Ohio Notary Exam Practice Questions: Commission and Qualifications (2026)

Who may be commissioned

ORC 147.01(B) sets the gateway requirements. The applicant must have attained the age of eighteen years under (B)(1). The residency requirement in (B)(2) is excused only for an attorney admitted to practise in Ohio whose principal place of business or primary practice is in the state. Under (B)(3)(a) the applicant must supply a criminal records check report completed within the preceding six months showing no disqualifying offense, and ORC 147.022(C) requires the person requesting that check to pay the prescribed fee to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation. Two groups are exempt from the records check under (B)(3)(b): an attorney admitted to the practice of law in Ohio, and a peace officer.

• Minimum age eighteen, per ORC 147.01(B)(1).
• A criminal records check completed within the preceding six months, per ORC 147.01(B)(3)(a).
• All submissions for receiving and renewing a commission must be made electronically, per ORC 147.01(E).
• The new notary must personally appear before a notary or other officer authorized to administer oaths and take an oath of office, per ORC 147.01(G).

Education, testing and the retake window

ORC 147.021 directs the Secretary of State to adopt the standards and curricula by rule, in coordination with the authorized entities, and the detail sits in OAC 111:6-1-03. A non-attorney applicant completes a three hour education program and passes a test administered by an authorized provider under (A)(1), pays $130 to the provider under (A)(2), and pays $15 to the Secretary of State on filing the application under (A)(4). Attorneys take the three hour program at a $75 provider fee under (B) and sit no test. Retakes are governed by (A)(3): no sooner than thirty days after the last examination, and no later than six months after issuance of the criminal records check, with a second failure forcing a fresh application and fee. One consequence of OAC 111:6-1-02(F) is worth remembering for the test itself: providers must offer multiple curriculum tests precisely so there is no single uniform test in circulation.

Term, renewal and jurisdiction

ORC 147.03 sets a five year term for every notary other than an Ohio-admitted attorney; an attorney holds office for as long as the attorney is a resident of or practises in Ohio, remains in good standing before the Ohio Supreme Court, and the commission is not revoked. Renewal has its own clock. ORC 147.031(C) allows a renewal application beginning three months prior to the expiration date, and (B)(2) caps the renewal fee at not more than sixty dollars. OAC 111:6-1-03(C) adds a one hour education program completed no earlier than twelve months before expiration, at a $45 provider fee. The trap that catches candidates is ORC 147.031(D): an expired commission cannot be renewed at all, though the person may apply for a new commission. Jurisdiction is simple by comparison, because ORC 147.07 gives an Ohio notary statewide jurisdiction, and ORC 147.12 makes an official act done after the term expires or after resignation as valid as if done during the term of office.

Fees, records and the public database

Several fixed numbers in this topic are examinable. ORC 147.37(A) caps the commission fee at not more than one hundred fifty dollars, and (C)(2) caps the portion remitted to the Secretary of State at not more than fifteen dollars. A duplicate commission costs two dollars under ORC 147.371(A), and the same two dollar fee plus the electronic amendment form applies to a name change under (B). ORC 147.051 requires the Secretary of State to maintain a database of notaries public on a publicly accessible web site, and (B) requires that database to show whether a notary is authorized to perform online notarizations. It is also worth knowing what a commission is not: ORC 147.011(F) defines a notary public as an officer of the state commissioned by the Secretary of State, and states expressly that a notary commission is not an occupational or professional license.