AZ Notary - Arizona Notary Journal and Seal Requirements Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Arizona notary performs a single acknowledgment for a signer on a real estate document. According to Arizona law, which of the following details is the notary required to record in their journal?
- The signer's occupation and employer.
- A thumbprint of the signer.
- The fee charged for the notarial act. (Correct answer)
- The name of the title company involved in the transaction.
Correct answer: The fee charged for the notarial act.
Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-319(A) mandates that for each notarial act, the journal entry must include specific details. Among these required elements are the date of the act, a description of the document, the signer's printed name, address, and signature, the type of identification used, and the fee, if any, charged for the service.
Question 2: Which of the following is a mandatory requirement for an official notary seal in Arizona?
- It must be an embosser.
- It must contain the Great Seal of Arizona. (Correct answer)
- The ink color must be red or green.
- The seal's dimensions must be exactly 2 inches round.
Correct answer: It must contain the Great Seal of Arizona.
Per the Arizona Notary Public Reference Manual, a valid notary seal must be a rubber stamp that uses dark ink (like black, dark blue, or dark purple), includes the words 'Notary Public,' the notary's name as commissioned, the county of commission, the commission expiration date, the commission number, and the Great Seal of Arizona.
Question 3: A notary in Phoenix is asked to notarize a document for a close friend. The notary has known the friend for over 20 years and can positively identify them. What is the correct procedure regarding the journal entry?
- The notary can skip the journal entry entirely since the signer is well-known.
- The notary must record all required information but can write 'personal knowledge' in the space for identification. (Correct answer)
- The notary only needs to get the friend's signature in the journal.
- The notary must still require a government-issued ID and record its details.
Correct answer: The notary must record all required information but can write 'personal knowledge' in the space for identification.
Arizona law allows a notary to use 'personal knowledge' as satisfactory evidence of identity. When this method is used, the notary must make a journal entry and note that personal knowledge was the method of identification used, instead of describing an ID card. All other journal elements, such as the date, document type, and signer's signature, are still required.
Question 4: Under what circumstances is an Arizona notary permitted to keep more than one paper journal at a time?
- When notarizing a high volume of documents daily.
- When the notary works for multiple employers.
- When one journal is for public records and another is for non-public records. (Correct answer)
- When the notary's primary journal is full and they are waiting for a replacement.
Correct answer: When one journal is for public records and another is for non-public records.
According to A.R.S. § 41-319(E), a notary public shall generally keep only one paper journal at a time. The exception is if the notary handles notarial acts that are not public records (e.g., due to attorney-client privilege). In this case, the notary must keep one journal for public records and a separate journal for non-public records.
Question 5: An Arizona notary resigns their commission after moving to another state. What is the notary required to do with their journal and seal?
- Destroy the seal and keep the journal for their personal records.
- Give the journal and seal to their former employer.
- Shred the journal and destroy the seal immediately.
- Deliver the journal, seal, and all other records to the Secretary of State within three months. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Deliver the journal, seal, and all other records to the Secretary of State within three months.
A.R.S. § 41-317(A) requires a notary who resigns their commission to deliver their journal, seal, and all other notarial records to the Secretary of State's office within three months of the resignation. Failure to do so can result in significant fines.
Question 6: Which of the following statements about an Arizona notary's official seal is FALSE?
- The seal must be a rubber stamp using dark ink.
- An embosser can be used in addition to the rubber stamp seal, but not as the official seal itself.
- The seal must not be larger than 1 1/2 inches high and 2 1/2 inches wide.
- The notary's business address must be included on the seal. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The notary's business address must be included on the seal.
The required elements on an Arizona notary seal include the notary's name, the words 'Notary Public,' the county of commission, the commission number, the expiration date, and the Great Seal of Arizona. There is no requirement for the notary's address, business or personal, to be on the seal.
AZ Notary - Arizona Notary Journal and Seal Requirements Questions and Answers 1
An Arizona notary performs a single acknowledgment for a signer on a real estate document.
According to Arizona law, which of the following details is the notary required to record in their journal?