AZ Notary Journal and Seal Requirements 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Arizona notary's employer demands possession of the notary's official journal when the employee resigns. What is the correct response?
- Hand over the journal because it was created during employment
- Refuse, because the journal is the personal property of the notary (Correct answer)
- Transfer it to the Arizona Secretary of State's office
- Destroy it to protect client confidentiality
Correct answer: Refuse, because the journal is the personal property of the notary
The notary journal belongs to the notary personally, not the employer, regardless of where the notarizations were performed.
Question 2: A signer requests a copy of their specific journal entry from an Arizona notary. What must the notary do?
- Deny the request to protect other signers' privacy
- Provide a copy only if a court orders it
- Provide a copy of that entry upon request (Correct answer)
- Charge a minimum $25 fee before releasing any copy
Correct answer: Provide a copy of that entry upon request
Arizona law allows any person to request a copy of a journal entry, and the notary must provide it.
Question 3: An Arizona notary discovers their official seal was stolen. What is the required first step?
- Order a replacement seal immediately and resume notarizing
- Notify the Arizona Secretary of State promptly about the theft (Correct answer)
- File only a police report and keep notarizing with a backup seal
- Wait 30 days before reporting in case the seal is recovered
Correct answer: Notify the Arizona Secretary of State promptly about the theft
A stolen or lost seal must be reported promptly to the Arizona Secretary of State to prevent fraudulent use.
Question 4: Which information is NOT required to appear on an Arizona notary's official seal?
- The notary's county of residence
- The notary's commission expiration date
- The notary's personal mailing address (Correct answer)
- The words 'Notary Public – State of Arizona'
Correct answer: The notary's personal mailing address
The seal must include the notary's name, county, commission expiration date, and 'Notary Public – State of Arizona,' but not a personal mailing address.
Question 5: An Arizona notary's ink stamp seal produces a faded, partially illegible impression on a document. What should the notary do?
- Complete the notarization and add a written note explaining the fading
- Re-ink the stamp and re-stamp until a clear impression is obtained
- Refuse to proceed and obtain a new seal before notarizing (Correct answer)
- Use an embosser seal over the faded impression to supplement it
Correct answer: Refuse to proceed and obtain a new seal before notarizing
An illegible seal impression is invalid; the notary must not complete the notarization until a legible seal can be produced.
Question 6: How long must an Arizona notary retain their journal after the last entry is made?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
Arizona law requires the notary to retain the journal for five years after the date of the last entry.
Question 7: An Arizona notary performs a notarization but forgets to make the journal entry until the following day. What is the best course of action?
- Record the entry with the actual date it is being written, noting it was performed the day before (Correct answer)
- Leave a blank line and never record it to avoid falsifying records
- Record it with yesterday's date as if it were made contemporaneously
- Skip the entry entirely since the time has passed
Correct answer: Record the entry with the actual date it is being written, noting it was performed the day before
The notary should record the entry with the actual writing date and note when the notarization actually occurred to maintain an accurate record.
AZ Notary Journal and Seal Requirements 4
An Arizona notary's employer demands possession of the notary's official journal when the employee resigns.
What is the correct response?