Texas Notary Public Changes in Rules and Requirements

Capital Area Paralegal Association

Office of the Texas Secretary of State will be presenting about the recent Texas notary laws (enacted under Senate Bill 693 and House Bill 255) introduce mandatory education, stricter criminal penalties for “no-personal-appearance

Learning Objectives:

1.) Mandatory Education: First-time and renewing notaries must complete up to 2 hours of education courses provided exclusively by the Texas Secretary of State.
2.) Stricter Criminal Penalties: Notarizing a document when the signer is not personally present is a Class A misdemeanor, and escalates to a state jail felony if the document involves a real property transfer.
3.) 10-Year Record Retention: Traditional notaries must keep their notarial records (journals) for 10 years after the date of the last entry. Failure to do so is grounds for commission revocation.
4.) Fee Increases: The maximum fee is capped at $10 for taking an acknowledgment or administering an oath (plus $1 for each additional signature).

Session Agenda: Non-agenda1.docx

CLE Hours = 1 Substantive