Ohio Notary Exam Practice Questions: Fees, Prohibited Acts and Discipline (2026)

What an Ohio notary may charge

The caps are short and worth learning exactly. Up to five dollars for any notarial act that is not an online notarization, under ORC 147.08(A)(1). Up to thirty dollars for an online notarization, under (A)(2), a figure raised from twenty-five dollars by H.B. 315 effective 3 April 2025. A notary charging the online fee under (A)(2) may not also charge the (A)(1) fee for the same act, under (B). The fees under division (A) are capped per act and are not calculated per signature, under (C). Two extras sit outside the cap. Division (D)(1) allows a reasonable travel fee as agreed by the notary and the principal prior to the notarial act. Division (D)(2) allows a technology fee of up to ten dollars, with the total not to exceed ten dollars per online notarization session, and the notary may charge it whether or not the act is completed. Division (E) lets the Secretary of State adopt rules under Chapter 119 to increase the authorised fees, so always check the current figures against the code. The Ohio notary fee calculator works these out act by act with the statute cite.

• $5 maximum for any in-person notarial act, ORC 147.08(A)(1).
• $30 maximum for an online notarization, ORC 147.08(A)(2).
• Fees are per act, never per signature, ORC 147.08(C).
• Travel fee allowed only if agreed before the act, ORC 147.08(D)(1).
• Technology fee capped at $10 per online session, ORC 147.08(D)(2).

The prohibited acts

ORC 147.141(A) is the longest list in the Ohio notary law and rewards systematic study. A notary may not notarize the notary's own signature, per (A)(2), or take the notary's own deposition, per (A)(3). A notary may not perform an act where the notary has a conflict of interest with regard to the transaction, per (A)(4), with (C)(1) making clear that the fees authorised under the chapter do not count as the direct financial interest that creates a conflict. A notary may not certify that a document is an original or a true copy of another record, per (A)(5), though (B) permits notarizing the signature of the document's holder on a written statement certifying that the document is a true copy. A notary must use the name by which the notary is commissioned when signing certificates, per (A)(6). Signing a blank affidavit or acknowledgment form and delivering it with intent that it be so used is forbidden by (A)(8), altering anything in a written instrument after it has been signed by (A)(11), amending or altering a notarial certificate after the notarization is complete by (A)(12), and notarizing a signature on an incomplete or blank document by (A)(13). Capacity and free will get their own provisions: (A)(10) bars notarizing where it appears the person is mentally incapable of understanding the nature and effect of the document, and (A)(14) where the signer appears unduly influenced or coerced. Two provisions police the act itself: (A)(15) forbids taking an acknowledgment of execution in lieu of an oath or affirmation when an oath or affirmation is required, and (A)(16) forbids executing a jurat without administering an oath or affirmation. Determining the validity of powers of attorney and representative-capacity forms is reserved by (A)(17) to notaries who are licensed Ohio attorneys, and (A)(18) forbids charging or accepting a fee greater than the amount prescribed by law.

The notario prohibition

ORC 147.142 exists because the word "notario publico" means something very different in civil-law countries, where it denotes a legally trained officer. Division (A) forbids a non-attorney notary from representing or advertising as an immigration consultant or an expert in immigration matters. Division (B) then adds five specific bans: providing any service that constitutes the unauthorized practice of law in violation of ORC 4705.07, per (B)(1); stating or implying that the notary is an attorney licensed to practise law in this state, per (B)(2); paid document preparation or representation in judicial or administrative proceedings, including immigration matters, per (B)(3); soliciting or accepting compensation to obtain relief of any kind on behalf of another from any officer, agency or employee of this state or of the United States, per (B)(4); and using the phrase "notario" or "notario publico" to advertise notary services in written or non-written communication, per (B)(5).

Investigations, penalties and revocation

ORC 147.032(A) lets the Secretary of State investigate on the Secretary's own belief that a violation occurred, and also upon a signed complaint from any person; OAC 111:6-1-06 sets out the complaint form, which requires the notary's name, the related documents, an explanation of the reason for the complaint and, if known, the citation of each statutory provision allegedly violated, plus the complainant's name, phone number, address, email address and signature, with the commission number required only if known. Division (B) authorises three outcomes: revocation, suspension for a specified period or until fulfilment of a condition such as retraining, and a letter of admonition placed in the notary's record. Division (C) is mandatory and often tested: the notary must cooperate fully with the Secretary of State, including timely responses to all questions posed in the investigation, and the Secretary of State shall revoke the commission of a notary who does not. Division (D) targets conduct showing the notary lacks the requisite honesty, integrity, competence or reliability, and gives examples including failure to administer an oath or affirmation when executing a jurat, per (D)(1), and a fraudulent, dishonest or deceitful misstatement or omission on a notarial certificate, per (D)(3). Division (E) is the sting: a person whose commission has been revoked may not apply for a subsequent notary commission, which ORC 147.01(C)(3) states from the other direction. Separately, ORC 147.10 forbids any notarial act done knowing the term of office has expired or the commission has been resigned, and ORC 147.99 fines a violation of ORC 147.10 not more than five hundred dollars; ORC 147.11 sets a forfeiture of not more than five hundred dollars recovered by an action in the name of the state, and renders the person ineligible for reappointment.