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RECORDBOOK REQUIREMENTS BY STATE*
*Not every requirement related to the notary’s recordbook is listed. Consult your state statutes or administrative rules for a complete review of all requirements.
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| Alabama- Not Required |
| Alaska- Not Required |
| Arizona- Recordbook Required. The notary must keep only one paper journal at a time, unless some entries are public records and some are non public. In that case, two separate journals, one for each type of record, may be maintained. See Arizona Revised Statutes Sec. 41-319(E) for more details. Permanently bound journals are recommended. |
| Arkansas- Not Required |
| California- Recordbook Required. Only one active, sequential recordbook may be used and should be kept in a secure location under the direct control of the notary. Thumbprint of the signer is required for any instrument affecting real property, and powers of attorney. |
| Colorado- Recordbook Required. Physical characteristics of the book are not defined; any type of journal is allowed. |
| Connecticut- Not Required |
| Delaware- Paper Notarial Acts–Not Required. Electronic Notarial Acts– Electronic Recordbook Required. |
| District of Columbia- Recordbook Required |
| Florida- Not Required |
| Georgia- Not Required |
| Hawaii- Recordbook Required. Recordbook must be bound, soft-cover, consecutively numbered, and cannot exceed 11" high and 16.5" wide when fully opened. Inside cover area for notary information and other required information. |
| Idaho- Not Required |
| Illinois- Not Required, Cook County Pilot Program effective until July 1, 2018: Requires notaries to create a “Notarial Record” including a thumbprint, for all notarial acts performed involving certain conveyances for residential property in Cook County. This is not a traditional recordbook/journal entry; a specific form for this purpose, and instructions, are provided on the web site of the Illinois Secretary of State. |
| Indiana- Not Required |
| Iowa- Not Required |
| Kansas- Not Required |
| Kentucky- Not Required. All protests made by a notary for the non-acceptance or nonpayment of all bills of exchange, checks or promissory notes MUST be recorded in a well-bound journal. |
| Louisiana- Not Required |
| Maine- Not Required. Notaries that perform any marriage ceremonies must keep a record of the transaction. If a recordbook is voluntarily used, some specifics apply including: bound; consecutively numbered pages; preprinted page numbers; inside cover area for notary information and other information. Collection of the signer’s thumbprint for any reason is prohibited. |
| Maryland- Recordbook Required |
| Massachusetts- Recordbook Required. Only one active journal at a time. Chronological, permanently bound book with numbered pages or sequentially numbered entries. |
| Michigan- Not Required |
| Minnesota- Not Required |
| Mississippi- Recordbook Required. Must be a chronological, permanently bound book with numbered pages. Notaries should only have one active recordbook at a time. |
| Missouri- Recordbook Required. The recordbook must be permanently bound and contain numbered pages. |
| Montana- Recordbook Required. Bound recordbook required; electronic journal is not authorized. Loose leaf journals are not authorized. |
| Nebraska- Not Required |
| Nevada- Recordbook Required. Must be bound, contain sequential, preprinted page numbers and should be kept in a secure location under the direct control of the notary (paper and electronic notarial acts). |
| New Hampshire- Not Required |
| New Jersey- Not Required |
| New Mexico- Not Required |
| New York- Not Required |
| North Carolina- Not Required |
| North Dakota- Not Required |
| Ohio- Recordbook required only for recording protests. |
| Oklahoma- Not Required. Notaries public are required to 1.) maintain records (“a log”) of all absentee ballot affidavits notarized, for at least two years after the date of the election; and 2.) maintain records (“a register”) of all protests noted for banks. Records of protests for a bank may be left in possession of the bank. |
| Oregon- Recordbook Required. Bound, chronological journal, consecutively numbered pages. Page numbers must be preprinted. Line numbers must be preprinted as well. Must include inside cover area for notary information and other information. More than one active journal at a time is allowed. Electronic journals are allowed. |
| Pennsylvania- Recordbook Required. May be a paper or electronic journal, but only one recordbook (“register”) may be maintained at one time. All notarial acts, whether paper or electronic, must be recorded in the notary’s current recordbook. Must be chronological register; separate book for clerical and travel fees. |
| Rhode Island- Not Required |
| South Carolina- Not Required |
| South Dakota- Not Required |
| Tennessee- Recordbook Required. Effective 10.01.2014 notaries are required to keep a recordbook for ALL notarial acts performed. |
| Texas- Recordbook Required. Applicable to both paper and electronic notarial acts. Book, computer or other storage device allowed. |
| U.S. Virgin Islands- Recordbook Required |
| Utah- Not Required. If a notary maintains a journal, it must be chronological, permanently bound, with numbered pages. |
| Vermont- Not Required |
| Virginia- Paper Notarial Acts–Not Required. Electronic Notarial Acts–Electronic Record Required. Must be chronological. If an electronic notarial act is performed utilizing audio/video technology authorized under §47.1-2, the notary must electronically record the act and keep a copy of the recording. |
| Washington- Not Required |
| West Virginia- Not Required |
| Wisconsin- Not Required. If a notary maintains a journal, some regulations concerning disposition of the records upon the notary’s death apply. |
| Wyoming- Not Required |
| NOTE: Information above was updated Februay 2015. |