I wrote to the CA SOS with my concerns of mobile notarizations in our current state of emergency and asking for clarification regarding essential services. This was their response.
“ As you may be aware, the Governor of the State of California has requested that residents of California stay at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this doesn't seem to apply to individuals whose job is considered an essential function, our office cannot make the determination whether or not a notary public is considered essential at this time. We recommend you contact the county health department for further guidance.
At this time, no new laws changes have been made to the California notary public laws. Therefore, all California notaries public must use the current notary laws when performing their notarial duties.
Please note, there are no provisions in the California notary laws that prohibits a California notary public from performing an electronic notarial act. If an electronic notarial act is performed, the notary public must abide by all the requirements of a paper-based transaction.
For additional information, please refer to the Electronic Notarizations section on page 20 of the 2020 Notary Public Handbook available on our website.”
Please note, CA notaries are permitted to do electronic notarizations however the same personal appearance and other requirements remain. The only functional difference is to have less physical paperwork. |
