The California Secretary of State’s main phone number is (916) 653-6814, staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except on state holidays.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information2California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Business Entities That line routes to an automated menu covering every division, the executive offices, and the state archives. If you already know which program you need, dialing the direct line below saves time. Call volume peaks in the morning and just before closing, so midday calls connect faster.
Direct Lines by Division
Use the specific number for your issue rather than the general menu whenever you can.1California Secretary of State. Contact Information
- Business Programs (corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, Statement of Information): (916) 657-5448
- Special Filings (trademarks, service marks, domestic partnership registrations, advance health care directives): (916) 653-3984
- Notary Public, apostilles, and document authentication: (916) 653-35953California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Notary Public
- Elections Division (general administration): (916) 657-2166
- Political Reform Division (campaign finance and lobbying filings): (916) 653-6224
- Uniform Commercial Code (financing statements, lien searches): (916) 653-35164California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Uniform Commercial Code
- California State Archives reference desk: (916) 653-2246; general information: (916) 653-77155California Secretary of State. Contact Information – California State Archives
- Safe at Home (confidential address program for survivors): (877) 322-52276California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Safe at Home
- Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund: (916) 651-9070
- Legislative Affairs: (916) 653-6774
- Communications (media only): (916) 653-6575
- Los Angeles office (in-person apostilles and authentications): (213) 897-53107California Secretary of State. Los Angeles Office
Before you dial a business line, have your exact legal entity name or Secretary of State identification number ready so the representative can pull your file. For a notary question, keep your commission number nearby.
Voter Hotlines
For voter registration status, polling place lookup, or reporting an election concern, the toll-free voter hotline is (800) 345-VOTE (8683).8California Secretary of State. Voter Hotlines Dedicated toll-free lines in ten additional languages are available:
- 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
Have your registration address or county ready. The hotline can confirm your status and direct you to your polling location on the call.
Office Locations
The Sacramento headquarters is at 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, home to the Business Programs Division, Elections Division, and most other departments.2California Secretary of State. Contact Information – Business Entities The California State Archives sits nearby at 1020 O Street.5California Secretary of State. Contact Information – California State Archives The Los Angeles office is at 300 South Spring Street, Room 12513, Los Angeles, CA 90013, and primarily handles in-person document authentication and certain business filings.7California Secretary of State. Los Angeles Office Both offices keep the same weekday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. hours and close on state holidays.
In-person apostille requests require documents with an original notary signature, stamp, and seal. Photocopies are not accepted. Know the destination country before you arrive or call, since authentication requirements differ depending on whether the receiving country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention.
Try bizfile Before You Call
Many of the tasks people call about can be done online in minutes through the Secretary of State’s bizfile portal: filing formation documents, submitting a Statement of Information, searching business entities, ordering certified copies, reserving a business name, and checking current processing dates.9California Secretary of State. bizfile UCC financing statements and debtor searches run through the same portal. Entity numbers issued through bizfile now carry a letter “B” prefix, so include that when you search for a recently formed business. The portal is open around the clock, which matters if your question hits outside the Sacramento phone hours.