Current as of 2026-07-01
The short answer
Yes. New York requires every notary public, including traditional in-person notaries, to keep records of their notarial acts. The rule most lists cite for this, Executive Law section 135-c, is not actually the source. That section is titled "Electronic notarization" and governs remote notarial acts specifically. The general recordkeeping duty for all notaries lives in a Department of State regulation: 19 NYCRR 182.9, adopted under the authority of Executive Law sections 130 and 135-c, effective January 25, 2023.
If you have seen a summary that cites 135-c alone as New York's journal statute, it is pointing at the right neighborhood but the wrong document.
What every entry must contain
Section 182.9 asks for six things:
- The date, approximate time, and type of the notarial act.
- The name and address of any individual for whom the act was performed.
- The number and type of notarial services provided.
- The type of credential used to identify the signer, including the credential type presented by any witness if witness-based identification was used.
- The verification procedures used for any personal appearance.
- For electronic notarial acts specifically, the communication technology and any identity-verification provider used.
Paper or electronic
New York does not require the record to be a bound paper book. The regulation allows storage through a third party as long as it is safeguarded with a password or another secure means of authentication. This applies to the general recordkeeping duty under 182.9, separate from the additional audio-video recording rules that apply specifically to electronic notarial acts under 135-c.
On the attorney-exemption claim
Some sources describe an exemption for notaries who are also attorneys. As of this writing, no such exemption is enacted law. A 2024 bill that would have exempted wet-ink notarizations from parts of the recordkeeping rule was vetoed. A related bill passed the Assembly in 2025 but had not passed the Senate or been signed. Until legislation actually changes the rule, every New York notary, attorney or not, is subject to the same recordkeeping duty under 182.9.
How long you keep it
Records maintained under 182.9 are retained for at least 10 years.
How Notary Journal handles all of this
Notary Journal builds the New York entry to the fields 182.9 asks for and keeps every entry numbered and append-only, so the sequence holds up under review.
When you need a copy, it exports a PDF or CSV. The whole thing runs on your device, offline, with no account and no server. Your record stays yours.
A note on what this is
This page is a general reference, not legal advice. New York notary regulation is actively being debated in the legislature and can change. Confirm the current requirements with the New York Department of State before you rely on anything here.