U.S. · notary reference

Notary journal requirements by state.

What a notary must record, how long the journal is kept and where it goes when the commission ends, in seven states.

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The table

Statute and rule text read 2026-10-20. Seven states only; other states are not covered.
State	Journal required?	Format and entries	Retention and end of commission	Authority
California	Yes. One active sequential journal at a time.	Date, time and type of act; character of the instrument; signature of each person; basis of identity; fee. A right thumbprint is required for deeds and other real-property documents and for powers of attorney.	Keep it locked. Lost or stolen: notify the Secretary of State. Within 30 days after the commission ends, deliver journals to the county clerk.	Gov. Code 8206, 8206.5, 8228.1
Florida	Not in chapter 117 for in-person acts. An online notary must keep a secure electronic journal.	For each online notarization: date and time, act type, record description, principal's name and address, identity evidence, fee.	Electronic journal and audio-video recordings kept at least 10 years after the act.	Fla. Stat. 117.245
Illinois	Yes, paper or electronic. Content is set by Secretary of State rule.	Rules must set the entries, retention period and security. A separate audio-video recording is also required for electronic acts.	Journal belongs to the notary, not the employer. Lost, stolen or compromised: notify within 10 business days. Recordings kept at least 7 years.	5 ILCS 312/3-107, 6A-104
Oregon	Yes. Tangible (bound, numbered pages) or tamper-evident electronic.	Date and time; record description and act type; name and address; identity basis; signature; fee. One entry may cover duplicates or several documents for one person on the same day.	Keep 10 years after the last act in the journal.	ORS 194.300
Pennsylvania	Yes. Chronological; bound register with numbered pages, or tamper-evident electronic.	Date and time; record and act type; name and address; identity basis; fee.	Deliver the journal to the recorder of deeds within 30 days after the commission expires, is resigned or is revoked. Certified copies on request.	57 Pa.C.S. 319
Virginia	Yes, a record of notarial acts (electronic for an electronic notary).	Date and time; act type; document; printed name and address of each principal; identity evidence; fee.	The notary must keep, protect and allow lawful inspection of the record.	Va. Code 47.1-14(C)
Washington	Yes. One tangible journal at a time, permanent bound register with numbered pages; an electronic journal may run alongside.	Date and time; record description and act type; full name and address; any extra information required by rule.	Keep 10 years after the last act. Attorneys whose practice records the act are exempt. After resignation or revocation, keep it and tell the department where it is.	RCW 42.45.180

Is a journal required?

In six of the seven states, yes: California, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington require a record of notarial acts. Florida is the notable exception for in-person work. Chapter 117 requires a journal only from an online notary public, who must keep "one or more secure electronic journals" (117.245(1)). We found no ordinary-notary journal provision in the chapter text, so a Florida notary who never performs online acts is not obliged by statute to keep one. Many keep one anyway as a defence in a dispute.

What goes in an entry

The states converge on the same core: when the act happened, what it was, who the signer was and how identity was established, and what was charged. They differ in the extras. California requires the signer to leave a right thumbprint for deeds and other real-property documents and for powers of attorney, with a rule for using the left thumb or another finger and for recording a physical reason. Oregon expressly lets a notary combine entries: duplicate originals for one person on one day, or several different documents for one person on the same day, may share a single entry if it states the totals (ORS 194.300(4)).

Retention and where the journal goes

Washington and Oregon say ten years after the last act in the journal. Florida says ten years for the online electronic journal and its recordings. Illinois leaves the period to Secretary of State rule but fixes seven years for audio-video recordings. California and Pennsylvania focus on the handover: California's notary must deliver journals and records to the county clerk within 30 days after the commission is no longer valid, and Pennsylvania's must deliver the journal to the county recorder of deeds within 30 days of expiration, resignation or revocation, and a notary must give a certified copy to anyone who applies for it (319(g.1)). Washington instead lets the former notary retain the journal but requires telling the department where it is (42.45.180(6)).

Worked example: a California loan signing (hypothetical)

A California notary acknowledges a deed of trust. The journal entry needs the date, time and act type, the character of the instrument ("deed of trust"), the signer's signature, the identity basis (for example the type of ID, issuing agency, number and dates) and the fee. Because the document affects real property, the signer also places a right thumbprint in the journal. If the signer cannot, the notary uses another finger and writes why. Later, a member of the public who writes with the names of the parties, document type and month and year of the notarization is owed a photocopy of that line item (or a statement that none exists) within 15 business days, at no more than 30 cents per page (8206(c), 8206.5).

Edge cases

Employers cannot hold the journal. California and Illinois both say the journal belongs to the notary and may not be surrendered to an employer on termination.
Illinois exempts notarizations of candidate nominating petitions from journaling.
A lost journal is a reportable event in California (to the Secretary of State by certified mail or another receipted delivery), Illinois (10 business days), Pennsylvania (promptly) and Washington (promptly).
Failure to keep a journal properly is a misdemeanor in California (Gov. Code 8228.1).

Who this is for

Notaries buying their first journal, signing agents who work across state lines, and employers setting records policy for staff notaries.

What this does not cover

Only these seven states. It does not cover acknowledgment wording by state or apostilles and other authentication for foreign use, and the state rules that fill in journal details (such as Illinois and Washington administrative rules) are not reproduced here. General information, not legal advice.

FAQ

Does a Florida notary have to keep a journal?

Chapter 117 requires an electronic journal only from online notaries. We found no journal requirement for ordinary in-person notarizations in the chapter text, though keeping one is common practice.

What must a California notary record in the journal?

Date, time and type of each act; the character of the instrument; the signer's signature; how identity was established; and the fee. For deeds and other real-property documents and for powers of attorney, the signer also leaves a right thumbprint.

How long must a notary keep a journal?

Ten years after the last entry in Washington and Oregon. Florida requires the online electronic journal and recordings be kept at least 10 years. Illinois sets retention by Secretary of State rule and keeps recordings at least 7 years. Pennsylvania and California specify where the journal goes when the commission ends.

What happens to a notary journal when the commission ends?

In California it goes to the county clerk within 30 days, and in Pennsylvania to the county recorder of deeds within 30 days. In Washington the former notary keeps it and tells the department where it is.

What if a notary journal is lost or stolen?

Tell the commissioning office. California requires written notice to the Secretary of State by a receipted method, Illinois requires notice within 10 business days, and Pennsylvania and Washington require prompt notice.

Can my employer keep my notary journal?

No in California and Illinois: the journal belongs to the notary and cannot be surrendered to an employer when employment ends, even if the employer paid for it.

Can I combine several acts into one journal entry?

In Oregon, yes, for duplicate originals or for different documents for the same person on the same date, as long as the entry states the totals. We did not find a similar provision in the California, Pennsylvania or Washington text.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-10-20. Each link was opened and the figure next to it was checked against the text.

Not legal advice

This page is general information, not legal advice. Statutes, rules and fees change, and your facts may differ. Confirm anything that matters with your state's commissioning office or a lawyer before you act. Nothing you pick on this page is sent anywhere.