SAN JOSE, Calif.- Google Inc.’s long-awaited initial stock sale, which appeared imminent yesterday, was delayed while the company awaits final approval of its paperwork by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Internet search company had requested its registration statement be made effective at 4 p.m. EDT. An SEC spokesman, John Heine, said regulators would not make a decision yesterday. He would not provide a reason for the delay.

Google did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The company has updated its regulatory filings several times since first announcing its plans to go public in April.

Typically, companies work closely with the SEC to ensure all paperwork is in order, making final approval a routine process.

Google had planned to close its share price-setting auction no earlier than an hour after receiving the SEC’s blessings. If that had happened, winning bidders could have been notified and shares could have been traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market as early as today.

Google anticipates its 25.7 million shares will be priced between $108 and $135 each in what could be a $3 billion initial public offering, which would be a record for an Internet company.

If the stock trades at the midpoint of Google’s range, it would have a market capitalization of about $30 billion – less than Yahoo Inc.’s but more than General Motors Corp.

The deal would turn Google’s 30-something co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin into billionaires and create a windfall for the search company’s early investors and 2,292 employees, who are expected to sell at market prices shares they bought for as little as 30 cents each. Insiders flooding the market combined with strong demand from outside investors could lead to surprises when the stock finally debuts.

Since it was founded in 1998 by Mr. Page and Mr. Brin, Stanford University students at the time, Google has always been something of an oddball.

Its design eschewed flashy ads for a simple, quick-loading layout. Its search algorithm out-powered all rivals. Its name became synonymous with Internet search.

The Mountain View-based company, which makes money by selling text advertising, managed to prosper as a private company even while other dotcoms were collapsing.

Google first announced in April it planned to make its stock available with an unusual IPO auction that would set price on demand.