Surdock Notary Services

02/18/2026

Notary Basics: Determining a signer’s awareness

Two people looking at the document and a laptop
Notaries must ensure signers are aware, willing, and able to understand the document they are signing. This guide explains how to assess signer awareness, when to refuse a notarization, and how state laws address mental capacity.

What does signer awareness mean for Notaries?
Notaries are not medical or psychiatric experts, but they are responsible for determining whether a signer appears aware, willing, and able to understand the transaction at the time of notarization.

Assessing a signer’s awareness generally means observing whether the signer is mentally capable of understanding what’s going on at the time they sign documents.

01/20/2026

What is ‘moral turpitude’?
According to Merriam-Webster, “moral turpitude” has two legal meanings:

An act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of the community.
A quality of dishonesty or other immorality that is determined by a court to be present in the commission of a criminal offense

How do state Notary laws define moral turpitude crimes?
Notaries witness the ex*****on of document signings. In general terms, a person cannot be trusted to perform Notary services impartially and honestly if they have been convicted of a crime that involves moral turpitude. In some states, persons convicted of crimes of moral turpitude may be disqualified from applying for a Notary commission.

Moral turpitude, as applied to Notary laws, seldom has an exact definition. This concept gives state commissioning authorities wide flexibility in deciding whether someone should receive or keep a Notary commission.

Not every state lists moral turpitude in its Notary laws as a disqualification for a Notary commission, but many do.

California law states moral turpitude as grounds for the denial, suspension or revocation of a commission (Government Code 8214.1[b]). The California Secretary of State’s Notary Public Disciplinary Guidelines list examples of offenses of moral turpitude that can lead to revocation of a Notary’s commission or denial of a commission application. The examples include but are not limited to: assault, arson, auto theft, burglary, possession or sale of illegal drugs, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, failure to pay child support or failure to comply with a court order.

The California Supreme Court has handled many cases in which crimes of moral turpitude were at issue. In one case, the Court said, “Although we have variously defined ‘moral turpitude’ in such broad terms as ‘baseness, vileness or depravity’…, we have also decided that the question of whether a conviction involves moral turpitude so as to warrant revocation or suspension of a license to practice a professional cannot be determined in the abstract but depends rather on whether the conviction demonstrates unfitness to practice that profession” (Cartwright v. Board of Chiropractic Examiners, 16 Cal. 3d 762, 548 P.2d 1134, 129 Cal. Rptr. 462, 1976 Cal. LEXIS 258).

01/16/2026

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’re enjoying this sunny day in San Diego.

01/11/2026

Happy new year

01/03/2026

11/02/2025

Can a blind signer use a reading machine during a notarization?
By NNA Staff, Updated October 13, 2025

Photo of woman with long dark hair on phone. She is looking at papers in her hand. Text on image reads NNA Hotline Tip.
I was just informed that a customer needing notarization is blind but has a machine that scans the document and then reads it back to her. Can that be used during a notarization? — C. N., Florida

No. Florida laws says the Notary must read the entire document to the blind signer. Specifically, the law states: “A notary public may notarize the signature of a person who is blind after the notary public has read the entire instrument to that person” (FS 117.05[14][a]).

For guidelines about notarizing for visually impaired signers in other states, please see our article, “How to notarize for a visually impaired signer.”

10/27/2025

Happy Monday!

If you or a friend need a notary I’m here to assist you.

10/22/2025

If you need a notary! I’m here to help you.

10/21/2025

Am I allowed to correct a date if the wrong month was entered, or does the document have to be corrected before I can notarize it? — V. A., Texas

You are not entirely clear on where the incorrect date appears on the document. If it is in the text of the document, a Texas Notary may not make the correction. If the incorrect date in the text of the document is material to the ex*****on of the document, the agency or individual who issued the document or the signer may make the correction. If, however, the incorrect date is in the certificate for the notarial act that you will be signing, then you must make the correction so that the date accurately reflects the date you performed the notarization.

10/01/2025

Real estate documents and proofs
Due to risk of fraud, California prohibits its Notaries from performing a proof of ex*****on on powers of attorney, on documents requiring a thumbprint in the Notary’s journal or on any instrument affecting real property. Certain real property documents — decrees of foreclosure, non-judicial foreclosures under California Civil Code 2924 or deeds of reconveyance — are exempt.