When you find out that you need to contact the Secretary of State's office, your mind might jump to some serious foreign diplomacy issue at the State Department in Washington D.C. If you realize the Secretary of State is located in your state's government, maybe you think of the person who becomes visible every few years when there's a close election and ballots have to be counted (or recounted).
In reality, the Secretary of State's office is mostly an administrative role, especially when it comes to small business owners and business incorporation.
The Secretary of State (hereafter referred to as "SoS") is charged with registering activity and administrating the Uniform Commercial Code. They are the ones who set the guidelines for standard contracts and business practices in each state across the U.S. The SoS is also responsible for notaries throughout the state.
As a small business entrepreneur, your primary need to contact the SoS will come when it's time to register your business. You may also need to communicate with the SoS when it comes to matters pertaining to regulation, licensing and trademarks.
Below is a complete list of websites and contact information for every Secretary of State office in the U.S., sorted alphabetically by state and territory.
Note: You may notice that three states (Hawaii, Utah, Alaska) don't officially have an SoS, and instead place the administrative responsibilities in the office of the lieutenant governor. Three more states— Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts — call the position "Secretary of the Commonwealth." It amounts to the same thing and the website links below will take you to the correct place for your particular state.
Alabama
PO Box 5616
Montgomery, AL 36103-5616
(334) 242-7200
Alaska
550 W 7th Ave, Ste 1535
Anchorage, AK 99501-3587
(907) 465-2500
Arizona
1700 W Washington St Fl 7
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 542-4285
Arkansas
Executive Office State Capitol, Ste 256
500 Woodlane Ave
Little Rock, AR 72201
(501) 682-1010
California
1500 11th St
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 653-6814
Colorado
1700 Broadway, Ste 200
Denver, CO 80290
(303) 894-2200
Connecticut
State of Connecticut
30 Trinity St
Hartford, CT 06106
(860) 509-6200
Delaware
Division of Corporations
PO Box 898
Dover, DE 19903
(302) 739-3073
Florida
A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough St
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
(850) 245-6500
Georgia
214 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
(844) 753-7825
Guam
Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor's Complex Adelup
Guam 96910
(671) 472-8931
Hawaii
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Business Registration Division
PO Box 40
Honolulu, HI 96810
(808) 586-2727
Idaho
450 N 4th St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 334-2301
Illinois
213 State Capitol
Springfield, IL 62756
(800) 252-8980
Indiana
Office of the Indiana Secretary of State
200 W Washington St, Room 201
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-6531
Iowa
Secretary of State
First Floor, Lucas Building
321 E 12th St
Des Moines, IA 50319
(888) 767-8683
Kansas
Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Ave
Topeka, KS 66612-1594
(785) 296-4564
Kentucky
Office of the Kentucky Secretary of State
700 Capital Ave, Ste 152
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-3490
Louisiana
PO Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
(225).925-4704
Maine
Office of the Secretary
148 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0148
(207) 626-8400
Maryland
16 Francis St
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 974-5521
Massachusetts
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Corporations Division
McCormack Building
One Ashburton Pl, 17th floor
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 727-9640
Michigan
Michigan Department of State
Lansing, MI 48918
(888) 767-6424
Minnesota
Office of the Secretary of State
Retirement Systems of Minnesota Building
60 Empire Dr, Ste 100
St. Paul, MN 55103
(877) 551-6767
Mississippi
401 Mississippi St
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 359-1350
Missouri
600 W Main St
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 751-4936
Montana
Montana Secretary of State
Montana Capitol Building, Room 260
PO Box 202801
Helena, MT 59620-2801
(406) 444-2034
Nebraska
PO Box 94608
Lincoln, NE 68509-4608
(402) 471-2554
Nevada
101 N Carson St, Ste 3
Carson City, NV 89701
(775) 684-5708
New Hampshire
Corporation Division
N.H. Department of State
107 N Main St
Concord, NH 03301-4989
(603) 271-3246
New Jersey
PO Box 300
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 777-2581
New Mexico
New Mexico Capitol Annex North
325 Don Gaspar, Ste 300
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(800) 477-3632
New York
123 William St
New York, NY 10038-3804
(518) 473-2492
North Carolina
PO Box 29622
Raleigh, NC 27626-0622
(919) 814-5400
North Dakota
Secretary of State
State of North Dakota
600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108
Bismarck, ND 58505-0500
(701) 328-2900
Ohio
180 E Broad St, 16th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-2655
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Secretary of State
Executive Legislative Division
Oklahoma State Capitol Bldg, Room 122
2300 N Lincoln Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-3912
Oregon
900 Court St NE
Capitol Room 136
Salem, OR 97310-0722
(503) 986-1523
Pennsylvania
302 North Office Building, 401 North St
Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-6458
Rhode Island
148 W River St
Providence, RI 02904-2615
(401) 222-3040
South Carolina
SC Secretary of State's Office
1205 Pendleton St, Ste 525
Columbia, SC 29201
(803) 734-2158
South Dakota
Secretary of State
Capitol Building
500 E Capitol Ave, Ste 204
Pierre, SD 57501-5070
(605) 773-4845
Tennessee
Business Filings and Information
312 Rosa L. Parks Ave
6th Floor, Snodgrass Tower
Nashville, TN 37243-1102
(615) 741-2286
Texas
Texas Secretary of State
PO Box 12887
Austin, TX 78711-2887
(512) 463-5555
Utah
160 E 300 S, 2nd Floor
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(801) 530-4849
Vermont
128 State St
Montpelier, VT 05633-1101
(800) 439-8683
U.S. Virgin Islands
1131 King St, Ste 101
Christiansted, St
Croix, Virgin Islands 00820
(340) 773-6449
Virginia
PO Box 1475
Richmond, VA 23218
(804) 786-2441
Washington
Washington Secretary of State
Corporations
PO Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234
(360) 725-0377
West Virginia
State Capitol Building
Charleston, WV 25305
(304) 558-6000
Wisconsin
PO Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707-7848
(608) 266-8888
Wyoming
Business Division
2020 Carey Ave, Ste 700
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
(307) 777-7311
District Of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Ste 419
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 727-7278
Puerto Rico
Calle San José
San Juan, PR 00901
(787) 722-2121