08/18/2017

Secretary of State Announces 100 Percent of Business Filings Now Available Online

The project began merely four years ago

Earlier this week, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced that 100 percent of all filings needed to start or maintain a business in Ohio may now be submitted online and business owners may now submit all Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) statements and certified search requests online. This completes an effort that began in 2013 when Husted launched Ohio Business Central to modernize operations and better serve business owners.   

The online filings effort is among a series of initiatives that aim to alleviate the bureaucratic constraints and costs on Ohio’s job creators. Two years ago, Husted reduced the cost of starting and maintaining a business in the Buckeye State by 21 percent. This change has saved Ohio businesses over $4.5 million to date. In 2016, Husted contracted with the Cleveland Sight Center to manage the Business Services Call Center, which assists entrepreneurs with starting and maintaining a business in Ohio. This collaboration has paid off as average call wait time has dropped from more than five minutes to just 14 seconds – a reduction of 96 percent.  

Husted’s work to build a more business-friendly economy has been complemented by efforts to make his own office more efficient. As part of the recent state budget process, he requested a 100 percent cut in the amount of tax dollars needed to run his office. Husted’s request will save taxpayers nearly $5 million over state fiscal years 2018 and 2019.