American Society of Notaries

Notary Recordbook Requirements by State

ASN recommends that notaries in every state use a recordbook of notarial acts, whether they are required by statute or as a strongly recommended best practice. Recordbooks are also referred to as a register or journal. (Scroll to the bottom of this page for more on the use of recordbooks.)

The states listed below either REQUIRE the use of a recordbook or have specific statutes regarding the optional use of a recordbook. Please click on your state’s PDF document for your complete notary recordbook state statutes, which may include such specifics as information elements that you MUST record. If your state is not listed, then no recordbook requirement is in force at this time.

Please check this web page periodically for any changes that may occur. If your state has enacted a recordbook requirement or changed its existing recordbook law, ASN will notify its members and post the information on this web page.

Alabama	Arizona	California

Colorado	District of Columbia	Hawaii

Kentucky	Maine	Maryland

Massachusetts	Michigan	Minnesota

Mississippi	Missouri	Montana

New Jersey	Nevada	North Dakota

Ohio	Oregon	Pennsylvania

Rhode Island	Tennessee	Texas

U.S. Virgin Islands	Utah	West Virginia

The recordbook entry not only allows recording of the facts of each notarial act, but also serves as a checklist for proper notary procedure. Filling in each blank in the recordbook entry helps assure that the steps to an expert notarial act are being performed. The recordbook will have the original signature of the signer as well as his printed name, address and phone number. The notary will document the method of identification of the signer. The recordbook entry will also contain a description of the document and its date. It will also indicate the notarial act that was performed and the date and time it was performed. There is also a space for the notary to enter the amount of the fee that was charged.

Remember that a notary faces unlimited liability for any errors or omissions he/she makes in the performance of a notarial act. Just one claim of an incomplete or improper notarial act against the notary can cause catastrophic financial damage. Your recordbook entries can help you reconstruct your notarial acts if you are ever called into court. If your state’s notary laws do not address every detail of performing a notarial act, the recordbook can show that you followed the dictates of good notarial procedure.

Notary Recordbook or Notary Journal

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Notary Recordbook Requirements by State