California Notary Public Exam Seal, Address Changes, and Commission Records Summary

A notary must notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a change in business or residence address. Notice is sent by certified mail or another delivery method that gives a receipt.

Wrong choices

• 10 days: Ten days is not the deadline for an address change.
• 90 days: 90 days is too long. The deadline is 30 days.
• At the next renewal: The notary may not wait until renewal. Notice is due within 30 days.

A round notary seal may be no more than 2 inches in diameter. A rectangular seal may be no more than 1 inch wide and 2.5 inches long. Both must have a serrated or milled edge border.

Wrong choices

• 3 inches: Three inches is larger than the law allows.
• 1 inch: One inch is the width limit for a rectangular seal, not the diameter of a round seal.
• 1.5 inches: 1.5 inches is allowed, but it is not the largest size. The limit is 2 inches.

A California notary seal shows the notary's name, the State Seal, the words "Notary Public," the county where the oath and bond are filed, the commission expiration date, the commission number, and the seal manufacturer's identification number.

Wrong choices

• The notary's home address: The seal shows the county where the oath and bond are filed, not a home address.
• The name of the notary's employer: The employer's name is not part of the seal.
• The notary's date of birth: A date of birth is not part of the seal.

The notary's seal is the exclusive property of the notary, even if an employer paid for it. The notary keeps it in a locked and secured area under the notary's direct and exclusive control and does not give it to the employer.

Wrong choices

• The county clerk, who holds it until the next job: The county clerk does not hold seals between jobs.
• The employer, because it paid for the seal: Paying for the seal does not make it the employer's property.
• The Secretary of State, who must receive it by mail: The seal is not mailed to the Secretary of State when a job ends.

If the official seal is lost, stolen, destroyed, damaged, or otherwise unusable, the notary must immediately notify the Secretary of State in writing. A replacement seal requires a new Certificate of Authorization.

Wrong choices

• Wait 30 days in case the seal is found: The notice must be immediate, not after 30 days.
• Order a new seal without telling anyone: The Secretary of State must be notified first, and a new seal needs a new authorization.
• Tell only the county clerk: The Secretary of State must be notified.

The notary's seal must be applied with a seal press or stamp that prints or embosses an image that can be legibly reproduced by photographic methods, so copies of the document still show the seal clearly.

Wrong choices

• Only when printed in red ink: The law does not require a particular ink color for this purpose.
• Only by touch, as a raised impression: A raised impression alone may not copy clearly. The image must reproduce by photographic methods.
• Only by special ultraviolet light: The image must be clear in normal photographic copies, not only under special light.

When a commission ends by resignation, expiration, or revocation, the notary (or the notary's representative) must destroy or deface the seal so no one can misuse it.

Wrong choices

• The seal is given to the notary's employer: The seal is never surrendered to an employer.
• The seal is kept in case the notary is appointed again: A new commission needs a new seal. The old seal is destroyed or defaced.
• The seal is mailed to the county clerk with the bond: The county clerk receives journals and records, not the seal.

The Secretary of State sends the notary a Certificate of Authorization to Manufacture a Notary Public Seal. The notary gives it to an approved vendor, who may then make the seal.

Wrong choices

• A letter from the notary's employer: An employer letter does not allow a vendor to make a seal.
• A permit from the county sheriff: The sheriff has no role in authorizing notary seals.
• A copy of the notary's exam score report: An exam score report does not authorize a seal.

A rectangular notary seal may be no more than 1 inch wide and 2.5 inches long. A round seal may be no more than 2 inches across.

Wrong choices

• 2 inches wide by 2 inches long: That is close to the round seal limit of 2 inches in diameter, not the rectangle limit.
• 1 inch wide by 1 inch long: A seal this size would be allowed, but it is not the largest size.
• 1.5 inches wide by 3 inches long: That is larger than the law allows.

Willfully failing to notify the Secretary of State of an address change is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Wrong choices

• A felony: This failure is not a felony.
• A civil penalty of up to $1,500: $1,500 is a civil penalty for other willful violations, not for this one.
• No penalty, only a reminder letter: The law sets a penalty for willful failure to report.