A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by state government —typically by the secretary of state — to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.
The Model Notary Act is a comprehensive statute prototype designed to assist lawmakers and Notary program administrators in modernizing and strengthening the Notary Public statutes in their state. This is a list of the states that have adopted the Model Notary Act.
The National Notary Association introduced the first-ever comprehensive and detailed code of ethical and professional conduct for America’s Notaries: The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility. The Code addresses common problems, issues and questions encountered by today’s Notaries by prescribing principles, standards and rules, and applying them in helpful specific examples.