Headline findings
- 38 of the 50 jurisdictions in the fee data set a dollar cap for a standard notarial act. The other 12 have no single per-act cap recorded: the state sets none, asks for a "reasonable" or disclosed fee, or the figure was not confirmed.
- 17 cap the fee at $5 or less, and 33 at $10 or less.
- Caps run from $2 (Georgia and New York) to $25 (Rhode Island). The median cap is $10, and $5 and $10 are the most common caps (15 jurisdictions each).
- 23 set a fee for electronic or remote notarization, from $10 to $30; $25 is the most common (18). In 4 of them it is charged on top of the act fee.
- 28 of 51 jurisdictions (counting DC and New Jersey) require an exam or knowledge test for a new commission. 7 say in words that no exam is required, the pages read for 5 more describe none, and 11 are not confirmed either way.
- Of the 17 jurisdictions with a per-act cap of $5 or less, 9 require an exam.
Every number above is counted from the data when this page loads, so it always matches the tables and the CSV.
Charts
The numbers in tables
| Per-act cap | Jurisdictions | Of these, exam required | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| $2 | 2 | 1 | GA, NY |
| $5 | 15 | 8 | DE, DC, HI, ID, IL, MS, MO, NE, NM, ND, OH, OK, PA, SC, WI |
| $8 | 1 | 1 | MD |
| $10 | 15 | 9 | AL, AZ, CT, FL, IN, MI, MT, NH, NC, OR, TX, UT, VA, WV, WY |
| $15 | 4 | 3 | CA, CO, NV, WA |
| $25 | 1 | 1 | RI |
| No single cap | 12 | 4 | AK, AR, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MA, MN, SD, TN, VT |
| Remote fee | Jurisdictions | Charged on top of the act fee | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | 2 | 0 | AZ, MI |
| $20 | 1 | 1 | PA |
| $25 | 18 | 3 | CO, DE, FL, HI, IL, IN, NE, NH, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, RI, TX, UT, VA, WA |
| $30 | 2 | 0 | MD, OH |
Exam status not confirmed
These rows say "Not confirmed" in the data. Most list a training course or orientation; the official page is the place to check.
- Alabama: exam not confirmed; official page: sos.alabama.gov
- District of Columbia: exam not confirmed; official page: os.dc.gov
- Florida: exam not confirmed; official page: notaries.dos.fl.gov
- Georgia: exam not confirmed; official page: gsccca.org
- Massachusetts: exam not confirmed; official page: mass.gov
- Michigan: exam not confirmed; official page: michigan.gov
- Minnesota: exam not confirmed; official page: sos.mn.gov
- Mississippi: exam not confirmed; official page: sos.ms.gov
- New Hampshire: exam not confirmed; official page: sos.nh.gov
- Oklahoma: exam not confirmed; official page: oksenate.gov
- Tennessee: exam not confirmed; official page: sos.tn.gov
How we gathered this
Fee caps come from the site's notary fee data (src/state-fees-data.js, published as the notary fees open dataset), which records each state's fee schedule from its statute or commissioning agency. The "per-act cap" is the fee the data applies to a standard act such as an acknowledgment; a state with different caps for different acts, a "reasonable fee" rule or no confirmed figure counts as "no single cap". Remote fees are the separate fee the data records for electronic or remote acts. New Jersey's fee sits outside that file, so its row in the CSV says "Not in the fee data".
Exam status comes from the site's state-by-state notary guides (src/become-notary-states.js) and the notary exam roundup, which quotes the sentence each status rests on. Four statuses keep the strength of the evidence visible: required, not required (stated in words), none described, and not confirmed. Rules for remote or electronic notary commissions are separate and are not counted here.
Facts come from official government pages as they read on the checked date, and each row of the CSV names its source. Anything the sources didn't state shows as "Not confirmed", never as a guess. This report counts rules; it doesn't predict changes or judge them. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm; confirm a rule with the state before relying on it.
Cite this report
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to MCC Solutions and a link to this page. When quoting one state, please also link the official source in its row.
Common questions
How many states cap notary fees at $5 or less?
17 of the 50 jurisdictions in the fee data, as checked November 2026.
What is the highest per-act notary fee cap?
$25, in Rhode Island. The lowest is $2 (Georgia and New York).
How many states require a notary exam?
28 of 51 jurisdictions, counting DC and New Jersey. 11 are not confirmed either way.
Full tables and related pages
- Notary fees by state (full table and calculator)
- Which states require a notary exam (full table)
- How to become a notary, state by state
- Remote online notarization with MCC Solutions
- Kit: State starter kits compared