--- title: "Notary Journal Requirements Open Dataset | MCC Solutions" description: "Whether a notary journal is required in each state and DC for in-person and remote acts, the required entries, signature and thumbprint rules and retention." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/notary-journal-rules" --- Open data · CC BY 4.0 # Notary journal requirements by state: open dataset Notary journal requirements by state for 51 jurisdictions as a documented CSV and JSON file, free to reuse with a credit link. Sources checked November 2026. - **51**jurisdictions - **24**fields - **November 2026**sources checked - **647**confirmed values - **21**unconfirmed items [Download CSV](/data/notary-journal-rules.csv)[Download JSON](/data/notary-journal-rules.json) **Need it always current?** [API from $19/mo](/data/api): the same data as JSON with an API key, change notices and a commercial-use license. The CSV and JSON downloads stay free. Readable version: [Notary journal requirements by state, explained state by state](/notary/journal-requirements-by-state). All site datasets: [open data](/data/open) · [data roundups](/data/). ## What this dataset covers Whether notaries must keep a journal for in-person and for remote acts, the entries it must hold, whether the signer's signature, thumbprint or ID number is required, how long to keep it and what happens to it when the commission ends. Most often unconfirmed in this release: `What happens to the journal when the commission ends: not s…` (2), `Entries the statute itself requires for fee records, and ho…` (1), `Journal format and retention for remote acts: the Remote & …` (1), `Journal rules for remote online notarizations (RSMo 486.118…` (1), `Records rule for eNotary acts: the eNotary FAQ says only th…` (1). Every row carries all of its official sources. ## Field dictionary | Field | Meaning | Type | In this release | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `jurisdiction_code` | Two-letter postal code of the state or DC. | string | 51 of 51 filled | | `jurisdiction` | State name (or District of Columbia). | string | 51 of 51 filled | | `category` | Overall journal rule (for example required, remote only, recommended, not required). | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: all-acts (24), remote-only (13), not-required (6), recommended (5), conditional (2) | | `inPerson` | Journal rule for in-person acts. | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: required (24), recommended (12), not-required (8), conditional (2), not-stated (2) | | `inPersonNote` | Detail on in-person acts. | string (free text) | 51 of 51 filled | | `remote` | Journal rule for remote acts. | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: required (23), every-act (14), recording (5), not-stated (5), not-applicable (1) | | `remoteNote` | Detail on remote acts. | string (free text) | 33 of 51 filled | | `entries.scope` | Which acts need an entry. | string | 51 of 51 filled | | `entries.items` | Entries the journal must hold. | array of strings | 42 of 51 filled | | `signature.rule` | Whether the signer's signature is required in the journal. | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: not-listed (29), required (14), recommended (7), optional (1) | | `signature.note` | Detail on the signature rule. | string (free text) | 25 of 51 filled | | `thumbprint.rule` | Whether a thumbprint is required. | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: not-listed (47), required-some (2), prohibited (2) | | `thumbprint.note` | Detail on the thumbprint rule. | string (free text) | 6 of 51 filled | | `idNumber.rule` | Whether the ID number is recorded. | string (code) | 51 of 51 filled: not-listed (40), required (4), prohibited (4), last-four (2), advised-against (1) | | `idNumber.note` | Detail on the ID rule. | string (free text) | 21 of 51 filled | | `retention.years` | Years the journal must be kept. | integer | 34 of 51 filled; 5 to 10 | | `retention.text` | The retention rule as stated. | string (free text) | 51 of 51 filled | | `commissionEnd` | What happens to the journal when the commission ends. | string (free text) | 27 of 51 filled | | `unconfirmed` | Fields the official sources read did not confirm for this row. Those values are null. | array of strings | 18 of 51 rows list at least one | | `source_titles` | Titles of the official sources for the row. | array of strings | 51 of 51 filled | | `source_urls` | Links to the sources for the row. | array of strings | 51 of 51 filled | | `source_kinds` | What each link in source_urls is, in the same order: "official" (a government page: state agency, legislature, court, county or city) or "secondary" (a vetted secondary source, used only where no official page could be read: Cornell LII, Justia (statute text only), FindLaw Codes, Casetext, NCSL, the Uniform Law Commission, the American Bar Association and state bar associations, legal aid networks (LawHelp.org and the state legal help sites), Nolo, the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Center for State Courts, the Eviction Lab, the Tax Foundation, the Sales Tax Institute, the American Payroll Association, SHRM, ADP, Paychex, Bloomberg Tax, Thomson Reuters, Avalara and Sovos). A fact backed only by a secondary source is shown on the site as " (secondary source)". | array of strings | 51 of 51 filled | | `checked` | When the row's sources were opened (YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD). A row with no official source carries the date of the check that found none. | date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 51 of 51 filled | | `page_url` | The page on mcc-solutionsnj.com that explains this row. | string (URL) | 51 of 51 filled | ## Preview: the first 10 rows | `jurisdiction` | `category` | `inPerson` | `remote` | `signature.rule` | `retention.years` | `checked` | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Alabama | not-required | not-required | recording | not-listed | null | 2026-11-06 | | Alaska | not-required | not-required | not-stated | not-listed | null | 2026-11-06 | | Arizona | all-acts | required | every-act | required | 5 | 2026-11-06 | | Arkansas | recommended | recommended | not-stated | recommended | null | 2026-11-06 | | California | all-acts | required | not-applicable | required | null | 2026-11 | | Colorado | all-acts | required | required | required | 10 | 2026-11 | | Connecticut | recommended | recommended | recommended | recommended | null | 2026-11 | | Delaware | all-acts | required | every-act | not-listed | 10 | 2026-11 | | District of Columbia | all-acts | required | every-act | required | null | 2026-11-06 | | Florida | remote-only | recommended | required | not-listed | 10 | 2026-11 | 7 of 24 columns shown; the downloads have every column in full. ## Download formats The CSV has one row per jurisdiction and one column per field above, UTF-8, comma-separated. Nested fields use dotted names (`entries.scope`); lists are joined with ` | `, and lists of objects become `key: value; key: value` items. The JSON keeps types (numbers, true/false, null, arrays) and includes this dictionary, the license and the checked date. ## License **License:** free to copy, share and adapt, including commercially, under the [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license. Attribution required: credit "MCC Solutions" and link to this dataset page (https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/notary-journal-rules). The cite box below has text ready to paste. Need bulk access with update notices? See the [business data license](/data/business-license). ## Accuracy **Accuracy:** every fact comes from an official government page as it read when checked (November 2026 for this release). Anything those pages did not confirm is null and named in the row's `unconfirmed` list; a null that is not on the list means the point does not apply or the source states none. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. ## Cite this data APA style HTML link Free to reuse under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): credit MCC Solutions and link to [https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/data/notary-journal-rules](/data/notary-journal-rules). ## Changelog - **November 2026**: sources checked for all 51 jurisdictions; this release has 24 fields, 647 confirmed values and 21 unconfirmed items. - Downloads are generated from the data files on each request, so a corrected file shows up in the CSV and JSON straight away; a new entry is added here when the sources are checked again. ## Need a notary? Send it to the desk. [Book Now](/notary/#order)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)