The venue is the part of a notarial certificate that shows where the notarization took place. It is typically printed as "State of _______" and "County of ______" and the Notary fills the blanks for the location where the act took place.
This element can sometimes cause confusion for signers and Notaries alike. So remember, the venue always reflects where the notarization actually takes place — not the county and state where your commission is filed or where the document will be filed.
Some certificates have the initials "ss" or "sct" printed next to the venue information. This is short for the Latin word "scilicet" which means "in particular" and is simply used to indicate the venue part of the certificate. Notaries do not need to mark any special information or write anything extra down near the "ss."