Ohio Revised Code Search

...As used in this chapter: (A) "Acknowledgment" means a declaration by an individual before a notary public that the individual has signed a record for the purpose stated in the record, and if the record is signed in a representative capacity, that the individual signed the record with proper authority and signed it as the act of the individual or entity identified in the record. (B) "Criminal records check" has th...

...(A)(1) Except as provided in division (B)(4) of section 147.01 of the Revised Code, no person shall be appointed as a notary public unless that person has completed an educational program related to the requirements of this chapter and passed a test demonstrating knowledge of such requirements. (2) The secretary of state may authorize that such a program be completed online. (B) The secretary of state shall adopt, ...

...(A)(1) The secretary of state shall require each applicant for a notary commission, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this state or a peace officer, to complete a criminal records check. (2) The secretary shall not accept an application for a notary commission that includes the report of a criminal records check that is more than six months old. (B) The secretary of state shall provide to each pe...

...Each notary public, except an attorney admitted to the practice of law in this state by the Ohio supreme court, shall hold office for the term of five years unless the commission is revoked. An attorney admitted to the practice of law in this state by the Ohio supreme court shall hold office as a notary public as long as the attorney is a resident of this state or has the attorney's principal place of business or pri...

...(A)(1) Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, a commission for a notary public appointed prior to the effective date of this section shall remain valid until that commission's expiration date. (2) A commission issued to an attorney shall be governed by section 147.03 of the Revised Code. (B) A commission that is set to expire as described in section 147.03 of the Revised Code or as in division (A) ...

...(A)(1) If the secretary of state believes that a violation of this chapter has occurred, the secretary of state may investigate such violations. (2) The secretary of state may investigate possible violations of this chapter upon a signed complaint from any person. (B) After an investigation, the secretary of state may take any of the following actions: (1) Revoke the notary public's commission; (2) Suspend...

...Before entering upon the discharge of official duties, a notary public shall obtain the seal of a notary public. The seal shall consist of the coat of arms of the state within a circle that is at least three-quarters of an inch, but not larger than one inch, in diameter and shall be surrounded by the words "notary public," "notarial seal," or words to that effect, the name of the notary public, and the words "Stat...

...A person commissioned as a notary public prior to the effective date of this section may continue to use a seal that met the requirements of section 147.04 of the Revised Code and that was in that person's possession before that date.

...(A) The secretary of state shall maintain a record of the commissions of each notary public appointed and commissioned by the secretary of state under this chapter and make a proper index to that record. The governor's office shall transfer to the secretary of state's office, on or after June 6, 2001, the record of notaries public formerly kept by the governor's office under section 107.10 of the Revised Code. The ...

...The secretary of state shall maintain a database of notaries public on a publicly accessible web site. The web site shall provide all of the following information in relation to each notary public: (A) The status of an individual's authority to perform notarial acts; (B) Whether the notary is authorized to perform online notarizations, as defined in section 147.60 of the Revised Code; (C) A description of any a...

...Upon application, the secretary of state shall make a certified copy of a notary public commission and the endorsements on the commission. The certified copy shall be prima-facie evidence of the matters and facts contained in it. For each certified copy of a notary public commission, the secretary of state shall be entitled to receive a fee of five dollars.

...A notary public has statewide jurisdiction.

...(A) A notary public is entitled to the following fees: (1) Up to five dollars for any notarial act that is not an online notarization; (2) For an online notarization, up to thirty dollars. (B) A notary charging the fee authorized under division (A)(2) of this section shall not also charge the fee authorized under division (A)(1) of this section. (C) The fees charged under division (A) of this section shall no...

...No notary public shall do or perform any act as a notary public knowing that the notary public's term of office has expired or that the notary public has resigned the notary public's commission.

...A person appointed notary public who performs any act as such after the expiration of the person's term of office or after the person resigns the person's commission, knowing that the person's term has expired or that the person has resigned, shall forfeit not more than five hundred dollars, to be recovered by an action in the name of the state. Such act shall render the person ineligible for reappointment.

...An official act done by a notary public after the expiration of the notary public's term of office or after the notary public resigns the notary public's commission is as valid as if done during the notary public's term of office.

...(A) A notary public shall not do any of the following: (1) Perform a notarial act with regard to a record or document executed by the notary; (2) Notarize the notary's own signature; (3) Take the notary's own deposition; (4) Perform a notarial act if the notary has a conflict of interest with regard to the transaction in question; (5) Certify that a document is either of the following: (a) An original doc...

...(A) A notary public who is not a licensed attorney in this state shall not represent or advertise himself or herself as an immigration consultant or an expert in immigration matters. (B) A notary public who is not a licensed attorney in this state shall not do any of the following: (1) Provide any service that constitutes the unauthorized practice of law in violation of section 4705.07 of the Revised Code; (2) Sta...

...n within the state, may be appointed as commissioners of the state. Such commissioners shall continue in office for a term of three years. Each of such commissioners shall, before performing any of his duties, take and subscribe to an oath of office before a judge of a court of record within this state. Such oath, with his signature thereto and an impression of his seal of office and his residence address, shall fort...

...(A) The secretary of state shall establish a fee of not more than one hundred fifty dollars to be paid by each person receiving a commission as notary public. (B) The notary public shall remit the fee to the authorized entity that administered the educational program and test required by section 147.021 of the Revised Code. The notary public shall remit to the secretary of state the portion of that fee specified p...

...(A) Upon receipt of a fee of two dollars and submission of the electronic duplicate commission request form, a duplicate commission as notary public shall be issued by the secretary of state. (B) Upon receipt of a fee of two dollars and submission of the electronic amendment form for a name change under division (B) of section 147.05 of the Revised Code, the secretary of state shall issue a duplicate commission as ...

...Any acknowledgment or proof of execution of a deed, mortgage, lease, power of attorney, or other instrument that was taken, and any other notarial act that was performed, by a commissioned officer in active service with the armed forces of the United States for a person who was a member of the armed forces of the United States, for a person who was accompanying the armed forces of the United States, or for a person w...

...Depositions taken in pursuance of sections 147.07 and 147.51 to 147.58 of the Revised Code by a person described in division (D) of section 147.51 of the Revised Code shall be taken on written interrogatories, on a written notice being given by the party desiring to take such depositions, which notice shall contain the names of the parties plaintiff and defendant, the court or tribunal in which the action is pending,...

...(A) A notary public who takes an acknowledgment of a record shall determine, from personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the identity of the person acknowledging, that the person appearing before the notary public and making the acknowledgment has the identity claimed and that the signature on the record is the signature of the person. (B) A notary public who takes a verification of a statement on oath or a...

...(A) A notary public has personal knowledge of the identity of the person appearing before the notary public if the person is personally known to the notary public through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the person has the identity claimed. (B) A notary public has satisfactory evidence of the identity of the person appearing before the notary public if the notary public can identify the pers...