NC Notary - North Carolina Notary Prohibited Acts and Misconduct Questions and Answers

Question 1

A North Carolina notary is a partner in a real estate agency.
The notary is asked to notarize a client's signature on a purchase agreement for a property listed by their own agency, from which the notary will receive a commission.
Which of the following is the appropriate action for the notary to take?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to notarize the signature due to a direct financial interest in the transaction.

Answer

Notarize the signature but refuse to accept the commission from the sale.

Answer

Proceed with the notarization since the client is the one signing, not the notary.

Answer

Ask a different partner in the agency to notarize the signature instead.

Question 2

Which of the following actions by a North Carolina notary constitutes the unauthorized practice of law?

Accepted Answer

Advising a signer on the legal implications of the document they are signing.

Answer

Refusing to notarize a document if the signer appears confused or under duress.

Answer

Charging the maximum statutory fee of $10 for an acknowledgment.

Answer

Keeping a detailed personal journal of all notarial acts performed.

Question 3

A signer brings a document to a North Carolina notary for an acknowledgment. The notary notices that a paragraph containing critical financial terms is completely blank. The signer states they will fill it in after the notarization is complete. How must the notary proceed?

Accepted Answer

Refuse to notarize the document until all blank spaces are filled in.

Answer

Proceed with the notarization as long as the signature is present.

Answer

Have the signer write 'Intentionally Left Blank' in the space before notarizing.

Answer

Notarize the signature and make a note in their journal about the incomplete state of the document.

Question 4

A North Carolina notary's commission expires at midnight. The next day, before receiving confirmation that their renewed commission is active, a long-time client requests an urgent notarization. Which of the following actions constitutes official misconduct?

Accepted Answer

Performing the notarization and using the expired commission information.

Answer

Referring the client to another active notary public.

Answer

Performing the notarization and dating it for the following week, when the new commission should be active.

Answer

Informing the client they cannot legally perform the notarization at this time.

Question 5

A North Carolina notary public is asked to travel to a local hospital to perform a notarization. What is the rule regarding charging a fee for this service?

Accepted Answer

A travel fee is permitted, but only if the notary and the signer agree upon the amount in advance of the travel.

Answer

The notary may only charge the statutory fee for the notarial act itself.

Answer

The notary can charge any travel fee they deem reasonable without prior discussion.

Answer

The notary can charge for travel, but the fee is capped at $10 by state law, in addition to the notarial act fee.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a prohibited act for a North Carolina notary public?

Accepted Answer

Allowing their non-notary assistant to use the notary's official seal on a document as a matter of convenience.

Answer

Notarizing a document for a family member where the notary has no beneficial interest.

Answer

Using an embosser as their official seal, in addition to an ink stamp.

Answer

Declining to perform a notarization on a Sunday.