To become a notary in Los Angeles, you need to be at least 18 and a California resident, finish a six-hour state-approved course, pass a proctored exam given by CPS HR Consulting, clear a Live Scan background check, and then file your oath of office and a $15,000 surety bond with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk within 30 days of your commission date. Budget roughly $230 to $500 and expect several weeks between your first class and your first notarization.
Who Qualifies
California Government Code Section 8201 sets the baseline. You must be at least 18 years old and a legal California resident when your commission takes effect.1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8201 – Notaries Public The commission itself runs for four years.2California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8204 – Notary Commission Term
Character counts. The Secretary of State can refuse to appoint anyone convicted of a felony, a lesser offense involving moral turpitude, or any offense incompatible with notary duties, and a no-contest plea is treated as a conviction. The state can also deny an application for misstatements, a professional license revocation tied to dishonesty, or any conduct involving fraud or deceit.3California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8214.1 – Grounds for Refusal, Revocation, or Suspension An old conviction is not automatic disqualification, but you must disclose your full criminal history on the application. Hiding something is itself grounds for denial.
Take the Six-Hour Approved Course
First-time applicants must complete a six-hour course from a vendor approved by the Secretary of State.1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8201 – Notaries Public The curriculum covers California notary law, identification procedures, journal-keeping, and the notarial acts you will perform. Expect to pay $30 to $200 depending on provider and format. The Secretary of State publishes the approved vendor list on its website, and most offer the course online.
If a prior commission already lapsed, the state treats you as new and you take the full six hours again. Only applicants whose commission is still active at the time they reapply qualify for the shorter three-hour refresher.
Apply and Pass the State Exam
Once your course is done, download the Notary Public Application (Form NP-01) from the Secretary of State’s website. The form asks for your personal history, prior commissions, and any professional license discipline. Attach a recent 2-by-2-inch color passport-style photograph taken before the application date.4California Secretary of State. Notary Public Application Form NP-01
The exam is run exclusively by CPS HR Consulting, the sole organization contracted with the Secretary of State for notary testing.5CPS HR Consulting. California Notary Exam Sessions are held at various locations across Los Angeles. Bring your completed NP-01 and $40, split between a $20 application fee and a $20 exam fee, in a single check or money order payable to the Secretary of State. No cash, no cards.
Passing takes a score of 70 percent or higher.6California Secretary of State. Take the Exam If you fail, you can retake it, but not more than once in the same calendar month, and each retake costs $20. Results are not given on the spot. Expect several weeks of waiting before the Secretary of State mails your outcome.
Get Fingerprinted Through Live Scan
Every applicant has to be fingerprinted through Live Scan, which runs your prints against California Department of Justice and FBI databases. Fill out a Request for Live Scan Service form and bring it with a government-issued photo ID to an authorized Live Scan location. Los Angeles has dozens of these, including shipping centers, private fingerprinting offices, and some police stations.
The operator captures your prints electronically and sends them straight to the state, so you have nothing extra to mail. Combined DOJ and FBI processing plus the site’s own service charge typically runs $50 to $100.
File Your Oath and Bond in Los Angeles County
When the Secretary of State approves your application, a commission packet arrives in the mail. A 30-day clock starts the moment that commission takes effect: you must file an official oath of office and a $15,000 surety bond with the county clerk where your principal place of business sits.7California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8213 – Filing Oath and Bond The bond must come from an admitted surety insurer authorized in California. A cash deposit does not substitute.8California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8212 – Official Bond Annual premiums for the $15,000 bond generally run $50 to $150.
In Los Angeles County, filing happens at the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The combined clerk and filing fee is $23.9Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Notary Public Oath and Bond Fees The main office sits in Norwalk, with branch offices such as Van Nuys also accepting filings. If you cannot show up in person, the county accepts filings by mail as long as a current notary public has notarized your oath.
Miss the 30 days and your commission is void. No extensions, no exceptions. You start the entire process over, from the course on. Mark the deadline the moment the packet arrives.
Get Your Seal and Journal
Filing your oath and bond makes you commissioned, but you cannot notarize anything until you have the right tools. Your commission packet includes a list of Secretary of State-authorized seal manufacturers, the only companies permitted to produce California notary seals.10California Secretary of State. Seal Manufacturer Permits Each manufacturer has an ID number that becomes part of every seal it makes.
California law dictates what the seal has to show: your name, the State Seal, the words “Notary Public,” the county where you filed, your commission expiration date, your commission number, and the manufacturer’s ID number.11California Secretary of State. Procedures and Guidelines for the Issuance of Notary Public Seals The seal may be circular up to two inches across, or rectangular up to one inch by two and a half inches.
You also need one active sequential journal, stored in a locked and secured area under your exclusive control. Each entry records the date and time, the type of act, the character of the document, the signer’s signature, how you verified identity, and the fee charged. Notarizing deeds, deeds of trust, or powers of attorney also requires collecting the signer’s thumbprint in the journal.12California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8206 – Sequential Journal Journals are sold at stationery supply stores.13California Secretary of State. Purchase Notary Public Materials
What You Can Charge
California caps notary fees. Overcharging is grounds for the Secretary of State to revoke your commission.
- Acknowledgments: $15 per signature
- Jurats (oath or affirmation): $15 per person
- Depositions: $30 for all services, plus $7 for the oath and $7 for the certificate
- Certified copy of a power of attorney: $15
Two notarizations must always be free: signatures on vote-by-mail ballot envelopes, and applications or claims for veteran’s benefits.14California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8211 – Fees
What It Costs in Total
A realistic budget for commissioning in Los Angeles County:
- Education course: $30 to $200
- Exam and application fee: $40
- Live Scan fingerprinting: $50 to $100
- Surety bond premium: $50 to $150
- LA County filing fee: $23
- Seal and journal: $40 to $80
A bare-minimum setup lands around $230 to $300. The upper end of each range pushes closer to $500.
Renewing in Four Years
Your commission expires four years after it takes effect.2California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8204 – Notary Commission Term Apply while your commission is still active and you only need the three-hour refresher course instead of the full six.1California Legislative Information. California Code GOV 8201 – Notaries Public You still have to pass the exam again and file a fresh oath and bond with the county clerk. Let your commission lapse first and the state treats you like a brand-new applicant.
A Few Things to Know Before You Start Working
The $15,000 bond protects the public from your mistakes. It does not protect you. Errors and omissions insurance covers your own legal defense and any judgment against you for honest notarial mistakes. California does not require E&O for standard notary work, but a single lawsuit easily outstrips years of premiums. Policies offering $25,000 to $50,000 in coverage run roughly $25 to $45 per year.
If your goal is loan signings, becoming a notary signing agent is not a separate California license. It is an industry certification layered on top of your active commission, usually involving a training course, a certification exam, annual background screening, and E&O coverage that most title companies and lenders expect to be at least $100,000.