The main California Secretary of State phone number is (916) 653-6814, which routes through an automated menu to every division, executive office, and the state archives.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information Sacramento lines are staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and closed on state holidays.2California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Business Entities Call volume runs highest first thing in the morning and just before closing, so midday tends to connect faster.
If you already know which division handles your issue, calling its direct line saves the menu routing.
Business Filings and Entities
The Business Programs Division answers at (916) 657-5448 for corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information Use it to check good-standing status, ask about filing requirements, or find out whether a Statement of Information is overdue. Have your exact legal entity name or Secretary of State ID number ready before dialing.
Trademarks, service marks, domestic partnership registrations, and advance health care directive filings go through Special Filings at (916) 653-3984.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information
For UCC financing statements and lien searches, call the Uniform Commercial Code section at (916) 653-3516.3California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Uniform Commercial Code
Elections and Voter Hotlines
The Elections Division’s direct line is (916) 657-2166 for general election administration.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information Voters checking registration, finding a polling place, or reporting a concern should use the toll-free voter hotline: (800) 345-VOTE (8683).4California Secretary of State. Voter Hotlines
California also runs dedicated toll-free hotlines in ten languages:4California Secretary of State. Voter Hotlines
- Spanish: (800) 232-VOTA (8682)
- Chinese: (800) 339-2857
- Hindi: (888) 345-2692
- Japanese: (800) 339-2865
- Khmer: (888) 345-4917
- Korean: (866) 575-1558
- Tagalog: (800) 339-2957
- Thai: (855) 345-3933
- Vietnamese: (800) 339-8163
- TTY/TDD: 711
Notary Public, Apostille, and Authentication
The Notary Public section, which also handles apostilles and authentications, answers at (916) 653-3595 in Sacramento.5California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Notary Public For in-person apostille and authentication services in Southern California, the Los Angeles office is at (213) 897-5310.6California Secretary of State. Los Angeles Office If you’re calling about an existing commission, have your commission number ready.
Campaign, Lobbying, and Archives
Campaign finance and lobbying disclosure questions go to the Political Reform Division at (916) 653-6224.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information Enforcement of the Political Reform Act itself is handled by the Fair Political Practices Commission, a separate agency; the Secretary of State’s division handles filing and disclosure.
The California State Archives reference desk is at (916) 653-2246, and the general information line is (916) 653-7715.7California Secretary of State. Contact Information – California State Archives
Safe at Home and Other Specialized Lines
Safe at Home, the confidential address program for survivors of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking, uses a toll-free line: (877) 322-5227.8California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Safe at Home
Other specialized numbers:1California Secretary of State. Contact Information
- Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund: (916) 651-9070
- Legislative Affairs Office: (916) 653-6774
- Communications Office (media only): (916) 653-6575
For Public Records Act requests, call the main line at (916) 653-6814 or email PRAPublicRequest@sos.ca.gov.9California Secretary of State. Public Records Act Requests
Office Locations
The Sacramento headquarters is at 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, and houses Business Programs, Elections, and most other departments.2California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Business Entities The Los Angeles office is at 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013, and handles in-person authentications and certain business filings.6California Secretary of State. Los Angeles Office The State Archives are at 1020 O Street in Sacramento.7California Secretary of State. Contact Information – California State Archives All offices keep the same weekday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. schedule.
When You Can Skip the Phone
Many routine tasks don’t require a call. The Secretary of State’s bizfile portal lets you file formation documents, submit a Statement of Information, search business entities, order certified copies, reserve a business name, and check current processing dates. UCC financing statements and debtor searches also run through bizfile. Entity numbers issued through the portal now carry a “B” prefix, so include that letter when searching for a recently formed business.10California Secretary of State. bizfile For a status check or a copy download, the portal is faster than the phone and runs around the clock.