Notary Law Updates
Notary Law Updates
Stay informed about recent and upcoming changes to Ohio notary law. The following legislation updates notary procedures, fees, and administrative requirements as enacted by the Ohio General Assembly.
House Bill 96 (136th General Assembly)
Effective Date: September 30, 2025
This bill eliminated the requirement that applications for a Managing General Agent (MGA) license or Public Insurance Adjuster Certificate of Authority be verified under oath by a notary public.
House Bill 315 (135th General Assembly)
Effective Date: April 4, 2025 This legislation includes several major updates affecting notaries public in Ohio:
Oath of Office Requirement. Notaries must take and subscribe to the oath of office in person before another notary or authorized official. This replaces prior law, which did not require in-person administration of the oath.
Disciplinary Actions and Oversight. The law revises how the Secretary of State (SOS) may investigate or discipline notaries:
The SOS may revoke a commission upon court judgment of official misconduct or incapacity.
Overcharging fees no longer automatically results in commission revocation but may still be subject to review.
The SOS may revoke the commission of a notary who:
Lacks honesty, integrity, competence, or reliability to perform notarial acts.
Includes false or misleading information on a notarial certificate.
Fails to administer an oath or affirmation during a jurat.
Performs a notarial act without personal appearance (except for online notarizations).
Fails to cooperate with an investigation or respond to official inquiries.
A notary whose commission is revoked becomes ineligible for reappointment.
Updated Notarial Fees. The maximum fee for remote online notarizations (RON) increased from $25 to $30. Notaries may charge an additional $10 technology fee for use of identity verification tools.
Clarification of Identity Verification Terms. The law defines key terms under Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 147.49 :
Personal knowledge: The notary personally knows the signer through sufficient dealings to provide reasonable certainty of identity.
Satisfactory evidence: The notary verifies the signer’s identity through a passport, driver’s license, or government-issued ID with photo or signature; or the oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally appearing before the notary and known to the notary or verified with acceptable ID.
Electronic Notarization Acceptance. Expands the list of county officials required to accept electronically notarized documents to include clerks of courts and deputy registrars.
Senate Bill 131 (134th General Assembly)
Effective Date: December 29, 2023
Reciprocity Removed: Ohio law no longer provides reciprocity for notary commissions or remote online authorizations.
Clarified Definition: “Notary public” is not considered an occupation or professional license under Title XLVII of the Ohio Revised Code.
House Bill 567 (134th General Assembly)
Effective Date: April 6, 2023
Updated Definition of Acknowledgment. An acknowledgment is a declaration before a notary that the signer executed the record for the stated purpose and, if signing in a representative capacity, did so with proper authority.
Peace Officer Exception. Peace officers are not required to submit a BCI criminal record report. Instead, they may upload their Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) certificate for initial or renewal applications.
Certificate Language Updates. Removes the statement “no oath or affirmation was given” from acknowledgment certificates. Adds a short form acknowledgment for LLCs. Corrects jurat certificate language to require the name (not signature) of the signer.
Motor Vehicle Title Changes: Removes notary requirements for certain vehicle title transfers involving licensed dealers. Removes the requirement to notarize a power of attorney (POA) granted to a licensed dealer or their agent for vehicle title transfers.
Senate Bill 263 (132nd General Assembly)
Effective Date: September 20, 2019
Introduced mandatory notary education and testing for initial commission applicants.
Requires BCI records checks for commission and renewal applications.
Renewal applications must be submitted three months before expiration; expired commissions require reapplication as a new notary.
Notaries must report disqualifying offenses to the Secretary of State, including:
Sexually oriented offenses
Certain violent, theft, or fraud offenses
Attempts or conspiracies to commit such offenses
Comparable violations under former or military law
Active notaries may perform in-person electronic notarizations, but must obtain separate authorization for RON.
Prohibits taking an acknowledgment in place of an oath or affirmation when one is required.
Establishes maximum notarial fees:
$5 per in-person notarial act
$25 per online notarization (fee per act, not per signature)
Grants the Ohio Secretary of State explicit authority to investigate and discipline notaries for misconduct or violations of law.