California requires a sequential journal for every notarial act — no exceptions. Deeds and powers of attorney require a thumbprint. Journals must be secured, retained for 10 years, and are the exclusive property of the notary. NotaryAct covers every requirement, including digital thumbprint capture via photo or Bluetooth scanner.
| ⚖️ California Notary Journal Law — Quick Reference | |
|---|---|
| Governing Law | California Government Code § 8206 |
| Journal Required? | Yes — every notarial act, no exceptions ✓ |
| Journal Format | One active sequential journal at a time · bound · entries chronological |
| Journal Security | Must be locked and secured under notary’s direct and exclusive control ✓ |
| Journal Ownership | Exclusive property of the notary — not the employer ✓ |
| Thumbprint Required? | Yes — for deeds, real property docs, and powers of attorney ✓ |
| Thumbprint Exemptions | Trustee’s deeds from foreclosure · Deeds of reconveyance |
| Retention Period | 10 years after date of last entry in journal |
| On Commission End | Deliver all journals to county clerk within 30 days |
| Lost / Stolen Journal | Immediately notify Secretary of State by certified mail ✓ |
| Failure to Maintain Journal | Misdemeanor under GC 8228.1 |
| Max Fee Per Signature | $15 per signature (acknowledgments / jurats) |
| Commission Term | 4 years |
| Surety Bond | $15,000 required |
| RON Status | Authorized by SB 696 (2023) — not yet operational · Expected ~Jan 1, 2030 |
California has some of the strictest notary journal requirements in the country. Under Government Code Section 8206, every California notary must keep one active sequential journal of every official act they perform. There are no exceptions — every acknowledgment, jurat, oath, affirmation, copy certification, and proof of execution must be recorded at the time the act is performed, not later.
California has three rules that make it stand out from most other states:
One journal at a time. California notaries may only maintain one active sequential journal at a time. You cannot keep a separate journal for different types of work or locations. When one journal is filled, you start a new one — but only one is ever active.
Journal security is legally required. The journal must be kept in a locked and secured area, under the notary’s direct and exclusive control. Leaving a journal unsecured — even briefly — is grounds for administrative action against the commission.
The journal belongs to the notary, not the employer. This is the rule most notaries working for banks, law firms, title companies, and other employers fail to understand. California law explicitly states the journal is the exclusive property of the notary. An employer cannot require a notary to surrender their journal upon termination of employment. If an employer tries to take your journal, you are legally entitled to keep it — and should contact the Secretary of State if it happens.
California Government Code Section 8206(a)(2) specifies exactly what each journal entry must contain. Every entry must be made contemporaneously — at the time of the act, not afterward.
| 1 |
Date and Time of Each Official Act The date alone is not sufficient — the time must also be recorded. NotaryAct auto-timestamps every entry at the moment of submission, locking it permanently. |
| 2 |
Character of Every Instrument The type of document — grant deed, deed of trust, power of attorney, affidavit, etc. This is separate from the type of notarial act. NotaryAct has a dedicated document description field. |
| 3 |
Type of Notarial Act Record in full: acknowledgment, jurat, proof of execution by subscribing witness, oath, affirmation, or copy certification. NotaryAct’s dropdown covers every California-authorized act type. |
| 4 |
Identity Verification — Statement of Method A statement indicating whether identity was established by satisfactory evidence. If by ID, record the type of document, the ID number, and the expiration date. If by one credible witness, record their signature. If by two credible witnesses, record the type of their identifying documents, the ID numbers, and the expiration dates. NotaryAct handles all three scenarios. |
| 5 |
Signer’s Signature in the Journal The person whose signature is being notarized must sign the journal entry. NotaryAct captures the signer’s signature electronically as part of each entry. |
| 6 |
Fee Charged The fee charged for the notarial act must be recorded. If no fee was charged, that must be noted — the field cannot be left blank. California’s maximum fee is $15 per signature for most notarial acts. NotaryAct includes a dedicated fee field. |
| 7 |
Thumbprint — Required for Specific Documents MANDATORY For deeds (grant deeds, quitclaim deeds, deeds of trust), any other document affecting real property, and powers of attorney, the signer must provide a thumbprint in the journal. Default is the right thumb. If unavailable, use left thumb or any available finger and note which one. If the signer physically cannot provide any fingerprint, document the reason in detail. NotaryAct supports digital thumbprint capture via camera photo or Bluetooth fingerprint scanner. |
California’s thumbprint requirement under GC 8206(a)(2)(G) exists specifically to combat deed fraud — the use of forged notarized documents to transfer property. A thumbprint is a biometric identifier that cannot be faked, making it the strongest possible evidence that a specific person appeared before the notary and signed the document.
| Document Type | Thumbprint Required? |
|---|---|
| Grant deed | Yes ✓ |
| Quitclaim deed | Yes ✓ |
| Deed of trust | Yes ✓ |
| Any other document affecting real property | Yes ✓ |
| Power of attorney (general, durable, medical, limited) | Yes ✓ |
| Trustee’s deed from foreclosure decree (nonjudicial or judicial) | Exempt |
| Deed of reconveyance | Exempt |
| All other notarizations (affidavits, jurats, copy certifications, etc.) | Not required — voluntary |
Step 1: Request the signer’s right thumbprint. This is the legal default.
Step 2: If the right thumb is unavailable (injury, missing digit), use the left thumb.
Step 3: If neither thumb is available, use any available finger and note which finger was used in the journal entry.
Step 4: If the signer physically cannot provide any fingerprint at all, document the reason in the journal entry in detail. A signer who refuses to provide a thumbprint when one is legally required cannot be notarized — there is no exception for refusal under California law.
Best practice: Many experienced California notaries collect a thumbprint for every notarization — not just the required ones. While it’s only mandatory for real property documents and powers of attorney, a voluntary thumbprint for any notarization adds an additional layer of fraud protection and gives the signer confidence that their identity is properly documented.
The thumbprint requirement is the most technically demanding aspect of California’s journal rules — and one where NotaryAct has a genuine advantage over paper-only or basic electronic journals.
NotaryAct supports digital thumbprint capture in two ways, giving you flexibility for every signing situation:
| Method | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 📷 Camera Photo | Use the NotaryAct app camera to photograph the signer’s thumbprint directly into the journal entry. The image is stored securely attached to that entry. | Mobile signings, field work, any iPhone or Android device |
| 🔵 Bluetooth Scanner | Connect a Bluetooth fingerprint scanner to capture a high-resolution digital scan of the thumbprint directly into NotaryAct. The scan is stored as a secure digital record linked to the journal entry. | Office-based signings, high-volume notaries, loan signing agents |
Both methods produce a digital record of the thumbprint that is stored securely in the cloud, attached to the specific journal entry for that notarization, and retrievable for inspection at any time. Because the print is captured digitally rather than pressed onto a paper page, it cannot be smudged, faded over time, or lost if the paper journal is damaged.
California’s 10-year retention period is among the longest in the country. The clock runs from the date of the last entry in the journal — not from the date of each individual act, and not from when your commission expires. A journal you close today must be kept until 2036.
California also has specific rules about what happens to your journals when your commission ends:
Commission expires and you don’t renew: Deliver all journals to the county clerk of your principal place of business within 30 days of the expiration date.
You resign your commission: Deliver all journals to the county clerk within 30 days of the resignation.
You die while commissioned: Your personal representative must deliver all journals to the county clerk within 30 days.
You renew your commission: You may continue using the same journal through the new commission term. No delivery to the county clerk is required.
NotaryAct stores all records in an encrypted cloud with automatic backups. Your 10-year retention is handled automatically — records remain accessible from any device regardless of whether your commission is active. If you need to deliver records to the county clerk, NotaryAct’s export function lets you produce a complete, printable copy of your journal at any time.
Under GC 8206(b), if your journal is stolen, lost, misplaced, destroyed, damaged, or otherwise rendered unusable, you must immediately notify the Secretary of State. The notification must:
This is why having a secure digital backup of your journal isn’t just convenient — it’s critical protection. If your paper journal is lost or destroyed, a digital copy in NotaryAct ensures your records survive and can be produced if needed. NotaryAct’s encrypted cloud storage and automatic backups protect against exactly this scenario.
California authorized remote online notarization under the Online Notarization Act (SB 696, signed September 2023), but the program is not yet operational for California-commissioned notaries. The Secretary of State must complete a technology infrastructure project (NAP 2.0) before RON goes live. The current target date is on or before January 1, 2030.
When California’s RON program launches, notaries performing online notarizations will be required to keep both one tangible sequential journal and one or more secure electronic journals for their online notarial acts. An audio-video recording of each session will also be required.
A separate 2025 law, AB 2004, is relevant now: it allows a “disinterested custodian” of an electronic record to certify a printed copy of that record before a California notary. The notary executes a jurat for the custodian’s sworn certification. This is not RON — the parties must still appear in person — but it creates a new type of notarization California notaries may encounter, particularly in real estate closings involving electronically signed documents.
| California Requirement (GC § 8206) | How NotaryAct Covers It | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential journal of every act | Auto-numbered sequential entries; one active journal enforced | ✔ |
| Date and time of each act | Auto-timestamped at submission — locked and permanent | ✔ |
| Character / type of document | Dedicated document description and act type fields | ✔ |
| Identity verification method + ID details | ID type, number, expiration date; credible witness fields; barcode scan auto-fill | ✔ |
| Signer’s signature in journal | Electronic signature capture for every entry | ✔ |
| Fee charged (cannot be blank) | Required fee field in every entry; zero-fee notation supported | ✔ |
| Thumbprint for deeds and POAs | Camera photo capture OR Bluetooth fingerprint scanner — digital print stored securely in journal entry | ✔ |
| Entries made contemporaneously | Timestamped at submission; cannot be backdated | ✔ |
| Secure, locked, exclusive control | Encrypted cloud; password/biometric access; notary-only login | ✔ |
| 10-year retention from last entry | Records retained indefinitely in cloud; accessible beyond 10 years | ✔ |
| Producible for subpoena / court order | Instant search, print, and export; certified copies available | ✔ |
Can I keep more than one active journal at a time in California?
No. California law permits only one active sequential journal at a time. You cannot maintain separate journals for different counties, clients, or document types. When one is full, start a new one — but only one is ever active. Multiple simultaneous journals are a violation of GC 8206.
Can my employer take my notary journal?
No. California Government Code Section 8206 makes the sequential journal the exclusive property of the notary. An employer who purchases the journal or employs the notary has no ownership claim over it. A notary shall not surrender the journal to an employer upon leaving a job. If an employer attempts to take your journal, contact the California Secretary of State’s Notary Public Section.
What happens if a signer refuses to provide a thumbprint for a deed?
There is no exception for refusal. If a document legally requires a thumbprint under GC 8206 and the signer refuses to provide one, you cannot proceed with the notarization. Politely explain that California law requires the thumbprint for that type of document, and that you are unable to complete the notarization without it.
Does NotaryAct’s digital thumbprint satisfy California’s requirement?
Yes. California law requires that the thumbprint be placed “in the journal.” NotaryAct stores the digital thumbprint — captured either by camera photo or Bluetooth scanner — as a secure, permanent, and tamper-evident record attached to the specific journal entry. This satisfies the requirement for the thumbprint to be part of the notarial record. Many California signing agents rely on digital thumbprint capture daily for exactly this purpose.
Can I use the same journal after my commission renews?
Yes. If you renew your commission before it expires, you may continue using the same journal through the new term. There is no requirement to start a new journal at each commission renewal. Only when you stop being a notary — by not renewing, resigning, or death — must the journals be delivered to the county clerk.
What is California’s maximum notary fee?
$15 per signature for acknowledgments and jurats. This is the maximum per individual signature, not per document. A document with two signatures requires two separate journal entries and can be charged $15 per signature ($30 total). Travel fees are separate and must be agreed upon in advance. The fee charged (or zero) must always be recorded in the journal.
When will California notaries be able to perform RON?
California’s RON program was authorized by SB 696 in 2023 but is not yet operational. The Secretary of State is building the required technology infrastructure (NAP 2.0). The target completion date is on or before January 1, 2030. Until the program launches and individual notaries are registered, California-commissioned notaries cannot perform RON under California law.
Where can I find official California notary guidance?
The 2026 California Notary Public Handbook is published by the Secretary of State at sos.ca.gov/notary/handbook. The full text of Government Code Section 8206 is available at codes.findlaw.com and leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Other state guides: Virginia · New York · Alaska · Florida · Texas · All 50 States →
NotaryAct captures every required field under GC 8206, including digital thumbprint capture via camera photo or Bluetooth scanner for deeds and powers of attorney. Encrypted cloud storage, 10-year retention, and instant export for subpoenas — everything California requires, nothing left out.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Information reflects California Government Code Section 8206, the 2025 California Notary Public Handbook (Secretary of State), and AB 2004 (2024) as in effect June 2026. Laws are subject to change. Consult the California Secretary of State’s Notary Public Section or qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to your situation.
