Where should a financing statement be filed to perfect a security interest?

The correct location to file a financing statement to perfect a security interest typically involves filing with the state’s secretary of state, specifically in the case of most personal property secured transactions. The Georgia law requires that a financing statement is generally filed with the Georgia Secretary of State's office. This filing creates a public record that establishes priority over other creditors.

Options related to filing at the county courthouse, with a clerk of the superior court in any county, or the Department of Motor Vehicles do not align with the standard procedures for perfecting a security interest through a financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), particularly in Georgia. Each of those options has specific scenarios where they might apply, but for the purpose of perfecting a security interest broadly across most types of collateral, filing with the state secretary of state is the appropriate and most common choice.