What are the Maximum Notarial Fees?

The maximum fees a notary may charge.

California law makes it clear that a notary may charge any fee as long as the fee is not higher than the maximum allowed.

• Acknowledgment - $15 - For an Acknowledgment or proof of a deed, or other instruments, including the seal and writing the certificate, $15 for each signature.
• Jurat - $15 - For administering an oath or affirmation to one person and executing the Jurat, including the seal, $15 for each signature.
• Deposition - $30 - For all services in connection with the taking of any deposition, $30, and an additional $7 for administering the oath to the witness and $7 for the certificate to the deposition.
  • Note: If a notary public is not a certified shorthand reporter, the notary public should inform the person they may wish to contact a certified shorthand reporter who is licensed by the Court Reporters Board of California to take the deposition.
• Certifying a Copy Power of Attorney - $15 for each copy.
• Public Request for Line Item – For a line item copied from the notary public’s journal, $.30 per line item.

Note: The actual fee, if any, charged must be entered in the notary’s sequential journal.

No Minimum Fee

A notary public may decide to not charge a fee, for:

• Completing a notarial act or
• Providing a photocopy of his or her journal pages.
• Also, a notary public’s employer could make it a condition of employment that the notary public charges no fee for notarial services.
  • Exception
    • Any notary public appointed to act for and on behalf of certain public agencies are to charge for all services and remit the fees to the employing agency. Each fee charge must be entered in the journal.