Notary Public Journal Requirements

• A notary public must maintain an active sequential journal of all notarial acts.
• The journal must be stored in a locked and secured area under the notary's direct and exclusive control.

Required Journal Information

• Date, time, and type of each official act (e.g., acknowledgment, jurat) must be recorded.
• The character of every instrument sworn to, affirmed, acknowledged, or proved (e.g., deed of trust) must be noted.
• The signature of each person whose signature is being notarized must be included.
• A statement confirming that identity verification was based on "satisfactory evidence" as per Civil Code section 1185 is required.

Satisfactory Evidence Details

• If based on paper identification, record the type of document, issuing agency, serial or identifying number, and issue or expiration date.
• For a single credible witness personally known to the notary, include the witness's signature or identification details (document type, issuing agency, serial number, and issue/expiration date).
• When using two credible witnesses, record their signatures and identification details (document type, issuing agency, serial number, and issue/expiration date).
• The fee charged for the notarial service must be documented.
• For notarizing deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust, real property documents, or power of attorney documents, the signer's right thumbprint is required in the journal. If the right thumbprint isn't available, use another finger, indicating which one. If a physical condition prevents a fingerprint, note this and explain the condition in the journal.

Lost or Stolen Journal

• If the journal is stolen, lost, misplaced, destroyed, damaged, or unusable, the notary must immediately notify the Secretary of State.
• Notification must be sent by certified or registered mail or a delivery method providing a receipt.
• The notification must include the journal entry periods, notary commission number, commission expiration date, and a photocopy of the police report (if applicable).

Public Requests for Journal Information

• A notary must respond within 15 business days to a written request from the public for a journal copy.
• The response must include a photostatic copy of the line item or an acknowledgment that no such item exists.
• The request must include the names of the parties involved, the document type, and the month and year of notarization. The cost for providing the information is capped at $0.30 per page.

Journal Ownership and Surrender

• The sequential journal is the notary public's exclusive property.
• It cannot be surrendered to an employer, regardless of who paid for it, except under conditions specified in Government Code section 8206(d).

Failure to Maintain Journal

• Willfully failing to properly maintain the journal is a misdemeanor.

Journal Delivery After Commission Expiration

• Within 30 days of commission expiration, all notarial journals, records, and papers must be delivered to the county clerk's office where the oath is on file.
• Failure to do so is a misdemeanor and results in personal liability for damages to anyone injured by the inaction.
• Any materials sent to the Secretary of State will be returned to the sender.