North Carolina Notary Seal Stamp

45. What are the components of the notarial seal?

The notary’s name exactly as commissioned
The words “Notary Public”
The county of commissioning, including the word “County” or the abbreviation “Co.”
The words “North Carolina” or the abbreviation “NC”

The seal may contain the notary’s commission expiration date, but if it does the notary must get a new seal upon reappointment every five years with the new commission expiration date. A notarial act is invalid if the expiration date shown is incorrect at the time the act is performed.

A notary shall keep an official seal or stamp that is the exclusive property of the notary. The notary shall keep the seal in a secure location. A notary shall not allow another person to use or possess the seal, and shall not surrender the seal to the notary's employer upon termination of employment.
The seal shall be affixed only after the notarial act is performed. The notary shall place the image or impression of the seal near the notary's signature on every paper record notarized. The seal and the notary's signature shall appear on the same page of a record as the text of the notarial certificate.
A notary shall do the following within 10 days of discovering that the notary's seal has been lost or stolen:

Inform the appropriate law enforcement agency in the case of theft or vandalism.
Notify the appropriate register of deeds and the Secretary in writing and signed in the official name in which he or she was commissioned.

As soon as is reasonably practicable after resignation, revocation, or expiration of a notary commission, or death of the notary, the seal shall be delivered to the Secretary for disposal. (1973, c. 680, s. 1; 1991, c. 683, s. 2; 1998-228, s. 7; 2005-391, s. 4; 2006-59, s. 16.)

A notary shall affix the notary's official seal near the notary's official signature on the notarial certificate of a record.
A notary's official seal shall include all of the following elements:

The notary's name exactly as commissioned.
The words "Notary Public".
The county of commissioning, including the word "County" or the abbreviation "Co.".
The words "North Carolina" or the abbreviation "NC".
The notary seal may be either circular or rectangular in shape. Upon receiving a commission or a recommission on or after October 1, 2006, a notary shall not use a circular seal that is less than 1 ½ inches, nor more than 2 inches in diameter. The rectangular seal shall not be over 1 inch high and 2 ½ inches long. The perimeter of the seal shall contain a border that is visible when impressed.
(c1) Alterations to any information contained within the seal as embossed or stamped on the record are prohibited.
A notarial seal, as it appears on a record, may contain the permanently imprinted, handwritten, or typed date the notary's commission expires.
Any reference in the General Statutes to the seal of a notary shall include the stamp of a notary, and any reference to the stamp of a notary shall include the seal of the notary.
The failure of a notarial seal to comply with the requirements of this section shall not affect the sufficiency, validity, or enforceability of the notarial certificate, but shall constitute a violation of the notary's duties. (2005-391, s. 4; 2006-59, s. 17.)