California Notary Fees — What Notaries Can Charge (CA)

Maximum notary fees in California

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

Notarial act	Maximum fee
Acknowledgment	$15 per signature
Jurat	$15 per signature
Oath / affirmation	$15
Copy certification	$15 (powers of attorney only — CA notaries generally may not certify copies of other document types)

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

statute (Gov. Code § 8211)

Remote online notarization

Not permitted — SB 696 (effective Jan. 1, 2024) authorized a future RON program in principle, but the Secretary of State's technology platform is not yet operational as of mid-2026 (statutory deadline is Jan. 1, 2030); California-commissioned notaries cannot yet perform RON.

Travel fees

Not capped by statute; travel/mobile fees are separate from the §8211 caps, set by the notary, and must be disclosed in advance

Commission term

4 years

Worth knowing: Also sets $30 + $7 + $7 for deposition-related services. No fee may be charged for notarizing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes or for a veteran's benefit-claim notarization.

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 California

California 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://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?amp=&lawCode=GOV&sectionNum=8211. (official, accessed 2026-07-19)
https://www.sos.ca.gov/notary/customer-alerts (official, accessed 2026-07-19)

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

Other states

Browse all states →

Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · Colorado · Connecticut