Legislative Report: Summaries of Notary Laws and Rules That Took Effect in 2025 and Early 2026

Supporting and educating notaries nationwide remains a primary mission of the American Association of Notaries (AAN). As part of this mission, we created this newsletter to help notaries stay informed, maintain compliance with their state’s notary laws, and perform notarizations in accordance with current legal requirements. To support this effort, the following are summaries of notary laws and administrative rules that took effect in 2025 and early 2026.

Alabama Senate Bill 198 — Enacted on April 8, 2025; effective October 1, 2025. Senate Bill 198 authorizes judge advocates and paralegals serving in the Alabama National Guard to perform notarial acts under specified circumstances.

Click here to read the bill.

Arizona House Bill 2344 — Signed by the governor on May 12, 2025; effective September 26, 2025. House Bill 2344 allows individuals to use any authorized notarial officer if an entity does not offer free in-person notarization at a physical location.

Click here to read the bill.

Colorado House Bill 25-1076 — Signed by the governor on March 14, 2025; effective January 1, 2026. House Bill 25-1076 authorizes the use of a mobile or digital driver’s license as an official form of valid identification to verify a person’s age or identity.

Click here to read the bill.

District of Columbia Council Bill 25-0792 — Signed by the mayor on December 12, 2024; effective March 7, 2025. Council Bill 25-0792 requires notarial officers to be able to read or understand the language in which the notarial certificate is written. It also clarifies that a notary may refuse to perform a notarial act if the notary cannot read or understand the language of the document being notarized.

Click here to read the bill.

Florida Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective August 5, 2025. This administrative rule amends Section 33-210.102 of the Florida Administrative Code concerning the notarization of inmates’ legal documents.

Click here to read the rules.

Florida House Bill 915 — Approved by the governor on May 22, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. House Bill 915 prohibits notaries who are not authorized to provide immigration-related services from using terms such as notario público, notario, immigration assistant, immigration consultant, or immigration specialist in advertising.

Click here to read the bill.

Florida Senate Bill 538 — Approved by the governor on June 20, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. Senate Bill 538 provides that a jurat, or a certificate of proof or acknowledgment, may also be authenticated by a judge.

Click here to read the bill.

Georgia House Bill 1292 — Signed by the governor on May 2, 2024; effective January 1, 2025. House Bill 1292 includes several provisions aimed at reducing property fraud. It requires clerks of the superior courts to obtain photographic identification from individuals who present deeds or other instruments for recording and requires notaries to maintain a written or electronic journal for self-filed documents. In addition, the bill mandates that notaries complete a notary training class before their initial appointment and at least thirty days prior to each renewal appointment.

Click here to read the bill.

Georgia Administrative Rules — Adopted on October 9, 2024; effective January 1, 2025. The Notary Public Education Rules require Georgia notaries public to complete an educational training course as part of the notary public application process.

Click here to read the rules.

Iowa Administrative Rules 2025 — Adopted on July 2, 2025; effective September 10, 2025.
These administrative rules amend the Iowa Administrative Code regarding identity proofing and credential analysis.

Click here to read the rules.

Illinois Senate Bill 3513 — Approved by the governor on August 9, 2024; effective January 1, 2025.
Senate Bill 3513 exempts licensed attorneys and judges from the requirement to complete a course of study or pass an examination to renew an appointment as a notary public or electronic notary public. The exemption also applies to individuals employed by a licensed attorney or by the court.

Click here to read the bill.

Illinois Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective January 1, 2025. These administrative rules exempt certain individuals from mandatory notary education requirements, clarify the ink color required for signing paper notarial certificates, and establish conditions under which a notary is not required to maintain a journal or record a notarial act.

Click here to read the adopted rules, which are written in blue on pages 584–612.

Illinois House Bill 4592 — Approved by the governor on August 9, 2024; effective January 1, 2025. House Bill 4592 authorizes the Illinois Secretary of State to issue a mobile identification card to individuals who are eligible for a physical identification card and have already been issued one. The mobile identification card is issued in addition to, and not in place of, a physical identification card.

Click here to read the bill.           

Illinois Senate Bill 1173 — Approved by the governor on August 1, 2025; effective January 1, 2026. Senate Bill 1173 prohibits notaries from charging a fee for any notarial act related to the execution of an Illinois Secretary of State Department of Driver Services Homeless Status Certification form.

Click here to read the bill.

Indiana House Bill 1637 — Signed by the governor on May 6, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. House Bill 1637 recognizes a notarial act performed under federal law by certain officers in the United States Space Force.

Click here to read the bill. (See pages 67-68.)

Indiana Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective June 18, 2025. These administrative rules add 75 IAC 7-1-7 to define “apostille authentication,” amend 75 IAC 7-2-1 to update notary public application requirements, add 75 IAC 7-9 to address electronic enhanced access and payment processing fees, and add 75 IAC 7-10 to establish procedures for submitting requests for apostille authentications.

Click here to view the rules.

Louisiana House Bill 89 — Signed by the governor on June 4, 2024; effective August 1, 2025. House Bill 89 authorizes a notary to obtain a certified copy of a death certificate.

Click here to read the bill.

Louisiana House Bill 385 — Signed by the governor on June 11, 2025; effective August 1, 2025. House Bill 385 amends and reenacts R.S. 42:162(A) to require that oaths or affirmations of office for public officials be recorded at no charge to the official.

Click here to read the bill.

Louisiana Senate Bill 116 — Signed by the governor on June 4, 2025; effective August 1, 2025. Senate Bill 116 allows notaries commissioned in St. Martin Parish or St. Landry Parish to perform notarial acts in either parish without additional bonding, applications, or examinations.

Click here to read the bill.

Louisiana House Bill 259 — Signed by the governor on June 11, 2025; effective February 1, 2026. House Bill 259 amends Louisiana law governing notary public bonds by increasing the required bond amount from $10,000 to $50,000 and eliminating the option to meet this requirement through errors and omissions insurance instead of posting a bond.

Click here to read the bill.

Missouri House Bill 754 — Approved by the governor on July 10, 2025; effective August 28, 2025. House Bill 754 authorizes a remote online notary to notarize an electronic will, defines key terms used in Section 474.600, RSMo, and clarifies the conditions under which a person is deemed to have satisfied any physical presence requirement under Missouri law when executing an estate planning document during an applicable state of emergency.

Click here to read the bill. (Pages 42–47 contain the relevant provisions.)

Montana Senate Bill 380 — Signed by the governor on May 5, 2025; effective October 1, 2025. Senate Bill 380 removes “notary public” from the list of persons authorized to acknowledge a transferor’s signature on a certificate of title or electronic record of title when a transfer occurs between individuals.

Click here to read the bill. (Page 27 contains the relevant provisions.)

Montana House Bill 165 — Signed by the governor on April 7, 2025; effective October 1, 2025. House Bill 165 revises vehicle transfer requirements by allowing a vehicle to be transferred between individuals using an affidavit and prohibiting the Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Justice from requiring that the affidavit be notarized.

Click here to read the bill.

North Dakota Senate Bill 2127 — Signed by the governor on March 25, 2026; effective August 1, 2025. Senate Bill 2127 enacts Chapter 59-22 of the North Dakota Century Code, establishing the Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act. The bill authorizes the notarization, acknowledgment, verification, or sworn execution of signatures or records related to electronic nontestamentary estate planning documents.

Click here to read the bill.

North Dakota Senate Bill 2144 — Signed by the governor on March 18, 2025; effective August 1, 2025. Senate Bill 2144 authorizes a notary to charge a technology fee for a notarial act, provided the fee results from the use of technology, is agreed to in advance, and is clearly disclosed as separate from the standard notarial fee.

Click here to read the bill.

Nebraska Legislative Bill 470 — Approved by the governor on May 21, 2025; effective September 3, 2025. Legislative Bill 470 authorizes attorneys to make declarations under penalty of perjury in lieu of sworn declarations.

Click here to read the bill.

Nebraska Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective June 23, 2025.
These administrative rules apply to electronic and online notaries and repeal the requirement that each electronic signature submitted for notarization in the form of an acknowledgment be individually affixed to the document and separately acknowledged by the principal signer, except in certain specified circumstances.

Click here to read the changes in the administrative rules.

New Jersey Assembly Bill 3518 — Approved July 23, 2025; effective July 23, 2025. Assembly Bill 3518 directs the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to create digital driver’s licenses and digital non-driver identification cards.

Click here to read the bill.

Nevada Assembly Bill 72 — Approved by the governor on May 28, 2025; effective October 1, 2025. Assembly Bill 72 authorizes the Nevada Secretary of State to establish a professional code of responsibility for notaries, permits notaries to refuse to perform a notarial act under specified circumstances, and clarifies that an electronic notary public may not perform an electronic notarial act using audio-only communication unless the notary is physically present in Nevada at the time the notarial act is performed.

Click here to read the bill.

Nevada Assembly Bill 25 — Approved by the governor on May 29, 2025; effective May 29, 2025. Assembly Bill 25 allows an incarcerated person in a state prison to be identified for a notarial act using either an inmate identification card issued by the Department of Corrections or a declaration signed under penalty of perjury attesting to the individual’s identity.

Click here to read the bill.

Ohio House Bill 54 — Signed by the governor on March 31, 2025; effective December 27, 2025. House Bill 54 makes changes to notarization requirements related to the transfer of ownership of watercraft or outboard motors and when obtaining a certificate of title to a replica motor vehicle.

Click here to read the bill.

Ohio Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective June 10, 2025. These adopted rules make several important changes to the Ohio Administrative Code affecting notaries, including updates to notary commission and testing requirements, online notarial acts, complaint procedures, investigations, and disciplinary actions.

Click here to read the adopted rules.

Ohio House Bill 315 — Effective April 3, 2025. House Bill 315 became law in early January 2025, with most provisions taking effect on April 3, 2025. The bill confirms that a notary public is not considered an occupation or profession under Title XLVII of the Revised Code, and a notary commission is not an occupational or professional license. It authorizes the Ohio Secretary of State to revoke a notary commission based on a court judgment without a hearing, rendering the notary ineligible for reappointment. In addition, for online notarizations, the bill increases the maximum fee a notary may charge from $25 to $30 and stipulates that notaries may also charge an additional technology fee of up to $10 per session, even if the notarization is not completed.

Click here to read the bill (pages 43–55 contain the relevant law provisions).

Oklahoma Senate Bill 1028 — Became law without the governor’s signature on May 15, 2025; effective January 1, 2026. Senate Bill 1028 requires both new and renewing notary applicants to undergo a national criminal history record check conducted electronically and to pay the applicable search fee. The bill also increases the notary application filing fee, the same-day filing service fee, and the bond filing fee while raising the required notary bond amount for all new and renewing notary applicants.

Click here to read the bill.

Oregon Administrative Rule 2025 — Effective November 5, 2025. This administrative rule amends OAR 166-150-0005, which governs how government agencies must manage notary public journals belonging to employees who leave the agency.

Click here to read the amended rule on page 4.

Oregon House Bill 4020 — Signed by the governor on March 27, 2024; effective January 1, 2025. House Bill 4020 requires notaries renewing an Oregon notary public commission to complete a course of study administered or approved by the Oregon Secretary of State.

Click here to read the bill.

Rhode Island Senate Bill 625 — Signed by the governor on June 24, 2025; effective June 24, 2025.
Senate Bill 625 recognizes notarial acts performed by certain officers in the United States Space Force.

Click here to read the bill.

South Dakota Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective September 29, 2025. The administrative rules remove all references to a notary bond from both the notary public application form and the notary information change form.

Click here to read the rules.

South Dakota House Bill 1133 — Signed by the governor on March 11, 2025; effective on July 1, 2025. House Bill 1133 removes the requirement for notaries public to obtain a $5,000 bond before performing their official duties.

Click here to read the bill.

South Dakota House Bill 1192 — Signed by the governor on March 12, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. House Bill 1192 removes the statutory limit on notary fees.

Click here to read the bill.

Tennessee House Bill 495 — Signed by the governor on May 2, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. House Bill 495 revises the fees charged for providing medical records in both electronic and paper formats and establishes a flat fee for certification or notarization.

Click here to read the bill.

Tennessee Senate Bill 1051 — Signed by the governor on April 3, 2025; effective January 1, 2026. Senate Bill 1051 requires online notary applicants to pass an examination after completing an approved course covering notarial laws, online notarization technology, and ethics.

Click here to read the bill.

Texas Senate Bill 693 — Effective September 1, 2025. Senate Bill 693 strengthens notary laws by establishing penalties for notaries who perform notarizations without the signer personally appearing before them. The bill also requires notaries to retain their record books for ten years from the date of the last entry and introduces new educational requirements for notaries commissioned on or after January 1, 2026.

Click here to read the bill.

Texas House Bill 5093 — Signed by the governor on June 20, 2025; effective September 1, 2025. House Bill 5093 authorizes the Texas Secretary of State to disclose a notary public’s home address, home telephone number, and email address.

Click here to read the bill.

Texas Administrative Rules — Effective January 1, 2026. These administrative rules adopted by the Texas Secretary of State implement the notary education requirements enacted by Senate Bill 693 during the 89th Legislature. Under the rules, both traditional and online notaries are required to complete an education course offered by the Texas Secretary of State that is no more than two hours in length and to achieve a minimum score of 70 percent on the required assessment. A $20 fee applies to each assessment attempt.

Click here to read the bill. (Pages 3–7 contain the relevant provisions.)

Virginia House Bill 1889 — Approved by the governor on March 21, 2025; effective July 1, 2025. House Bill 1889 clarifies that, for purposes of notarial acts performed outside the Commonwealth for use within the Commonwealth, a “notarial act” means any act—whether involving a tangible or electronic document—that a notary public commissioned in the Commonwealth is authorized to perform under Virginia law and regulations.

Click here to read the bill.

Vermont Notaries Public Administrative Rules 2025 — Effective February 26, 2025. The Vermont Secretary of State has implemented permanent rules that regulate in-person, electronic, and remote notarizations.

Click here to read the rules in their entirety.