Notary costs by states 2024: How much does a notary cost?

K.Centr

Are you creating a legal document, such as a real estate deed or business contract? If yes, you will likely need the professional services of a notary public in your state. If you need something notarized, you may be worried about notary costs.

It is important to consider notary cost or fees whether you would like to notarize a legal document, a letter, or a financial document. So, what does a notary public cost?

The cost of a notary public varies considerably depending on where you live. This means that the fee for notarizing the same document may differ in New York and California. You should take a close look at the information regarding the notary fee and ensure you understand how this works.

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Commissioned by the US government, a notary public ensures that the document, such as a trust deed, has a valid signature, one that was not coerced or made under duress. After that, they add an official notary stamp to your contract or document as proof. Keep in mind that notarization is vital if you want your legal document to hold weight in court.

However, notaries can’t legally charge fees beyond the maximums or caps set by the state in which they operate or are licensed. Notaries have the right to charge any fee up to the maximum amount allowed under their state’s notary fee schedule.

When are notary public fees applicable?

Notary cost or notary fees are the expenses associated with getting a document notarized and will vary considerably from one state to another. Fees for notary services apply anytime you need a contract, property deed, living will, or other legal document notarized.

A notary fee may be required or apply in a variety of scenarios. In general, you might need to get important papers notarized, such as loan documents or legal documents. The validity and truthfulness of all the information on the paperwork must be attested by a notary public. You might have to pay a notary fee if the document needs to be signed in front of a notary public.

Notary costs by state

Notarizations also represent significant milestones in your life. You may, for example, need a notary to finalize the paperwork for adopting a child, buying a home, getting married, or preparing your trust or will.

This is why you should know the notary fee in your state. The costs of notary services tend to vary depending on the state. States can set a maximum notary fee that notaries can charge. Many notaries charge on a per signature basis.

Did you know that a handful of US states don’t regulate the fee? This means that the notary public can set their own fees, but the highest notary fee in states that regulate it is $20.

Notary costs for Acknowledgments, Jurats, and Verbal Oath/Affirmation

State	Acknowledgments	Jurats	Verbal Oath/ Affirmation
Alabama	$5	$5	$5
Alaska	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Am. Samoa	$10 ‡	$10 ‡	$20 ‡
Arizona	$10	$10	$10
Arkansas	No fee schedule, but signer must agree to it in advance	No fee schedule, but signer must agree to it in advance	No fee schedule, but signer must agree to it in advance
California	$15	$15	$15
Colorado	$5	$5	$5
Connecticut	$5	$5	$5
Delaware	$5	$5	$5
DC	$5	$5	$5
Florida	$10	$10	$10
Georgia	$2	$2	$2
Guam	$10 ‡	$10 ‡	$10
Hawaii	$5	$5	$5
Idaho	$5	$5	$5
Illinois	$1	$1	$1
Indiana	$10 ‡	$10 ‡	$10 ‡
Iowa	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Kansas	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Kentucky	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Louisiana	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Maine	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Maryland	$4	$4	$4
Massachusetts	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Michigan	$10	$10	$10
Minnesota	$5	$5	$5
Mississippi	$5	$5	$5
Missouri	$5	$5	$5
Montana	$10	$10	$10
Nebraska	$5	$5	$5
Nevada	$15	$15	$7.50
New Hampshire	$10	$10	$10
New Jersey	$2.50 / $15**	$2.50 / $15**	$2.50 / $15**
New Mexico	$5	$5	$5
New York	$2	$2	$2
North Carolina	$5	$5	$5
North Dakota	$5	$5	$5
Northern Marianas	$2	$2	$2
Ohio	$5	$5	$5
Oklahoma	$5	$5	$5
Oregon	$10	$10	$10
Pennsylvania	$5	$5	$5
Puerto Rico	Fees vary depending on the act	Fees vary depending on the act	Fees vary depending on the act
Rhode Island	$5	$5	$5
South Carolina	$5	$5	$5
South Dakota	$10	$10	$10
Tennessee	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Texas	$6	$6	$6
US Virgin Islands	$5	$5	$5
Utah	$10 ‡	$10 ‡	$10 ‡
Vermont	No fee schedule	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Virginia	$5	$5	$5
Washington	$10	$10	$10
West Virginia	$10	$10	$10
Wisconsin	$5	$5	$5
Wyoming	$10	$10	$10

Notary costs for travel fees and Remote Online Notarization (RON)

State	Travel Fees (set by)	RON
Alabama	–	N/A
Alaska	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Am. Samoa	–	N/A
Arizona	Dept. of Admin	$10
Arkansas	No fee schedule, but signer must agree to it in advance	N/A
California	Not set †	N/A
Colorado	–	N/A
Connecticut	$0.35 per mile	N/A
Delaware	–	N/A
DC	Not set †	Not set †
Florida	–	$25
Georgia	Not set †	N/A
Guam	–	N/A
Hawaii	–	$25
Idaho	$5	Not set
Illinois	–	N/A
Indiana	US General Services Admin	$25
Iowa	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Kansas	No fee schedule	N/A
Kentucky	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Louisiana	No fee schedule	N/A
Maine	No fee schedule	N/A
Maryland	IRS ($5 max.)	$4
Massachusetts	No fee schedule	N/A
Michigan	Not set †	$10
Minnesota	–	$25
Mississippi	Not set †	N/A
Missouri	Not set †	$5*
Montana	IRS	$10 per signature
Nebraska	Dept. of Admin Services	$25
Nevada	$15 – $30 per hour †	$25
New Hampshire	$0.20 per mile	$25
New Jersey	N/A	Not set
New Mexico	$0.30 per mile	$25
New York	–	N/A
North Carolina	Prohibited	N/A
North Dakota	Not set †	$5
Northern Marianas	–	N/A
Ohio	Not set †	$25
Oklahoma	–	$25
Oregon	Not set †	$25
Pennsylvania	–	N/A
Puerto Rico	Fees vary depending on the act	Fees vary depending on the act
Rhode Island	IRS	$5*
South Carolina	Not set †	N/A
South Dakota	–	$10
Tennessee	No fee schedule	$25
Texas	–	$25 + regular Notary fee
US Virgin Islands	–	N/A
Utah	–	$25
Vermont	No fee schedule	No fee schedule
Virginia	Not set †	$25
Washington	Not set †	$25
West Virginia	–	N/A
Wisconsin	–	$25
Wyoming	IRS †	$5*

For example, all notarization in California is subjected to the California Government Code Section 8211. It is worth noting that amendments and changes were made to the Notaries Public through Stats. 2016, and were made effective from Jan 1, 2017. This also means that California law has placed a cap on the maximum fees that a notary may charge.

On the other hand, Connecticut law states that the notary public can charge a maximum fee of $5 per notarial act and 35 cents for each mile traveled.

States in which notary fees are not set by the law

The following table lists the US states in which notary fees aren’t set by the law.

State	Acknowledgments, Jurats, Verbal Oath/Affirmation, Travel Fees
Alaska	No fee schedule
Arkansas	No fee schedule, but signer must agree to it in advance
Iowa	No fee schedule
Kansas	No fee schedule
Kentucky	No fee schedule
Louisiana	No fee schedule
Maine	No fee schedule
Massachusetts	No fee schedule
Puerto Rico	Fees vary depending on the act
Tennessee	No fee schedule, but $25 for RON
Vermont	No fee schedule

The state where you reside plays a vital role in determining how much a specific online notary will charge for specific services, such as notarizing loan papers. Some of the most common notary services that a notary may charge include travel fees, acknowledgments, verbal oaths, and Jurats.

You should be familiar with how much these notaries may charge for their various services. That way, you’ll understand how much money you need to pay to get a document notarized.

Ways to save money on notary fees

You should know that notary public fees are often hard to avoid. This is because you’re paying for a legal service from a licensed and reputable individual.

Usually, you have no or little control over the costs of notary services. This is true, for example, when you are closing a mortgage. You will be pleased to know that since you don’t frequently purchase homes, you won’t incur these costs more than a few times throughout your lifetime. In contrast, it’s a good idea to look for ways to reduce notary fees if you occasionally require documents notarized.

Here are some tips you can use to reduce notary fees:

Ask your local bank or credit union what notary services they offer account holders. In many cases, they may be able to refer you to a branch that notarizes documents, such as loan papers or wills, for little to no cost.
You can check with your friends or family members for a connection within your network. This is another way to lower or avoid notary fees.
If you want to get multiple important documents signed at the same time, you might be able to qualify for a discount on notary services. This way, you can get a bulk rate rather than paying for each individual legal document.
You can also call your local government offices or departments before visiting a commercial establishment or business to get your documents notarized. For instance, your local sheriff’s office might offer notary services.

Notarize your documents with PandaDoc Notary

If you want to get legal or personal documents notarized, look no further than PandaDoc Notary. The platform provides the flexibility and efficiency of online notarizations and safe electronic document signing. The platform works well through any web-enabled desktop or a laptop computer with a webcam.

PandaDoc Notary three-step process only takes a couple of minutes, and it is cheaper than other platforms. You can easily upload your document, such as a trust deed, and connect with your notary to confirm your identity. After that, the notary will electronically sign your documents and apply the eNotary seal. It is that simple!

Step 1

You can take a picture of your legal document or loan paperwork or upload a PDF file from your computer. You can also upload from a cloud storage service, such as Dropbox.

No matter the time of day or location, or device, PandaDoc Notary allows you to complete all your online notarizations!

Step 2

Now, you just have to confirm your identity with the PandaDoc Notary verification process. The platform uses identification verification technology in order to verify government-issued photograph IDs and passports.

Step 3

You can connect to your live notary anytime and confirm your identity on a secure call or face-to-face on a webcam. Connect easily with your professional and licensed electronic notary public over live video to sign and notarize your important documents. The notary will confirm your identity and witness your signature, assisting you throughout the process.

FAQ’s

How much does it cost to get an affidavit notarized?

The average fee to get an affidavit notarized is $5. In some states, notaries may charge $10 or $15. PandaDoc Notary eliminates the hassle and inconvenience of an in-person notarization by allowing you to connect securely with a notary public online

How much does it cost to get a will notarized?

Notarizing a will may be free in some states but can cost about $15, depending on where you live.

Where can you get documents notarized?

Many financial services firms, like credit unions, banks, thrifts, tax preparation firms, real estate firms, or insurance companies, commonly have notaries and provide that service to clients at no charge. You will also find notaries at law offices and local clerk of court offices.

What can you get notarized?

You can get many documents notarized, such as the power of attorney, trust deed, or last will and testament, in the presence of a notary.

Where can you get a document notarized for free?

Going to someone you know, such as your friend, will give you the best chance of getting a free notary service. For example, a buddy who is a notary public might offer the service without charging you.