A Pennsylvania notary change of address must be reported to the Department of State within 30 days, and if you moved to a different county, you also need a new stamp, a fresh signature registration with the new county, and re-recorded commission documents — miss the county-level steps and your commission becomes null and void.1Department of State. Update Your Information
The 30-Day Notification
The clock starts the day you actually move, not the day you get around to updating your records. You have 30 days to notify the Department of State in writing or by email, and the requirement covers both your home address and your office address.1Department of State. Update Your Information
There is no fee. The fastest route is the online form at notaries.pa.gov, which uses your commission number and confirms the update quickly. If you prefer paper, download the Notary Public Change of Address and Email Form from the Department’s notary resources page and mail it to the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation in Harrisburg.1Department of State. Update Your Information Whichever method you use, include the effective date of the move. The Department uses that date to verify you met the deadline.
If You Moved Within the Same County
A move inside the same county is just the notification above. Your stamp already shows the correct county, and your existing signature registration and recorded commission documents remain valid. Update the state, and you are done.
If You Moved to a Different County
Crossing a county line triggers three additional obligations, and the third one is where notaries get into real trouble.
Register Your Signature in the New County
Within 30 days of the move, register your official signature with the prothonotary or the recorder of deeds in the county where you now maintain your office.2Pennsylvania Department of State. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 57 Chapter 3 – Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts In Allegheny County (a county of the second class), the registration goes to the clerk of courts instead. This is how the county verifies that notarized documents recorded in its jurisdiction carry an authentic signature.
Re-Record Your Commission Documents
You must also record your bond, oath of office, and commission certificate with the recorder of deeds in the new county.2Pennsylvania Department of State. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 57 Chapter 3 – Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Recording fees vary, so call the office before you go, and bring your original commission certificate and bond documentation.
If you fail to register your signature or record your commission documents in the new county, your commission becomes null and void under 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(f).2Pennsylvania Department of State. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 57 Chapter 3 – Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Every notarization performed after the deadline lapses is legally questionable. Most notaries who run into problems after a move did not fail to notify the state; they forgot these county-level steps.
Order a New Stamp and Destroy the Old One
Your notary stamp has to display the county where you maintain your office, so a move across county lines makes your existing stamp inaccurate.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Section 317 – Official Stamp Order the replacement promptly. You cannot legally notarize with a stamp showing the wrong county.
Once the new stamp arrives, disable the old one by destroying, defacing, or otherwise rendering it unusable.2Pennsylvania Department of State. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 57 Chapter 3 – Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts Using a stamp bearing another notary’s name is a criminal offense under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4913.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Section 323 – Sanctions Cut the rubber die into pieces and discard them separately rather than tossing the stamp intact.
If You Moved Out of Pennsylvania
Leaving the state is not an address change; it is the end of your commission. A notary who neither resides nor works in Pennsylvania is deemed to have resigned as of the date they stopped living or working in the Commonwealth, with no grace period.1Department of State. Update Your Information If you moved to New Jersey but still work at a Pennsylvania office, your commission survives. If both your home and workplace leave the state, your authority to notarize ends immediately.
When the commission ends, you must deliver your notary journal to the recorder of deeds in the county where you last maintained an office within 30 days.5Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Section 319 – Journal Destroy your stamp at the same time.
What It Costs You to Skip These Steps
The Department of State can impose an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 per violation of the notary statutes, and it can deny renewal, suspend, or revoke your commission for a failure to comply with the notification requirements of the chapter.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 57 Section 323 – Sanctions
The bigger exposure for a notary who crossed county lines is the automatic voiding of the commission. A fine you pay. A void commission means every document you notarized after the deadline can be challenged, and the fallout reaches every client whose transaction relied on your seal.