No Journal Requirement in New York
New York Executive Law §130–135 governs notary publics. Nothing in the statute requires a notary to maintain a journal or log of notarial acts for traditional in-person notarizations. New York has historically had one of the most permissive notary regimes in the country, with no exam requirement and minimal ongoing obligations.
Despite this, professional New York signing agents who work in the loan signing sector universally maintain journals. Signing services operating in New York — particularly those placing agents with large title companies doing Manhattan closings and outer-borough real estate transactions — expect journal-keeping as a professional standard even without a legal mandate.
The 2023 New York Notary Law Changes
New York modernized its notary law significantly with legislation that took effect in 2023. The key changes relevant to signing agents:
- New York now explicitly authorizes Remote Online Notarization (RON) for the first time in the state's history
- RON in New York requires use of an approved platform and identity verification through knowledge-based authentication (KBA) or credential analysis
- Electronic notarizations under the new law require a journal — the first time any journal requirement has appeared in New York notary law
- The electronic journal must be retained for 10 years
- An audio-visual recording of each RON session must also be retained for 10 years
This means that while traditional paper notarizations in New York still require no journal, New York notaries performing RON are now subject to a statutory journal requirement for the first time.
New York Notary Commission Quick Facts
| Element | New York Requirement |
|---|---|
| Governing authority | NY Secretary of State |
| Commission term | 4 years |
| Exam required | Written exam (open book) |
| Bond required | No bond required |
| Journal required (paper) | No |
| Journal required (RON) | Yes — 10-year retention |
| Fee cap per act | $2 per signature (traditional) |
New York's $2 per-signature fee cap for traditional notarizations is one of the lowest in the country. This cap applies to the notarial act itself — it does not limit travel fees or signing agent appointment fees, which are separate commercial arrangements.
New York's 2023 RON Legislation — First Time in History
New York modernized its notary law significantly in 2023, authorizing Remote Online Notarization for the first time in the state's history. Before 2023, New York was one of the few large-population states without any RON authorization. The 2023 legislation (S1780A) created a framework for RON with a 10-year retention requirement for electronic journals and audio-visual recordings. For signing agents in New York, this is a significant development — the New York City metro market, one of the largest in the country, now has a legal pathway for remote closings that did not exist before.
New York Real Estate Markets
New York City — encompassing Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — generates enormous signing volume but with distinctive characteristics. Manhattan co-ops (cooperative apartments, not condominiums) require different documentation than standard mortgages, and the co-op board approval process creates closing timeline variability that signing agents must accommodate. Brooklyn and Queens have the highest residential loan signing volume. The New York City suburbs — Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties), Westchester County, and the Hudson Valley — generate suburban volume with higher average loan amounts than most U.S. markets.
Upstate New York — Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and smaller cities — operates as a more conventional real estate market with affordable prices and consistent signing volume.
New York's Open Book Exam
New York requires passing a written examination as part of the notary application process. The exam is open book — applicants may use the New York Secretary of State's notary study guide during the test. The exam covers basic notary law, acceptable ID, notarial acts, and prohibited conduct. Applicants who study the guide's content on acknowledgments, jurats, and the New York-specific rules on who can serve as a notary typically pass on the first attempt.
New York's $2 Per-Signature Fee Cap
New York's statutory notary fee cap is $2 per signature notarized — one of the lowest in the country and among the most misunderstood. This cap applies strictly to the notarial act fee. It does not apply to signing agent appointment fees, which are commercial arrangements between the agent and the hiring company. A New York signing agent can charge $150 for a refinance appointment while the notarial fee portion technically maxes out at $2 per act — the rest is the signing agent service fee, not a notary fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — New York requires passing a written examination as part of the notary application process. The exam is administered by the New York Secretary of State's Division of Licensing Services. It covers basic notary law and procedures and is open-book, meaning you may use the notary study guide during the test. The exam is not highly difficult, but applicants who don't study the guide's content on acknowledgments, jurats, and prohibited acts do fail it.
Yes. A New York notary commission is valid statewide — you can perform notarial acts anywhere within New York State regardless of which county you live or work in. However, New York notaries cannot perform notarial acts outside New York unless the other state has laws recognizing out-of-state notarial acts for that document type, which varies.
New York law does not specify an exhaustive list of acceptable IDs the way California does. The general standard is that the notary must be reasonably certain of the signer's identity through personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence. In practice, most New York signing agents accept the same government-issued photo ID that other states accept: driver's licenses, passports, military IDs, and permanent resident cards. If you have any doubt, err on the side of requiring documentary ID rather than relying on personal knowledge.