien type the office holds comes back together — UCC filings, federal tax liens, child support liens and more. One search per name is the whole lien picture for that name.
$7 plus $5A debtor lien search at the Montana Secretary of State costs $7 per name, with copies and collateral detail adding $5. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
$7 per nameOne UCC11 Information Request search at the Montana Secretary of State returns all liens filed with the office, including UCC, EFS, Title 71, federal tax liens and child support liens. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
all liens filed with the Secretary of State’s office (UCC, EFS, Title 71, federal tax liens, child support liens) are returned with each UCC11 Information Request search
What a UCC filing actually tells you
A UCC lien is a public statement that a lender has a claim on named property of the debtor, and the filing tells you who, what and when.
The Secretary of State describes it plainly. A UCC lien is a financial document stating that a lender, the secured party, has a claim in certain property belonging to someone else, the debtor. Filing it gives notice to interested parties of the existence of a security interest against specific collateral.
For a buyer, the filing number and the secured party are the working facts. The collateral list tells you which trucks, machines or inventory the lender can reach, and the filing date tells you which earlier lender has priority. A new UCC1 filing costs the lender $7 — a cheap filing to have made against property you are about to buy.
$7A new UCC1 lien filing at the Montana Secretary of State costs $7. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
Equipment you buy can still be someone's collateral
An asset purchase does not launder a lien. Equipment listed as a lender's collateral can still be claimed if the seller's debt goes unpaid, even after the trucks are in your yard and the bill of sale is signed.
The practical protections are paperwork, and none of them happen by accident. Search before the deposit. Name the equipment on the purchase schedule by serial number. Require the sale proceeds to pay the secured debt at closing, and require the lender's written release.
The state helps at one end of that. Filing a termination statement, the filing that clears a satisfied lien, costs nothing at the Secretary of State. A seller who has been paid has no fee-based excuse for leaving a satisfied lien on the record.
$0Filing a lien termination statement with the Montana Secretary of State carries no fee. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
An entity purchase takes the debts inside
Buying the entity does not duck the lien question — it answers it in the worst way, by inheriting whatever the search finds.
An entity purchase takes the company with its obligations attached. A UCC lien against the company survives the change of members, because the debtor did not change. The company still owes, and now it owes to you.
This is the reason the search runs before the route is chosen, not after. A clean search makes either route workable. A dirty one makes the asset route look better, or the price look lower. The asset-versus-entity guide weighs exactly this trade.
$7A debtor lien search at the Montana Secretary of State costs $7 per name. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
What a clean search does not cover
A clean search for one name is not a clean bill for the business, and the Secretary of State says so itself.
The office's disclaimer on search results is worth reading twice. The results of a debtor lien search will not reflect variances of the name, and if the debtor is known under other personal names, trade names or business entity names, a separate search of each is needed. One search per name, not one search per business.
So the search list is the name list. The company's registered name, every trade name it operates under, and the owner personally if the business is small enough that its equipment is financed on the owner's signature. The due diligence checklist keeps the whole list in order.
Montana Secretary of State lien searches return only the exact name searched, and require separate searches for personal names, trade names and business entity names a debtor uses. — Montana Secretary of State lien information, retrieved 2026-09-29
The results of this debtor lien search will not reflect variances of this name. If the debtor is known under other personal names, trade names, or business entity names, a separate search of these names will need to be conducted.
Questions
How much does it cost to search for liens on a Montana business?
$7 per name through the UCC11 Information Request, with copies and collateral detail adding $5. Search each name the business uses, since one search covers one exact name.
Does a lien transfer to me if I only buy the assets?
The lien stays on the collateral. A lender's claim on listed equipment can survive an asset sale if the debt is unpaid, which is why releases belong at closing, in writing.
Does buying the LLC clear its liens?
No. The company keeps its secured debts, and the lien stays against the same debtor. The search should happen before you choose the route, not after.
Are tax liens visible in the same search?
Yes. Federal tax liens and child support liens file with the Secretary of State, and the office states they are returned together with UCC liens in each UCC11 search.