Texas requires a journal for every notarial act. Senate Bill 693 (2025) doubled the retention period to 10 years and made failing to keep a journal grounds for commission revocation. Fingerprints are expressly not authorized. NotaryAct is state-configured for Texas — the right fields are on, fingerprint capture is off, compliance is built in.
📋 2025 law change — SB 693, effective September 1, 2025: Traditional notary journal retention doubled from 5 to 10 years from the date of last entry. Failure to maintain a journal is now explicit “good cause” for commission revocation. Education requirements for new and renewing applicants took effect January 1, 2026. Fingerprints remain not authorized.
| ⚖️ Texas Notary Journal Law — Quick Reference (Updated 2025) | |
|---|---|
| Governing Law | Texas Government Code § 406.014 · SB 693 (eff. Sept 1, 2025) |
| Journal Required? | Yes — every notarial act ✓ |
| Permitted Formats | Bound book OR electronic (computer or storage device) · Records must be adequately protected |
| Retention Period (Traditional) | 10 years from date of last entry — NEW under SB 693 ✓ |
| Retention Period (RON) | 5 years (RON records have separate retention rule) |
| Failure to Maintain Journal | Now explicit “good cause” for commission revocation — SB 693 ✓ |
| Fingerprints / Thumbprints | ⛔ NOT authorized per Texas Secretary of State — do not collect |
| Education (New — SB 693) | Up to 2 hours required for new and renewing notaries from Jan 1, 2026 |
| RON Authorized Since | 2018 (SB 2128 · Gov’t Code § 406.101 et seq.) |
| Traditional Max Fee | $10 per notarial act (raised from $6 by HB 255, 2025) |
| Commission Term | 4 years |
| Surety Bond | $10,000 |
Texas Government Code § 406.014 requires every commissioned Texas notary to keep a record book of all notarial acts performed. The requirement applies to all types of notarizations — acknowledgments, oaths, affirmations, jurats, and any other notarial act. Senate Bill 693, which took effect September 1, 2025, strengthened enforcement of this requirement by making failure to maintain a record book explicit grounds for commission revocation or rejection of a new application.
Texas allows flexibility in format. The record book may be maintained as a traditional bound book or electronically on a computer or other storage device, provided the records are adequately protected. For RON notarizations, an electronic journal is mandatory.
Texas Government Code § 406.014 specifies the required contents of each record book entry. NotaryAct’s Texas configuration captures all required fields automatically.
| 1 | Date of the Notarial Act NotaryAct auto-timestamps every entry at submission. |
| 2 | Name of the Signer / Deponent The full name of the person whose signature is notarized or who takes the oath. NotaryAct’s barcode scanner auto-fills from any Texas driver’s license. |
| 3 | Type of Notarial Act Acknowledgment, jurat, oath, affirmation, or other. NotaryAct provides a structured dropdown for all Texas-authorized act types. |
| 4 | Description / Title of the Document The name or identifying description of the instrument being notarized. NotaryAct includes a dedicated document description field. |
| 5 | Fee Charged The fee charged for the notarial act, or a notation that no fee was charged. Texas raised its maximum traditional fee to $10 per act under HB 255 (2025). NotaryAct includes a required fee field in every entry. |
| 6 | Signer’s Signature in the Record Book Texas requires the signer to sign the record book entry. NotaryAct captures the signer’s electronic signature as part of every entry. |
The Texas Secretary of State has been unambiguous on this point: Texas notaries are not required or authorized to obtain fingerprints. This is a compliance boundary — not just a “not required” situation. Notaries should not collect fingerprints even if their record book has a space for one.
✔ NotaryAct’s Texas configuration: Fingerprint capture is disabled in the NotaryAct Texas journal configuration. The feature does not appear in the Texas journal entry flow. This is automatic — Texas notaries do not need to take any action to ensure compliance with this rule.
Senate Bill 693 was the most significant update to Texas notary law in years. Here is a clear summary of what changed and when:
| Change | Effective Date | Who It Affects |
|---|---|---|
| Journal retention extended to 10 years | September 1, 2025 | All Texas notaries |
| Failure to keep journal = “good cause” for revocation | September 1, 2025 | All Texas notaries |
| Stronger criminal penalties for notarizing without appearance | September 1, 2025 | All Texas notaries |
| Mandatory education (up to 2 hours) | January 1, 2026 | New and renewing applicants from Jan 1, 2026 |
| Max traditional fee raised to $10 (HB 255) | 2025 | All Texas notaries |
| All applications submitted electronically (SOS portal) | January 21, 2025 | All applicants |
| Texas Requirement | How NotaryAct Covers It | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Journal of every notarial act | All act types covered; entries enforced at submission | ✔ |
| Date, signer name, act type, document, fee, signer signature | All 6 required fields in Texas configuration; barcode scan auto-fills name | ✔ |
| Electronic format adequately protected | Encrypted cloud; tamper-evident entries; password/biometric access | ✔ |
| 10-year retention from last entry (SB 693) | Cloud storage retains records well beyond 10-year minimum | ✔ |
| Fingerprints NOT authorized | Fingerprint capture disabled in Texas configuration — automatic | ✔ |
| Journal available for inspection on demand | Instant search, print, and export from any device | ✔ |
Other state guides: California · Florida · Illinois · Ohio · All 50 States →
NotaryAct is state-configured for Texas — fingerprints off, all required fields on, 10-year encrypted cloud retention built in. SB 693 made journal compliance more important than ever. NotaryAct makes it automatic.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Information reflects Texas Government Code Chapter 406, Senate Bill 693 (eff. September 1, 2025), and HB 255 (2025), as in effect June 2026. Consult the Texas Secretary of State or qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to your situation.
