Pick a state and a notarial act to see the most a notary may legally charge, how it's figured, and the statute it comes from. The total updates as you change the counts.
Count each signer's signature. Two signers = 2.
Maximum fee · California
Most the notary may charge
Acknowledgment
$15.00
1 signature × $15
$15.00
The rule: Up to $15 for each signature taken, including the seal and writing the certificate.
Gov. Code §8211(a)
This is a ceiling, not a price list. A notary may charge less or nothing. Travel and other non-notarial charges aren't included; see the travel fee rules below.
Travel fees in California
Section 8211 sets fees for notarial acts only and doesn't mention travel. The Secretary of State's handbook says the journal entry must show the fee charged for the notarial service, and travel fees, if any, should be identified separately.
Source: California Notary Public Handbook (2026), journal entries
Also good to know
Each state sets a maximum fee for each notarial act. A notary may charge that amount, less, or nothing, but never more. The part that's easy to get wrong is what an acknowledgment fee is counted per: per signature in California, per certificate (plus $1 for extra signatures) in Texas, and per person in New York.
Example: two people sign a deed
Example: one signer swears to an affidavit
| Act | Maximum | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | Up to $15 for each signature taken, including the seal and writing the certificate. | Gov. Code §8211(a) |
| Jurat (oath + jurat) | Up to $15 for administering the oath or affirmation to one person and executing the jurat, including the seal. | Gov. Code §8211(b) |
| Oath or affirmation (no document) | Up to $15 for administering an oath or affirmation to one person. | Gov. Code §8211(b); Notary Public Handbook fee table |
| Certified copy of a power of attorney | Up to $15 for certifying a copy of a power of attorney under Probate Code §4307. | Gov. Code §8211(e); Probate Code §4307 |
| Deposition | Up to $30 for all services in taking a deposition, plus $7 for the oath to the witness and $7 for the certificate. | Gov. Code §8211(c) |
| Vote-by-mail ballot envelope or other voting materials | No fee may be charged to notarize signatures on vote-by-mail ballot identification envelopes or other voting materials. | Gov. Code §8211(d) |
| Veteran's benefits application or claim | No fee may be charged to a U.S. military veteran for notarizing an application or claim for a pension, allotment, allowance, compensation, insurance or other veteran's benefit. | Gov. Code §§8211(f), 6107 |
| Act | Maximum | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment or proof of a deed or other instrument | Up to $10 for the first signature and $1 for each additional signature, including the certificate and seal. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(5) |
| Oath or affirmation with certificate and seal (jurat) | Up to $10 for administering an oath or affirmation with certificate and seal. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(6) |
| Certificate under seal not otherwise provided for | Up to $10 for a certificate under seal not otherwise provided for. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(7) |
| Copy of a record or paper in the notary's office | Up to $1 for each page of a copy of a record or paper in the notary public's office. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(8) |
| Deposition | Up to $1 for each 100 words when taking a deposition, and $10 for swearing a witness to a deposition, certificate, seal and other business connected with it. A partial 100 words is counted as a full 100 here, so the result is the most it could be. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(9)–(10) |
| Protest of a bill or note | Up to $4 for protesting a bill or note for nonacceptance or nonpayment (register and seal) and $1 for each notice of protest. The statute lists a certificate and seal to a protest as a separate $4 item, and protesting in all other cases as $4. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(1)–(4) |
| Any other notarial act not provided for | Up to $10 for a notarial act not provided for elsewhere in the fee schedule. | Gov. Code §406.024(a)(11) |
| Online notarization add-on | An online notary may charge up to $25 per online notarization on top of the regular §406.024 fee. Per the Secretary of State, two signers on one certificate is $25 + $10 + $1 = $36; two signers on separate certificates is ($25 + $10) × 2 = $70. | Gov. Code §406.111 |
| Act | Maximum | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | Up to $2 for taking and certifying the acknowledgment of one person, and $2 for each additional person. | Executive Law §136(2) |
| Proof of execution by a subscribing witness | Up to $2 for taking and certifying the proof of execution of a written instrument by one person, $2 for each additional person, and $2 for swearing the witness. | Executive Law §136(2) |
| Oath or affirmation (including an affidavit) | Up to $2 for administering an oath or affirmation and certifying it when required, unless another statute sets a different fee. | Executive Law §136(1) |
| Protest of a note, bill, check or draft | No more than 75 cents for the protest and 10 cents for each notice, up to five notices, on any bill or note. | Executive Law §135 |
| Electronic notarial act (remote) | An electronic notary public may charge $25 for each electronic notarial act, and that amount includes all of the notary's costs. | Executive Law §136(3); 19 NYCRR §182.11(g) |
Source: California: Secretary of State, 2026 Notary Public Handbook (Gov. Code §§8206, 8211, 8214.1). Texas: Gov. Code ch. 406; HB 255 (2023); Secretary of State, Notary Public Educational Information; Online Notary Public Educational Information. New York: Department of State, Notary Public License Law (September 2026) (Executive Law §§135, 136; Public Officers Law §67; 19 NYCRR §182.11). Checked October 2026.
Up to $15 for each signature on an acknowledgment, $15 per person for an oath or affirmation and jurat, and $15 to certify a copy of a power of attorney (Government Code section 8211). Notarizing vote-by-mail ballot envelopes and veterans' benefit applications is free by law.
Up to $10 for an acknowledgment plus $1 for each additional signature on the same certificate, and $10 for an oath or affirmation with certificate and seal (Government Code section 406.024). An online notary may add up to $25 per online notarization (section 406.111).
$2. Executive Law section 136 allows $2 per person for an acknowledgment or proof of execution, $2 for swearing a witness, and $2 for an oath or affirmation. An electronic notarial act is $25, which includes all of the notary's costs (19 NYCRR 182.11).
None of the three states' fee statutes sets a travel fee. California's Notary Public Handbook says travel fees, if any, should be listed separately from the notarial fee in the journal. Texas law says a notary may charge only for the acts in its fee schedule, so check with the Secretary of State before charging for travel. New York's statute is silent on travel, and state law bars charging more than the legal fee for a notarial service.