Notary Exam Buffalo, NY: Dates, Locations & Requirements

The notary exam in Buffalo, NY is offered on a walk-in basis at the Ellicott Square Building, 295 Main Street, Room 845, roughly twice a month. It’s a one-hour, 40-question multiple-choice test, and you need 28 correct answers (70 percent) to pass. No appointment, no pre-registration. Bring a photo ID, a $15 check or money order made out to the Department of State, and a couple of No. 2 pencils. Seats fill first-come, first-served, so plan to arrive early.¹

Where and When the Exam Is Held

The Buffalo testing site is the Ellicott Square Building, 295 Main Street, Room 845, Buffalo, NY 14203. It’s in the downtown core, not at the courthouse. The Department of State publishes walk-in schedules in quarterly blocks, and Buffalo sessions typically run twice a month with time slots in the morning and early afternoon, commonly 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:30 p.m.¹

Check the current schedule on the Department of State website before you go. Dates shift between quarters, and sessions are occasionally canceled. The building has standard security screening at the entrance, so give yourself a few extra minutes. Street parking and nearby commercial lots are both available downtown, most of them paid during business hours.

What to Bring on Exam Day

Three things get you through the door:

A government-issued photo ID. A driver’s license or passport works. The proctor checks it before you sit.
The $15 exam fee by check or money order, payable to the Department of State. Cash is not accepted.
No. 2 pencils. Answer sheets are scanned, so pens and mechanical pencils won’t do.

Show up short any of these and you don’t test that day. The $15 is non-refundable once collected.

Who Has to Take the Exam

New York Executive Law §130 sets the baseline for who can be commissioned: you must live in New York or maintain a place of business here, and the Secretary of State requires good moral character and at least a common-school-level education. A criminal conviction isn’t an automatic bar, but the Secretary of State evaluates it under Article 23-A of the Correction Law before deciding.²

There’s no application, screening, or background check before the exam itself. You walk in and test. The eligibility review happens after you pass, when you file for your commission.

Two groups skip the exam entirely. Attorneys admitted to practice in New York, and court clerks of the Unified Court System who got their positions through a civil service promotional exam in the court clerk series, go straight to the commission application.³ The Secretary of State still confirms they meet §130’s qualifications.²

What the Exam Covers

Questions come out of the Notary Public License Law booklet published by the Division of Licensing Services. It gathers every statute and regulation governing notaries into one document, and it’s the single best study resource. Download it free from the Department of State website.⁴

Three broad areas carry most of the test:

Appointment and qualifications. Who can become a notary, residency and character requirements, the four-year commission term, and how renewals work.
Powers and duties. What notarial acts you can perform, proper acknowledgment and oath procedures, required certificates, and rules around notarizing documents involving corporations where you hold an interest.
Restrictions and violations. Unauthorized practice of law, prohibited advertising, official misconduct penalties, and situations where you must decline.

Real Property Law sections on acknowledgments and proofs come up often, along with questions about when a notary must refuse to act. Statutory fee limits, the difference between an acknowledgment and an affidavit, and the rules on personal appearance of the signer are the spots where candidates most commonly slip.

How the Session Runs

Walk in, hand over your ID and fee, and get a seat. The proctor reads instructions, and the one-hour clock starts when the instructions end.¹ Seats are limited. Arriving 20 to 30 minutes before the session helps, especially for the 9:00 a.m. slot.

All 40 questions are multiple choice. No penalty for guessing, so answer every one. When time is up or you’re done, you turn in your answer sheet and leave. You will not get your score that day.

Scoring, Results, and Retakes

The Department of State grades exams centrally in Albany. Pass with at least 28 out of 40 correct (70 percent). Results come by mail to the address you wrote on your answer sheet, typically within a few weeks.⁴

A pass letter includes a pass slip. Hold onto it. You cannot apply for the commission without it. If you fail, you can retake the exam at any scheduled session by paying the $15 again. There is no waiting period and no cap on attempts.

Getting Your Commission After You Pass

Passing the exam is the first step, not the last. You submit a completed commission application to the Secretary of State along with your original pass slip and a non-refundable $60 application fee. The Secretary of State accepts checks, money orders, bank checks, and personal checks. Credit and debit card payment may also be available, including online.⁵

Once the Secretary of State is satisfied with your character and qualifications, your commission runs for a four-year term.⁶ You then file your oath of office and official signature with the county clerk in the county where you live or maintain your place of business. In Buffalo, that’s the Erie County Clerk. Some counties charge a small filing fee. Until the oath is filed, you cannot perform notarial acts, even with a commission certificate in hand.

Total Cost to Get Commissioned

Budgeting for the full process, not just the exam:

Exam fee: $15, non-refundable, paid at the testing site.
Commission application fee: $60, non-refundable, paid to the Secretary of State.⁵
County clerk filing fee: Varies by county for filing your oath of office.
Notary stamp or seal: Not required by statute, but most notaries buy one for convenience.
Errors and omissions insurance: Optional, worth considering if you’ll notarize frequently.

Renewal every four years is another $60. Name or address changes during a term are $10 each, and a replacement ID card is $10.⁵

1
New York Department of State. March – June 2026 Notary Public Walk-In Examination Schedule and Exam Information
2
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 130 – Appointment of Notaries Public
3
New York Department of State. Become a Notary Public
4
NYS Department of State Division of Licensing Services. Notary Public License Law
5
New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 131 – Procedure of Appointment Fees and Commissions Fee Payment Methods
6
New York Department of State. Notary Public