How much does a notary cost
A notary bill has up to three parts. Keep them apart and the price stops being a mystery.
- The notarial fee. This is what the notary charges for the act itself: an acknowledgment, a jurat, or an oath. Most states set a maximum by statute or rule. The notary may charge less, or nothing.
- A travel fee. A mobile notary who drives to you can usually add one. A few states cap it. Many leave it to the notary and the customer to agree on.
- A platform or company fee. A video session runs on a company’s software. Some states let that company charge on top of the notary’s own capped fee.
An acknowledgment is the notary’s certificate that you are the person who signed, and that you signed on purpose. A jurat is the certificate for a statement you swear is true. Our jurat guide explains the difference. Many caps are counted per signature or per signer, so two people on one deed can double the notarial fee.
State fee caps for an in-person notarization
These are the maximums the state itself publishes. They are not prices a company promised you. Each row links the state page on this site, which grades the notary products in that state.
| State | What the cited source allows |
|---|---|
| California | Up to $15 for each signature on an acknowledgment. Up to $15 for a jurat or an oath, per person. |
| Nevada | $15 for the first signature of each signer on an acknowledgment, and $7.50 for each extra signature by that signer. A jurat is $15 per signature. |
| Texas | $10 for the first signature on an acknowledgment and $1 for each extra signature, per the Secretary of State’s worked examples. |
| Florida | Up to $10 per notarial act. No fee for witnessing a vote-by-mail ballot. |
| Arizona | No charge, up to $10 per notarial act. The cap includes remote and electronic acts. |
| Maryland | Up to $8 for an original notarial act. |
| Pennsylvania | $5 for the first name on an acknowledgment and $2 for each extra name. $5 for a jurat, per person. |
| Ohio | Up to $5 for a notarial act that is not an online notarization. |
| New York | $2 for a traditional notarial act, unless another law allows more. |
The spread is wide. A single signature can cost $2 in New York and $15 in California. A notary who charges more than the cap is breaking the state rule, not setting a market price. The Texas Secretary of State says excessive fees are grounds for disciplinary action, and that a notary may charge less or nothing at all.
A notary who works for a business may charge on that business’s behalf. The Texas FAQ says the notary or the notary’s employer may charge the listed fees. That is why a bank can notarize for free for its own customers and still charge someone who walks in off the street. Call ahead and ask.
This table is nine states. It is not a national list. If your state is not here, open its page from the directory and read the fee line, or read the Secretary of State’s notary page directly.
What a mobile notary adds for travel
The notarial fee does not grow because the notary drove to you. The travel charge is a separate line. Some states cap it, some only require that you agree to it first, and some do not address it on the page we cite.
Nevada is the most specific. Under NRS 240.100, a notary may charge a travel fee only when you asked the notary to travel, the notary told you the fee is extra and not required by law, and you agreed in advance to the hourly rate. The rate may not exceed $15 an hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., or $30 an hour between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The notary may bill a two-hour minimum. If you cancel after the notary has started driving, the notary may still collect the agreed fee.
Maryland allows mileage at the IRS rate, which the Secretary of State lists as 70 cents a mile for 2025, plus a travel fee of no more than $5 when travel is required.
Ohio allows a reasonable travel fee, as agreed by the notary and the customer before the notarial act. The statute does not set a dollar figure.
Pennsylvania lets a notary charge clerical or administrative fees for things like copying, postage, and travel. The Department of State says it does not set those fees. They must be customary and reasonable for the area, and the customer should be told before the notarization.
California’s handbook says travel fees, if any, are recorded separately from the notarial fee in the notary’s journal. It does not set a travel amount.
The rule of thumb is the same everywhere: get the full total in writing before the notary leaves. Ask for the notarial fee per signature, the number of signatures, the travel charge, and any cancellation fee. The mobile notary services guide covers how to book one and what to check first.
What a video session costs
A remote online notarization has its own cap in many states, usually higher than the in-person one. The company that runs the video software may add its own fee on top.
| State | What the cited source allows |
|---|---|
| Texas | Up to $25 per online notarization, on top of the regular fee. The Secretary of State’s example is $35 for one signer, or $36 for two signers on one certificate. |
| Florida | Up to $25 for the online notarial act. The service provider’s fee is not governed by that section and may be charged separately. |
| New York | Up to $25 per electronic notarial act. Making a printed copy of an electronic record (“papering out”) is a separate $2 act. |
| Ohio | Up to $30 for an online notarization. A notary who charges that fee may not also charge the $5 in-person fee. |
| Maryland | Up to $30 for a remote notarial act. |
| Pennsylvania | The regular fee, plus up to $20 per act for an electronic or remote notary. |
| Arizona | Still up to $10. A remote or electronic act may not cost more than a traditional one. |
The Florida line matters most for a buyer. A company’s checkout price is not the notary’s fee. The company may be charging for the software, the ID check, and the recording, and Florida law does not cap that part. A $25 checkout total is a company price, not proof that the state sets the session at $25.
The notary on the call needs a commission that allows the session. A California notary cannot perform remote online notarization. A Texas notary needs a separate Online Notary Public commission. The state page for each state explains who can run the call. How the call itself works is in how a remote online notary works.
The company prices in the picks strip below come from each company’s official page. The strip says when we retrieved them. We do not average them into a single typical price, because the products differ.
How to estimate your total before you book
Count before you call. Three numbers decide most bills.
- Count the signatures that need a certificate, and the people who sign. Several caps are per signature or per signer, not per document.
- Pick the product. An in-person walk-in is the capped fee only. A mobile notary adds travel. A video session uses the online cap, and the company may add its own fee.
- Ask for the total in writing. Ask whether the price covers every signer, every signature, and any printed copy you need.
A worked example from the Texas Secretary of State shows how fast it adds up. One signer on an online notarization is $35. Two signers on separate certificates is $70. The same two signers in person, on one certificate, would be the regular $10 plus $1.
If the cheapest option is your goal, a walk-in where you already bank is usually the place to start. It may be free for customers. It is still capped for everyone else. What to bring to any of the three is on what do you need to get something notarized. Whether a video session can ever be free is on is online notary free.
When the cheap option is the wrong one
A low fee does not help if the office that receives the document rejects it. Some documents must be signed in the room. A will often needs two witnesses, and in Louisiana it stays off a video session entirely, and a power of attorney can carry its own signing rules, covered in how to notarize a power of attorney.
Ask the receiving office first: a county recorder, a court, a bank, or a foreign consulate. If it accepts a remote act, compare the video price with a mobile visit. If it wants ink in the room, the choice is a walk-in or a mobile notary, and the travel fee is the number to negotiate.
The buttons below are video notaries, ordered by grade. Their prices are company prices, not the state caps above.
What does the desk want?
Ask whoever is receiving the document first. Their answer picks the product.
Ready to get an online notary? Try these services.
Video notaries, ordered by grade. Three letters each: hours, ID check, session record. They can disagree.
Full scorecards and the reason behind every letter · Prices from each company's official page, retrieved August 2026.
Sources
- California Secretary of State, Notary Public Handbook: Gov. Code § 8211 sets a maximum of $15 for each signature on an acknowledgment, $15 for administering an oath to one person, and $15 for a jurat. These are maximums. Travel fees, if any, are identified separately in the journal.
- NRS 240.100: $15 for the first signature of each signer on an acknowledgment, $7.50 for each additional signature, $7.50 for an oath, $15 per signature on a jurat. A travel fee is allowed only when requested, disclosed as extra, and agreed in advance, at no more than $15 an hour (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or $30 an hour (7 p.m. to 6 a.m.), with a two-hour minimum.
- Texas Secretary of State, Online Notary Public educational information: online notaries may charge up to $25 per notarization in addition to the regular fees in Tex. Gov’t Code § 406.024. Examples: $35 for one signer, $36 for two signers on one certificate, $70 for two signers on separate certificates.
- Texas Secretary of State, Notary Public FAQ: § 406.024 sets the maximum fees. A lesser fee or no fee may be charged. Excessive fees are grounds for disciplinary action. The notary or the notary’s employer may charge the fees.
- Florida Statutes § 117.05(2) (2025): a notary may not charge more than $10 for any one notarial act, except as provided in §§ 117.045 and 117.275. No fee for witnessing a vote-by-mail ballot.
- Florida Statutes § 117.275 (2025): an online notary may charge up to $25 for an online notarial act. Fees for services other than notarial acts, including a RON service provider’s, are not governed by this section.
- Arizona Secretary of State, Remote & eNotary: no charge up to a maximum of $10 per notarial act, including electronic and remote online acts. A remote act may not cost more than a traditional one.
- Maryland Secretary of State, Notary Division: up to $8 for an original act and $30 for a remote act (effective January 22, 2024). Mileage at the IRS rate, listed as 70 cents a mile for 2025, plus a travel fee of no more than $5.
- Pennsylvania Department of State, Notary public fees: acknowledgment $5 for the first name and $2 for each additional name. Jurat and oath $5 per person. Clerical and travel fees are not set by the Department, must be customary and reasonable, and should be disclosed first. Electronic and remote notaries may charge up to $20 more per act.
- Ohio Revised Code § 147.08: up to $5 for a notarial act that is not an online notarization, up to $30 for an online notarization (not both), and a reasonable travel fee agreed before the act.
- New York Department of State, Notary Public FAQ: $2 for a traditional act unless other law allows more. An electronic notary may charge up to $25 per electronic notarial act. Papering out is a separate $2 act.