Notary Public Journal: Record Keeping

• A notary public journal serves as a detailed record of notarial acts and protects the notary.
• By law, notaries are required to chronicle every notarial act.
• Notaries must respond within 15 business days to written requests for transaction copies from the public.
• A notary public is restricted to keeping one active, sequential journal at a time for all notarial acts.
• All notarial acts performed in an official capacity must be recorded in the journal.

Essential Journal Entries

• Each notarial act requires a separate journal entry with the date, time, and type of official act.
• The type of act refers to the form used, such as a certificate of acknowledgment or jurat.

Document Characterization

• The character of a document is the specific type of document, for example, a deed of trust, affidavit, deed of reconveyance, or power of attorney.
• The document type determines if a thumbprint is required.
• General terms like "loan docs" are insufficient and do not meet the requirements of California Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(B).

Signature Requirements

• California Government Code section 8206(a)(2)(C) mandates a signature for each line item in the journal.
• A single signature across multiple entries is not compliant with notary public law.
• Each line item copy must have a complete signature to be legally sufficient.

Identification Procedures

• Proper documentation of the signer's identification is critical.
• The signer must be physically present with proper identification.
• "Satisfactory evidence" as defined in California Civil Code section 1185 must be used to establish the signer’s identity.
• The identification must include the issuing governmental agency, serial or identifying number, a photograph and description of the person, and the issuance or expiration date.
• Journal entries must record the type of identification, issuing agency, serial number, and issuance or expiration date.

Fee Recording

• The fee charged for each notarial act must be recorded.
• Indicate "0" or "no fee" if no fee was charged.
• The recorded fee should not exceed the limit set by California Government Code section 8211.
• Travel fees or loan signing fees should be noted separately in the additional information section.

Thumbprint Guidelines

• For notarizations of deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, real property documents, or power of attorney documents, a thumbprint is required.
• Use the right thumbprint, or if unavailable, use another finger and specify which one.
• If the signer is physically unable to provide a fingerprint, document the reason in the journal.
• The thumbprint must be legible and clear.