Ohio Notary Notary Journal and Fees 1 Flashcards

How long must an Ohio notary retain their journal after the date of the last notarial act recorded in it?

Answer: 5 years

Ohio law requires a notary to retain their journal for 5 years after the date of the last entry. This ensures records are available if disputes or legal questions arise about past notarizations.

To whom does an Ohio notary's official journal legally belong?

Answer: The notary personally

The journal is the personal property of the notary, not the employer. If employment ends, the notary keeps the journal and remains responsible for its security and retention.

What information about identity verification must an Ohio notary record in the journal for each notarial act?

Answer: The method or type of identification used to verify the signer's identity

Ohio requires the journal to reflect how the notary verified the signer's identity—such as a driver's license, passport, or personal knowledge—not the actual ID number, which protects privacy while preserving the audit trail.

What is the maximum fee an Ohio notary may charge for performing a remote online notarial act?

Answer: $25

Ohio law sets the maximum fee for a remote online notarization (RON) at $25 per act, which is higher than the $5 cap for traditional in-person acts, reflecting the additional technology and platform costs involved.

If an Ohio notary's journal is lost or stolen, the notary is required to notify the Ohio Secretary of State within:

Answer: 30 days

Under Ohio notary law, a notary must report a lost or stolen journal to the Secretary of State within 30 days of discovering the loss. Prompt reporting helps protect the public from potential fraud using missing journal records.

An Ohio notary decides to charge $3 per notarial act rather than the statutory maximum. This practice is:

Answer: Permitted—notaries may charge any amount at or below the statutory maximum

Ohio law establishes maximum fees, not mandatory fees. A notary is free to charge less than the maximum—or nothing at all—as long as the fee does not exceed the statutory cap for that type of notarial act.