 | Oregon Notary Handbook
Chapter 5 - The Notarial Journal
All notaries public must keep and maintain a notarial journal, even if the notarizations normally performed
fall under the exempt status. OAR 160-100-230. A notary public may be asked to notarize non-exempt
documents at any time.
The information contained in the front of the notarial journal must be kept current. This includes the notary
public’s name, notarial commission number, expiration date, address, and earliest date the notarial journal
may be destroyed. As a notarial commission is renewed or a notary public moves from one employer to
another, the law requires that this information be updated. OAR 160-100-200(5).
The notary public may wish to create abbreviations of terms to use when recording entries in the notarial
journal. If abbreviations are created, put a glossary of abbreviations in the front of the notarial journal. (For
example: Ack for Acknowledgment).
Notary Journal Requirements
Get the details required for the journal according to OAR 160-100-210:
- Date and time the notarial act was performed;
- Type of notarial act performed;
- Date of the document notarized;
- Type of document notarized. Name the type of document (e.g., will, contract between “ABC
company and Oregon Outfitter’s,” Russian invitation, student transcript, etc.);
- Printed name of the signer;
- Signature of the signer;
- Description of how the notary public identified signer;
- Any other pertinent information:
- Fees collected, if any;
- Unusual circumstances, such as power of attorney, reason for refusal to notarize; corrections made
to notarial certificate; representative authority (example: President of ABC Company); etc.
Oregon Notary Law
- Each notary public shall provide, keep, maintain
and protect one or more chronological journals of
notarial acts performed by the notary public except for
administering an oath or affirmation or certifying or
attesting a copy.
- The Secretary of State shall adopt rules prescribing
the form of the notarial journal to promote uniformity and
establish the retention or disposition of the notarial journal
and other notarial records, and prescribe rules to provide
for exceptions to the notarial journal.
- A notary public who is an employee may enter
into an agreement with the employer pursuant to which
agreement the notarial journal or journals of the notary, in
compliance with rules adopted under subsection (2) of this
section, are retained or disposed of by the employer upon
termination of employment.
- A notarial journal in the possession of a notary
public who is not a public official or employee is exempt
from disclosure under ORS 192.410 to 192.505. A notarial
journal in the possession of the Secretary of State, or in
the possession of a notary public who is a public official
or employee, is not exempt from disclosure under ORS
192.410 to 192.505 unless the Secretary of State or other
custodian determines that the public interest in disclosure
is outweighed by the interests of the parties in keeping
the journal record of the notarial act confidential. A
determination by the Secretary of State or other custodian
under this subsection is subject to review under ORS
192.410 to 192.505.
- This section does not apply to the record of
protests of commercial paper which shall be as provided in
ORS 194.090. [1989 c.976 §15]
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