Current as of 2026-07-01
The short answer
Yes. Pennsylvania requires a journal for every commissioned notary. The rule lives in 57 Pa.C.S. section 319, part of the state's version of the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), with the Department of State's regulations filling in the operational detail.
What every entry must contain
Pennsylvania asks for the core facts of each act:
- The date and time of each official act.
- The type of notarial act performed.
- The type of document notarized.
- The signer's name.
- How you identified the signer.
- The fee you charged, including a "no fee" entry when you waived it.
What the journal cannot contain
Pennsylvania bars recording identifying numbers that create a privacy risk if the journal is lost or stolen, most notably a full driver's license number or Social Security number. Where a partial identifier is permitted under current Department of State guidance, keep it to the minimum, such as the last four digits, and confirm the current rule before recording any number at all.
How long you keep it, and where it goes
Pennsylvania sets a 10-year retention period for the journal. When your commission ends, whether by resignation, revocation, or letting it lapse, you deliver the journal to the county Recorder of Deeds within 30 days. This is a different office than the Department of State that issued your commission, so do not assume the state office is the right recipient.
How Notary Journal handles all of this
Notary Journal builds the Pennsylvania entry to these rules. The form shows the fields section 319 asks for, hard-blocks the fields the state bars, and records a "no fee" entry when you waive the fee. Every entry is numbered and append-only, so the sequence holds up under review.
When you need a copy for the Recorder of Deeds or an auditor, 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. Pennsylvania notary law can change. Confirm the current requirements with the Pennsylvania Department of State before you rely on anything here.