AnalysisPreviously, only Louisiana Notaries who were also attorneys had statewide jurisdiction; nonattorney-Notaries were granted parishwide jurisdiction. While reciprocity agreements allowed Notaries in several parishes to notarize in certain other parishes, House Bill 1213 effectively permits any validly appointed nonattorney-Notary to notarize in any parish in the state upon passing the Notary examination on or after June 13, 2005. Validly appointed Notaries need not take the exam, which is given twice a year, but their commissions would then only have parishwide authority. Notaries in Louisiana hold lifetime commissions and need only take and pass the exam once. See New Law Alert 18-06 regarding the Louisiana Secretary of State’s new duty to administer the Notary exam statewide; formerly, the exam was created and administered separately in each parish.
Read House Bill 1213.