NV Notary Record-Keeping and Journal Maintenance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Nevada notary resigns her commission. What should she do with her journals?
- Shred them immediately
- Give them to her most recent employer
- Retain them for the required 7-year period after the last entry (Correct answer)
- Mail them to the county recorder
Correct answer: Retain them for the required 7-year period after the last entry
Even after resignation, the notary must keep the journals for 7 years after the last entry.
Question 2: Which document description belongs in a journal entry for an acknowledged deed?
- Only the word 'document'
- The type or title of the document, such as 'deed of trust', and its date (Correct answer)
- The full text copied verbatim
- The property's assessed tax value
Correct answer: The type or title of the document, such as 'deed of trust', and its date
The entry should identify the kind of document and its date, not reproduce its contents.
Question 3: A signer refuses to let the notary record required information in the journal. What should the notary do?
- Complete the notarization but leave the entry blank
- Refuse to perform the notarization (Correct answer)
- Perform the act and fill the entry in from memory later
- Have a coworker complete the entry instead
Correct answer: Refuse to perform the notarization
Because the journal entry is legally required, the notary must decline to notarize if it cannot be properly completed.
Question 4: Why is a bound journal with numbered pages preferred over loose-leaf pages?
- It is cheaper to purchase
- It prevents undetected removal, insertion, or alteration of entries (Correct answer)
- It is required to be filed with the county
- It allows multiple notaries to share it
Correct answer: It prevents undetected removal, insertion, or alteration of entries
A permanently bound format protects the integrity of the sequential record against tampering.
Question 5: A credible witness identifies a signer who lacks ID. What should the Nevada notary's journal reflect?
- Nothing extra beyond the signer's name
- Information about the credible witness used to identify the signer (Correct answer)
- Only the witness's fingerprint
- A note that no identification was made
Correct answer: Information about the credible witness used to identify the signer
When identification is based on a credible witness, the journal should record that method and the witness's details.
Question 6: A notary performs five notarizations for one signer on five separate documents in one visit. How should the journal handle this?
- One entry covering all acts with no detail
- An entry documenting each notarial act performed (Correct answer)
- No entries, since it was a single appointment
- Only an entry for the first document
Correct answer: An entry documenting each notarial act performed
Each notarial act must be documented in the journal, even when performed for the same signer in one session.
Question 7: Which practice best protects a Nevada notary's journal from misuse?
- Leaving it on the office reception desk for convenience
- Keeping it under the notary's exclusive and secure control when not in use (Correct answer)
- Letting coworkers make entries when the notary is busy
- Storing it in a shared unlocked filing cabinet
Correct answer: Keeping it under the notary's exclusive and secure control when not in use
The journal must remain under the notary's sole, secure control to protect its integrity and signers' information.
NV Notary Record-Keeping and Journal Maintenance 3
A Nevada notary resigns her commission.
What should she do with her journals?