Posted by dh_notary/ms on 11/18/08 1:41pm
Msg #269984

California Notaries

If I needed to verify a notary's commission, how and where would I do that?

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 11/18/08 1:50pm
Msg #269985

You could call the county clerk where their oath is on file, and that should be indicated on their seal. You'll have better luck in some counties than others with that.

You could also try the Secretary of State at (916) 653-3595. Follow the prompts to get to the Notary division. If you reach the right person, they might verify it for you over the phone.

It's odd that in CA, just about every professional license or business filing can be verified online, but not for notaries. It is public information, though... so either the county or the SOS will do it.

Reply by 101livescan on 11/18/08 2:41pm
Msg #269988

I can access our county recorders database of notary bonds active and in good standing from my pc....depends on the county where notary's bond is on filek, level of "technical savvy".

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 11/18/08 4:21pm
Msg #269994

Yeah, in CA every county is different in what information they present online, if any. And then each division in the county is different, too. It's that way for LA County, anyway.

And some counties are nicer about giving information over the phone than others, too. LA? Forget about it their answer to everything is usually, mail it in or come in to the office. But Ventura County is full of generally friendly people.

Other counties have really nice online search engines if you know where to find them. Some counties really like to bury access to the search.

Reply by LKT/CA on 11/18/08 5:34pm
Msg #270003

If the Notary in question's oath and bond were filed in San Bernardino county, the county clerk will verify their status over the phone.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 11/18/08 5:51pm
Msg #270005

Another Idea

I don't know the reason you want to do this or if you are trying to do it without the knowledge of the notary in question, but why don't you just ask the notary for a copy of the receipt of the filing fees when they filed their oath and bond? Otherwise, you are at the mercy of the people in the county recorders office.

Reply by LCS_CA on 11/18/08 6:08pm
Msg #270008

When I worked in escrow, and we needed to verify a notary public's status, we contacted the SOS. They always provided the information by phone. Wouldn't it be possible that if you just verified that their bond was filed and if their commission had been revoked or suspended, etc. that would not appear in the county records? Just curious about that aspect of it...