California Notary Public ExamJournal RequirementsMedium
A Notary Public is performing an acknowledgment for a document. The signer asks the Notary to skip filling in the fee amount in the journal entry, stating they prefer to keep that information private. What is the Notary Public required to do?
- AFill in the fee amount as required by law.
- BMake a note in the journal that the signer requested the fee be omitted.
- CWrite 'Fee Waived' if no fee was charged, otherwise leave blank.
- DLeave the fee amount blank to respect the signer's privacy.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Fill in the fee amount as required by law.
California Government Code § 8206(a)(2)(E) explicitly requires a Notary Public to include the fee charged (if any) for the service in the journal entry. This is a mandatory entry and cannot be omitted at the signer's request.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. While noting the request might seem helpful, it does not absolve the Notary of the legal requirement to record the fee.
- C. If no fee was charged, 'No Fee' or '$0.00' should be entered, but the field cannot be left blank if a fee was charged.
- D. Leaving mandatory fields blank is a violation of journal requirements.
Journal Entry Fee Requirement
The fee charged for each notarial service is a mandatory entry in the Notary Public's journal and cannot be omitted.
- Applies to every notarial act where a fee is charged.
- Mandatory field in the journal.
- Must accurately reflect the fee charged (or $0.00/No Fee).
Memory trick: Date, Time, Type, Signer, ID, Fee – all must be seen!