California notary stamp requirements are set out in Government Code Section 8207, which tells you exactly what the seal must display, what size and shape it can be, how the impression must be made, and how you must store and eventually destroy it. Every commissioned notary in the state must carry a compliant stamp, and a notarization made without one can be challenged as incomplete. The details below cover what the law requires and how to get a stamp that meets it.
What Your Stamp Must Display
The impression your stamp leaves on a document must contain seven elements, each clearly legible:
- Your name exactly as it appears on your commission
- The State Seal of California
- The words “Notary Public”
- The county where your oath of office and bond are on file
- Your commission expiration date
- Your commission number (required for every notary commissioned on or after January 1, 1992)
- The manufacturer’s identification number
The commission number and manufacturer number allow a notarized document to be traced back to both the notary and the vendor that produced the stamp.1California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8207
Size, Shape, and Ink Rules
California allows two shapes. A circular stamp can be no more than two inches in diameter. A rectangular stamp can be no more than one inch wide by two and a half inches long. Whichever shape you choose, the border of the impression must have a serrated or milled edge.1California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8207
The impression must be made with a stamp press or ink stamp that legibly reproduces every required element under photographic methods. That rule is why an embosser used by itself does not satisfy the statute. An embossed impression raises the paper but will not reliably show up on a photocopy or scan. You can still use an embosser for the added security of a raised impression, but you have to apply the inked stamp as well. Most notaries pick black or dark blue ink because those colors photograph most cleanly.1California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8207
How to Order Your Stamp
You cannot order a stamp until your commission has been approved by the Secretary of State. Two steps come before any vendor will release one.
File Your Oath and Bond
Within 30 calendar days of your commission’s start date, file your oath of office and a $15,000 surety bond with the county clerk in the county where your principal place of business is located. The deadline cannot be extended, and missing it means your commission never takes effect.2California Secretary of State. File Notary Public Oath and Bond The bond has to come from an admitted surety insurer; a cash deposit will not qualify.3Justia Law. California Government Code Chapter 3 Notaries Public County recording fees typically run around $50 to $60, though the exact amount varies.
Use Your Certificate of Authorization
Your commission packet includes a Certificate of Authorization to Make and Manufacture Notary Public Seals. Only vendors registered with the Secretary of State may produce official notary stamps, and they are required to inspect your original certificate before handing one over.4California Secretary of State. Procedures and Guidelines for the Issuance of Notary Public Seals A photocopy or scan will not work. Keep a copy for your records, but the vendor needs the original document.
Keeping Your Stamp Secure
The stamp is your exclusive property and must be kept in a locked, secured location under your direct and exclusive control. No one else may possess or use it. If your employer paid for the stamp, it still belongs to you, and you do not leave it behind when you change jobs.1California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8207
Failing to keep the stamp secure is a standalone ground for the Secretary of State to suspend or revoke your commission under Government Code Section 8214.1.5California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8214.1 Knowingly giving your stamp to anyone not authorized by law to have it is a misdemeanor.6California Legislative Information. California Government Code 8227.3
If Your Stamp Is Lost or Stolen
If your stamp goes missing or is destroyed, notify the Secretary of State in writing immediately. The notice must go by certified mail or another physical delivery method that provides a receipt. The Secretary of State’s office publishes a specific form that also covers lost or stolen journals.7California Secretary of State. Lost or Stolen Seal and/or Journal
Willfully failing to report a lost or stolen stamp is another ground for revocation under Section 8214.1.5California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8214.1 Once the Secretary of State processes your notification, you can request a duplicate Certificate of Authorization and order a replacement from an authorized vendor.
Destroying Your Stamp When Your Commission Ends
When your commission expires, or if you resign or your commission is revoked, you must destroy or deface the stamp so it can no longer produce a usable impression. The obligation falls on you personally, or on your representative if you are unable to do it yourself.1California Legislative Information. California Code Government Code GOV 8207
Throwing an intact stamp in the trash does not satisfy this requirement. For a rubber ink stamp, cut through the rubber face so it can no longer leave a readable impression. For an embosser, remove the metal plate and strike it with a hammer until the engraved information cannot be read; a plastic plate should be broken apart. One exception applies: if you are convicted of a felony or certain specified offenses, you may be required to surrender the stamp to the court rather than destroy it yourself.
Moving Counties or Changing Your Name
Moving your principal place of business to a different county does not force a change of stamp. You can keep using your existing stamp with the original filing county, or you can file a new oath and bond in the new county and get an updated stamp. A transfer is optional.8California Secretary of State. Notary Frequently Asked Questions
If you do transfer, request a new oath of office form from the Secretary of State, take a new bond or a duplicate of your original bond, and file both in the new county by checking the county transfer box on the oath form. The Secretary of State will then send a new Certificate of Authorization so you can order an updated stamp.8California Secretary of State. Notary Frequently Asked Questions
A legal name change works differently. Because the stamp must display the name under which you were commissioned, a name change during your term generally requires you to apply for a new commission, which means a new oath, bond, and stamp.
Electronic and Remote Notarization
California currently allows electronic notarizations only when every requirement for a traditional paper notarial act is met, including applying your seal on all but two specific documents used in real estate transactions. Your physical ink stamp still applies. Senate Bill 696, signed in September 2023, will eventually allow California notaries to perform notarial acts through audio-visual platforms, with the full framework becoming operative when the Secretary of State completes the necessary technology infrastructure or by January 1, 2030, whichever comes first.9California Secretary of State. Customer Alerts Until then, the physical stamp rules described above are the standard for every California notary.