While more than one third of California Notaries said in a recent NNA survey the state’s recent Notary fee increase has helped their business, more than half of those polled added that the state should not raise the maximum fees for notarization further.
37 percent of Notaries participating in the survey said the fee increase has helped them, and 60 percent said that they are charging more for their Notary services since the new law went into effect.
However, 52 percent of respondents opposed raising Notary fees in California any further, and 59 percent said they would not support the state removing fee limits for notarizations, similar to a 2016 Kentucky law that allows its Notaries to set their own fees.
The new state law that took effect January 1 raised the maximum fee Notaries may charge in California from $10 to $15 per notarization.
The law passed with widespread grassroots support from local Notaries, who said the increase would help offset rising business costs and improve the public’s perception of Notaries as professionals.
California and Kentucky are among several jurisdictions that have raised the fees Notaries may charge in recent years, including the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and Wyoming.
David Thun is the Assistant Managing Editor with the National Notary Association.