Current as of 2026-07-01
Read this first
Whether your state requires a notary journal turns on one distinction most lists get wrong: traditional in-person notarization versus remote online notarization, often shortened to RON.
Plenty of states that ask nothing of an in-person notary still require a journal or a secure electronic record for remote acts. The table below splits the two columns so you can read your own situation. Every entry reflects the statute or the state notary handbook as of July 2026, with the governing law in the last column. Laws change, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with your own commissioning authority.
The table
| State | In-person | Remote (RON) | Retention | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not required | Recording only | Recording 7 yr | Act 2023-548 |
| Alaska | Required | Required | 10 yr | AS 44.50.075 |
| Arizona | Required | Required | Surrender to SOS at commission end | A.R.S. 41-319 |
| Arkansas | Not required | Required | 5 yr | A.C.A. 21-14-310 |
| California | Required | Required | To county clerk within 30 days; RON 10 yr | Gov. Code 8206 |
| Colorado | Required | Required | 10 yr | C.R.S. 24-21-519 |
| Connecticut | Not required | Not required | n/a | CT SOTS manual |
| Delaware | Required | Required | 10 yr | 29 Del. C. 4332 |
| D.C. | Required | Required | Until transmitted to Mayor | DC Code 1-1231.18 |
| Florida | Not required | Required | RON 10 yr | Fla. Stat. 117.245 |
| Georgia | Self-filers only (since 2025) | Required | Per rule | HB 1292 / GSCCCA |
| Hawaii | Required | Required | 10 yr | HRS 456-15 |
| Idaho | Not required | Not required | n/a | ID SOS handbook |
| Illinois | Required | Required | Paper 5 yr; electronic 7 yr | 5 ILCS 312/3-107 |
| Indiana | Not required | Required | 10 yr | IC 33-42-17-8 |
| Iowa | Not required | Required | Per rule | Iowa Code 9B.14A |
| Kansas | Required | Required | 10 yr | K.S.A. 53-5a20 |
| Kentucky | Not required | Required | 10 yr | KRS ch. 423 |
| Louisiana | Immovable-property acts only | Required (records) | Per rule | La. R.S. 35:199 |
| Maine | Not required | Required | 10 yr | 4 M.R.S. ch. 39 |
| Maryland | Required | Required | 10 yr | Md. State Gov't 18-219 |
| Massachusetts | Required (since 2024) | Required | RON recording 10 yr | M.G.L. c. 222, 22 |
| Michigan | Not required | Required (RON platform) | 10 yr | MCL 55.286b |
| Minnesota | Not required | Required | 10 yr | Minn. Stat. 358.645 |
| Mississippi | Required | Required | 10 yr | Miss. Code 25-34-37 |
| Missouri | Required | Required | 10 yr | 486.700 RSMo |
| Montana | Required | Required | 10 yr, or SOS repository | MCA 1-5-618 |
| Nebraska | Not required | Required (e-notary) | Per SOS rule | Neb. Rev. Stat. 64-310 |
| Nevada | Required | Required | 7 yr after commission ends | NRS 240.120 |
| New Hampshire | Not required | Required | 10 yr | RSA 456-B |
| New Jersey | Required | Required | 10 yr | N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.18 |
| New Mexico | Required | Required | 10 yr | NMSA 14-14A-18 |
| New York | Required (no enacted exemptions) | Required | 10 yr | 19 NYCRR 182.9 |
| North Carolina | Not required | Required | 10 yr | N.C.G.S. 10B-134.15 |
| North Dakota | Recommended | Required | 10 yr | N.D.C.C. 44-06.1-16.1 |
| Ohio | Not required | Required | 10 yr | ORC 147.65 |
| Oklahoma | Required (since late 2025) | Required | 10 yr | HB 2265 (2025) |
| Oregon | Required (with opt-out list) | Required | 10 yr | ORS 194.300 |
| Pennsylvania | Required | Required | To Recorder of Deeds within 30 days of commission end | 57 Pa.C.S. 319 |
| Rhode Island | Not required | Not required | n/a | R.I.G.L. 42-30.1 |
| South Carolina | Not required | Required (electronic) | Not specified | S.C. Code 26-2-90 |
| South Dakota | Not required | Recording only | Recording 10 yr | SDCL 18-1-11.2 |
| Tennessee | Only when a fee is charged | Required (online) | Online 5 yr | T.C.A. 8-21-1201 |
| Texas | Required (even with no fee) | Required | RON 5 yr; paper not specified | Tex. Gov. Code 406.014 |
| Utah | Required for commissions from May 6, 2026 | Required | 10 yr | Utah Code 46-1-13 (SB 139) |
| Vermont | Not required | Recording only | Recording 10 yr | 26 V.S.A. 5379 |
| Virginia | Not required | Required (electronic) | 5 yr | Va. Code 47.1-6.1 |
| Washington | Required (WA attorneys exempt) | Required | 10 yr | RCW 42.45.180 |
| West Virginia | Not required | Recording only | Recording 5 yr | W. Va. Code 39-4-38 |
| Wisconsin | Not required | Recording only | Recording 7 yr | Wis. Stat. 140.145 |
| Wyoming | Required | Required | Per SOS rule | Wyo. Stat. 32-3-118 |
"Recording only" means the state requires the remote notary to keep the audio-video recording of the session rather than a journal. "Required (electronic)" or "Required (e-notary)" means the mandate applies to electronic or online notaries, not to traditional paper acts.
Myths worth clearing up
Circulating lists get a few states wrong. These are the ones that trip people up:
- Texas requires a record book for every notarization, even when you charge no fee. Summaries that call it optional are out of date.
- Florida requires a journal only for online notaries. In-person Florida notaries have no journal mandate.
- Nebraska is split. Paper notaries are not required to keep a journal, electronic and online notaries are.
- New York's journal duty for all notaries, in-person included, actually comes from a Department of State regulation, 19 NYCRR 182.9, not from Executive Law 135-c as many lists cite. 135-c covers electronic notarization specifically. No attorney-notary exemption from the journal duty is currently enacted law.
- Several states moved to a full journal requirement recently: Missouri in 2020, Kansas in 2022, New York, Illinois, and Delaware in 2023, Oklahoma in 2025, and Utah for commissions issued or renewed on or after May 6, 2026. If you are reading an older "your state doesn't require one" list, check its date.
If your state requires a journal
Notary Journal keeps it on your phone, built to your state's fields, sequential and append-only, with PDF and CSV export. Pick your state once and the entry form matches it. There is no account and no server, so the record stays on your device and stays yours.
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Want the detail for one state? Read the full requirements for California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Ohio, Michigan, or Missouri. More states are on the way.
A note on what this is
This page is a general reference, not legal advice. Notary laws change and vary by act type, in-person versus remote or electronic. Always verify current requirements with your commissioning authority, usually your Secretary of State or state notary office, before relying on this information.