Written by

Tom Grupa

October 28, 2022

Average cost of Notary

The average cost for a notary is $15 per notarized document. Hiring a notary public to witness the signing of legal documents, you will likely spend between $10 and $15. The price of notaries can vary greatly by region (and even by zip code).

A notary public witnesses the signing of legal documents. Before agreeing to notarize the document, a notary usually requires the following: proof of identity, proof the person signing is of his or her right mind, the fee charged.The notary will record the proof of identity in a register and prepare a certificate of acknowledgment, or just sign and stamp the document.

Notary Prices

While the basic fee is low, the charges can add up quickly. Additional charges can be made for loan docs, purchases, second mortgage docs, reverse mortgage docs, after hours, additional borrowers, cancellations, no shows, printing costs, document delivery, and waiting time.Maryland Mobile Notary in Silver Spring, MD, is a good example of the cost of additional fees:

Many states set a limit to the fees a notary can charge for services. The American Association of Notaries, a Texan agency, states, “The notary may not charge fees above the fees set forth in Texas notary law for each act.

Notaries may incur severe penalties for overcharging notary fees. Texas law states that if a notary overcharges for notary fees, the notary will be required to pay the overcharged client four times the amount charged.” Other states have a limit a notary can charge too.

The maximum fees notaries in Texas are allowed to charge, for example, $6 for taking acknowledgments or proofs for the first signature, administering an oath or affirmation, swearing a witness for a deposition, or certifying a photocopy.

Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and Maine can set their own fees. The most expensive states with set limits on a notary’s fees are American Samoa, California, Florida, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington.

Notary Services Offered

Many legal documents must be signed and witnessed before events can proceed, such as loan modifications, living trusts, refinance and loan documents, birth certificate applications, power of attorney, deeds, visa verifications, and more. A notary can witness the signing of all these.

Notary Hours and Locations

Many notaries like Cesar Fernando Trejo Mobile Notary in Norwalk, CA, are available 24/7 and charge the state legal fee of $10-$15 per signature, where mandated. Travel fees are extra. Maryland Mobile Notary in Silver Spring, MD, only travels to clients, and fees start at $30.

Experience

Some are more experienced in handling particular types of documents than others, for instance, JS Mobile Notary in Lake Elsinore, CA, does a lot of loan signing and is a licensed Realtor.

LDA Self Help Service in Santa Ana, CA, has more than 30 years of notary public experience, and more than 20 years of Legal Document Assistance (LDA) to self-help litigants (pro se or pro per). The better notaries are bonded for larger amounts than the state minimum.

For example, Arian, The Notary in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, maintains $100,000 in E&O (errors and omissions) insurance coverage.

Reputation

All notaries must be licensed and background approved by the National Notary Association (NNA) in the states they practice in; and they must have a notary surety bond to protect the public from the possibility of their making a negligent or deliberate mistake.