North Carolina Secretary of State

What North Carolina Secretary of State does

The North Carolina Secretary of State's Office is a constitutional office within the executive branch of the North Carolina state government, headed by Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall and headquartered at 2 South Salisbury Street in Raleigh. The office operates eight major divisions and approximately eleven specialized programs covering business registration, charities oversight, notary public commissions, lobbying disclosure, securities regulation, trademark and service mark registration, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings, document authentication and apostilles, and related administrative functions. Services are delivered to corporations, LLCs, partnerships, charitable organizations, notaries, lobbyists, securities professionals, creditors, trademark owners, telephonic sellers, and state government agencies across all 100 North Carolina counties.

The office runs a state government digital services platform anchored by an online filing and search portal at sosnc.gov, supporting electronic business creation, annual report filing, reinstatement, certified document ordering, UCC electronic filing and information requests, notary commission renewal, eNotary registration, charity licensing, lobbyist registration, and a public meetings calendar for NC Open Meetings Act compliance. Underlying features include a free public business entity search, trademark and UCC search, and a data subscription product that monetizes bulk access to public records at $1,600–$5,200 per dataset per year.

Revenue is generated primarily through statutory transaction fees established by the North Carolina General Statutes (e.g., $30 UCC electronic filings, $50 notary commissions, $75 trademark registrations, $100 telephonic seller registrations, $125 online ticket resale prohibition filings) supplemented by subscription fees for bulk data access. Distribution combines self-serve online filing with traditional mail, limited in-person service at the Raleigh headquarters, and the statewide Register of Deeds network for notary oath administration. The office supplements direct services with regulatory enforcement (e.g., 2025 securities settlements, charitable fraud shutdowns) and economic development partnerships such as Rural RISE NC with the NC Department of Commerce.

Name

North Carolina Secretary of State

Legal name

North Carolina Secretary of State's Office

Website

https://sosnc.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1776

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The North Carolina Secretary of State's Office is a constitutional state agency that administers business registration, notary commissions, UCC filings, trademarks, securities oversight, charity licensing, and document authentication for corporations, individuals, and regulated entities across North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Business Registration Filings: Filing fees for entity creation, annual reports, reinstatements, and certified documents
2. Notary Commissions: Fees for notary public commissions, renewals, and eNotary registrations
3. UCC Filings and Searches: Fees for filing UCC statements, federal tax liens, and information requests
4. Trademark Registration: Fees for trademark/service mark registration, renewals, and assignments
5. Charities Licensing: Fees for charitable solicitation licensing and annual reports
6. Telephonic Seller Registration: Registration fees for telephonic sellers conducting sales in North Carolina
7. Authentication and Apostilles: Fees for authenticating documents for international use
8. Online Ticket Resale Prohibition: Filing fees for Notice of Prohibition of ticket resale
9. Data Subscriptions: Subscription fees for bulk access to public business registration, UCC, notary, and trademark data

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The North Carolina Secretary of State's Office is a state government agency that administers official statutory services including business entity registration and annual reports, notary public commissions and eNotary registration, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings, state trademark and service mark registration, charitable solicitation licensing, securities regulation, lobbyist registration, and document authentication/apostille services. Services are delivered primarily through the sosnc.gov online portal with mail and in-person options, supported by divisions covering Business Registration, Charities, Notary, Lobbying, Securities, UCC, Trademarks, and Authentications.

Product overview

The North Carolina Secretary of State's Office is a government agency providing a comprehensive portfolio of administrative services organized into divisions and programs. Core divisions include Business Registration, Charities, Notary, Lobbying, Securities, Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), Trademarks, Advance Health Care Directives Registry, Land Records, Publications, Authentications, and International Services. These divisions operate alongside specialized programs covering Athlete Agents, Business Opportunity Sales, Telephonic Seller Registration, Online Ticket Resales, Loan Broker Registration, Membership Camping, Invention Development Services, and Cable Television Franchises. The office also maintains a Public Meetings Calendar for state agency compliance with open meetings requirements and offers Data Subscription Services for bulk public records access. Services are delivered primarily through the sosnc.gov online portal, enabling electronic filings, searches, and document orders for businesses, charities, notaries, and other regulated entities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Registration
• Notary Public Commissions
• Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Filings
• Trademark and Service Mark Registration
• Charitable Solicitation Licensing
• Authentication and Apostilles
• Securities Regulation
• Lobbyist Registration
• Data Subscription Services
• Advance Health Care Directives Registry
• Telephonic Seller Registration

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NC Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural RISE NC initiative connects businesses with mentors, counselors, and funding sources. The Secretary of State participates in this economic development program.
• NC Attorney General's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint enforcement actions on fraudulent charities, securities violations, and telephonic seller fraud. The Attorney General represents injured purchasers in civil actions against telephonic sellers.
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal tax lien information provided to Secretary of State for recording; UCC Section records Federal Tax Liens on corporations and partnerships.
• NC Department of RevenueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRequires resale ticket sellers to file reports with NC Department of Revenue; charter suspension for failure to report.
• NC State Board of ElectionsminorOthersReferenced as related state agency on official website.
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint enforcement action with CFTC resulted in final judgment against precious metals firm that defrauded elderly adults.
• National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)minorOthersNational professional association for Secretaries of State providing best practices and inter-state coordination.
• North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA)minorOthersNational association of state securities administrators for investor protection coordination.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Delaware Division of Corporations: Delaware Division of Corporations is the dominant U.S. corporate registration office, performing entity formation, UCC, and franchise tax functions; directly comparable in regulatory scope and statutory authority over business filings.
• Texas Secretary of State: Texas Secretary of State performs the same constitutional executive-branch functions—business entity filings, UCC, trademarks, notary commissions, and securities oversight—for the state of Texas, making it the closest like-for-like state-level peer.
• New York Department of State (Division of Corporations): New York Department of State's Division of Corporations handles business entity filings, UCC, and notary commissions, serving a comparable scale of commercial activity and offering directly analogous services.
• California Secretary of State: California Secretary of State administers business filings, UCC, trademarks, notaries, and Safe at Home address confidentiality, with a comparable multi-division structure to North Carolina's office.
• Florida Department of State (Division of Corporations): Florida's Division of Corporations administers business registrations, UCC filings, trademarks, and notaries, with comparable scope and a similar high-volume filing environment to North Carolina.

Others

• National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS): NASS is the professional association for state Secretaries of State that coordinates best practices and inter-state initiatives; relevant as the institutional peer network of which the NC SoS is a member.
• North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA): NASAA is the association of state securities regulators; directly comparable to the NC SoS Securities Division in mandate, enforcement coordination, and investor protection focus.

Emerging players

• Harbor Compliance: Harbor Compliance provides business licensing, registered agent, and compliance services across states, including North Carolina, representing an emerging private-sector alternative to direct SoS engagement for routine filings.

Broad incumbents

• Corporation Service Company (CSC): CSC is a private-sector registered agent and compliance services provider that files with all 50 state Secretaries of State; comparable as a downstream consumer of NC SoS data and a competitor for value-added filing services.
• Wolters Kluwer (CT Corporation): Wolters Kluwer's CT Corporation offers corporate compliance, registered agent, and UCC services across all U.S. jurisdictions, interacting directly with NC SoS systems and competing for filing-related services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCSecState
• YouTubetinyurl.com/ycy49ksl
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCSecState

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Secretary of State