Notary by Ericka

05/29/2026

05/27/2026

and especially of this.

05/27/2026

Every now and again I have to remind someone of this.

05/25/2026

Honoring those who served for their many sacrifices.

05/24/2026

What is a Notary Public?
A Notary Public is an official appointed by a state government to serve the public as an impartial witness in administering oaths and performing other official acts (called notarial acts or notarizations) when important documents are signed. The duties and responsibilities of Notaries are expressly dictated by state law.

Notaries Public oversee the proper ex*****on of many life-changing documents—whether those documents help businesses to operate, convey real property, grant powers of attorney, establish estate plans, finalize adoptions, or affect a multitude of other matters that enable our society to function.

Notary Public Responsibilities
Notaries help deter fraud, confirm that signers of documents understand the document they're signing, and verify that each signer is signing willingly and freely.

The primary responsibilities of Notaries are to 1) Verify a document signer is who they claim to be; 2) Confirm the document signer’s mental competence and willingness to sign; 3) Administer oaths and affirmations; and 4) Oversee or witness the signing of documents.

Identifying the Signer
Generally, a Notary will ask a document signer for a current form of identification that has a photo, physical description, and signature. Acceptable IDs usually include a driver's license or passport.

Confirming Willingness and Awareness
Notaries confirm both the signer's willingness to sign the document and their mental competence. On occasion, Notaries encounter individuals who are being forced to sign a document or whose mental condition impairs their decision-making abilities. By confirming both, Notaries establish confidence in the integrity of the signed documents and protect the rights of all parties involved.

Administering Oaths and Affirmations
Notaries may be required to administer an oath or affirmation—to an elected official, a witness in a trial, or a document signer—requiring the individual to declare under penalty of perjury that a statement or information in a document is true. An oath invokes a higher power, while an affirmation, its legal equivalent, is made on one’s personal honor when a person chooses not to invoke a supreme being.

Overseeing the Signing of Documents
Notaries ensure the appropriate parties sign, so the documents have their intended legal effect. In most cases, Notaries witness the signing in their presence. When the law allows a party to sign a document before going to a Notary, the Notary makes the signer acknowledge the signature. In all cases, the Notary’s primary duty is to ensure that the right individual—not an impostor—is the one who signed.

Different Types of Notaries
Every Notary holds a traditional Notary commission or appointment but may perform notarial acts in different settings or branch out into specialized services. The different types of Notaries include:

- Employee Notary: Notary who qualifies for a Notary commission in their state and primarily notarizes documents for an employer as one part of their employee-related duties.

- Mobile Notary: Notary who travels to the signer’s location, such as the signer’s home, place of work, or hospital.
Remote Online Notary: Notary who has met their state’s additional requirements to become authorized to perform remote notarizations.

- Notary Signing Agent: Notary who has been specifically trained and also passed a background screening to perform notarial and document signing services for mortgage finance and refinance loan signings.

While all Notaries share the same core duties, they differ mainly in the types of documents they notarize, the tools they use, and the locations where they perform notarizations.

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05/22/2026

Notaries are public officials appointed by the governments of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories to serve their citizens as trusted, impartial witnesses to document signings.

A Notary's geographic authority to perform notarizations is strictly limited to the boundaries of the appointing state or jurisdiction and to the term of the commission, which may vary from two to 10 years. They must also uphold the law of the appointing state or jurisdiction. When performing official notarial acts, Notaries are serving the public service on behalf of their state. They cannot violate the law at anyone's request — and that includes employers, clients, friends or family members.

Notaries must also be impartial, which means they must never refuse to serve or discriminate in their quality of service, based on an individual's race, nationality, religion, politics, sexual orientation or status as a non-customer. As representatives of the state, Notaries must perform their official duties with respect and seriousness for the public service role they play as a trusted, impartial witness.

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05/18/2026

California will allow online remote notarization (RON) in 2030. Until then we MUST wait. Thank you for your patience.

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05/18/2026

It's more to being a notary than just stamping some documents. Did you know that the state sets the amount a notary can charge?

States that allow Notaries to set fees
Notaries in the following states may charge a fee, but they’re required to inform signers of any fees charged prior to the appointment: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and Maine.

Notary fee disclosure
There are a handful of states that require Notaries to post or display their fee schedules.

States that require posting or advising of fees: Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania
States that require a schedule of fees displayed: Georgia, Missouri, Montana and Nevada
Notary travel fees
Notaries may be able to charge a fee for commuting to signers, but it depends on their state.

States that set travel fees: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Virginia
States that use mileage-based rates: Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Utah and Wyoming
States with travel fee guidelines: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington
States that allow Notaries to set their own travel fees: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin

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