Alabama Notary Fees — What Notaries Can Charge (AL)

Maximum notary fees in Alabama

State-set maximums — notaries may always charge less, and many do.

Notarial act	Maximum fee
Acknowledgment	No statutory maximum (notary sets fee)
Jurat	No statutory maximum (notary sets fee)
Oath / affirmation	No statutory maximum (notary sets fee)
Copy certification	No statutory maximum (notary sets fee)

Informational reference only — not legal advice. Notary fee laws change, and states differ in how fees apply (per act, per signature, or per certificate). Last reviewed July 2026. Always confirm current rules with your state's commissioning authority before setting your fees.

Key rules at a glance

Fees set by

No statutory cap — notary sets fee; Ala. Code § 36-20-74 requires the fee schedule be disclosed before the act

Remote online notarization

Permitted — Alabama allows 'remote ink notarization' via two-way audio-video (Act 2023-548, Ala. Code § 36-20-73.1) — signer appears on video but a wet-ink original must still be physically signed/sealed by the notary; this is narrower than full RON. No separate RON fee cap in statute.

Travel fees

Not addressed by statute; notary may set own travel charge and must disclose it in advance

Commission term

4 years

Worth knowing: Genuine outlier: no statutory fee ceiling at all, unlike most states. Act 2023-548 modernized notary law and remote-appearance procedures; AV recordings of remote sessions must be kept 7 years.

Charging the right fee is step one — keeping the records is the job.

The Notary & Loan Signing Agent Business Tracker logs every signing, fee, mile and expense — with notarial-act fees tracked separately from travel and signing-service income — so your year-end numbers are ready without the scramble.

View the Notary Business Tracker →

Or try the free notary mileage & fee tools →

How notary fees work in Alabama

Alabama sets the maximum a notary public may charge for each notarial act — the table above shows those caps. Charging above the maximum is a compliance violation, but there is no minimum: many notaries charge less, or waive fees for certain documents. What you may charge for ancillary services (travel, printing, scheduling) is governed separately — see the travel-fee rule above, and always disclose extra charges to the signer in advance.

If you work as a loan signing agent, note that the signing-service fee you receive for a loan package is compensation for the appointment as a whole (travel, printing, handling) — the notarial-act portion is still subject to the per-act caps shown here. Keeping those two amounts separate in your records matters, because in many situations they are treated differently for tax purposes. That split is exactly what a purpose-built record-keeping system handles for you.

Sources

https://www.sos.alabama.gov/administrative-services/notaries-public (official, accessed 2026-07-19)
https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=36-20-74 (official, accessed 2026-07-19)
https://remotenotaryexperts.com/legal/alabama/ (secondary, accessed 2026-07-19)

This page is general information about Alabama notary fee rules, last reviewed July 2026. It is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Verify current requirements with the state's commissioning authority.

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