Washington Notary Requirements

RCW 42.45.050 (Identification of individual). (1) A notarial officer has personal knowledge of the identity of an individual appearing before the officer if the individual is personally known to the officer through dealings sufficient to provide reasonable certainty that the individual has the identity claimed. (2) A notarial officer has satisfactory evidence of the identity of an individual appearing before the officer if the officer can identify the individual: (a) By means of: (i) A passport, driver's license, or government-issued nondriver identification card, which is current or expired not more than three years before performance of the notarial act; or (ii) Another form of government identification issued to an individual, which is current or expired not more than three years before performance of the notarial act, contains the signature or a photograph of the individual, and is satisfactory to the officer; or (b) By a verification on oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally appearing before the officer and personally known to the officer and who provides satisfactory evidence of his or her identity as described in (a) of this subsection. (3) A notarial officer may require an individual to provide additional information or identification credentials necessary to assure the officer of the identity of the individual.

RCW 42.45.180 (Journal): (1) A notary public shall maintain a journal in which the notary public chronicles all notarial acts that the notary public performs. The notary public shall retain the journal for ten years after the performance of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal. (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter requiring a notary public to maintain a journal, a notary public who is an attorney licensed to practice law in this state is not required to chronicle a notarial act in a journal if documentation of the notarial act is otherwise maintained by professional practice. (3) A notary public shall maintain only one tangible journal at a time to chronicle notarial acts, whether those notarial acts are performed regarding tangible or electronic records. The journal must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages. An electronic records notary public may also maintain an electronic format journal, which can be kept concurrently with the tangible journal. The electronic journal must be in a permanent, tamper-evident electronic format complying with the rules of the director. (4) An entry in a journal must be made contemporaneously with performance of the notarial act and contain the following information: (a) The date and time of the notarial act; (b) A description of the record, if any, and type of notarial act; (c) The full name and address of each individual for whom the notarial act is performed; and (d) Any additional information as required by the director in rule. (5) The journal shall be kept in a locked and secured area, under the direct and exclusive control of the notary public. Failure to secure the journal may be cause for the director to take administrative action against the commission held by the notary public. If a notary public's journal is lost or stolen, the notary public promptly shall notify the department on discovering that the journal is lost or stolen.

WAC 308-30-200 (Format of journals of notarial acts): (1) A tangible notarial journal shall: (a) Be a permanent, bound book with numbered pages; and (b) Have the capacity to record for each notarial act: (i) The information required by RCW 42.45.180(4); (ii) A description of the notary public's method of identifying the principal; and (iii) The principal's signature, or the signature of an authorized party in compliance with RCW 42.45.070, or a notation in the notary journal that the notarial act was performed via remote notarization. (2) If a notary public keeps an electronic journal pursuant to RCW 42.45.180(3), the electronic journal shall: (a) Be maintained ONLY IN ADDITION TO the tangible journal; (b) Have the capacity to record the information required for a tangible notarial journal; (c) Enable access by a password or other secure means of authentication; (d) Be tamper-evident; (e) Create a duplicate record of the journal as a backup; and (f) Be capable of providing tangible or electronic copies of any entry made in the journal. (3) A notary public's journal is the exclusive property of the notary public, and shall not be surrendered to an employer upon demand or termination.

WAC 308-30-190 (Journal of notarial acts required): (1) A notary public shall record each notarial act in a journal at the time of notarization. (2) If a notary public performs notarial acts involving different statements or documents for the same individual on the same date, the notary public may record a single entry for all of them, including the number of statements or documents notarized. (3) The fact that the notary public's employer or contractor keeps a record of notarial acts shall not relieve the notary of the duties required by these rules.

RCW 42.45.170 (FEES): (1) The director may establish by rule the maximum fees that may be charged by notaries public for various notarial services. (2) A notary public need not charge fees for notarial acts.
Operative fee table per WAC 308-30-220 (FEES FOR NOTARIAL ACTS): (1) The maximum fees a notary may charge for notarial acts are: Witnessing or attesting a signature $10.00; Taking acknowledgment or verification upon oath or affirmation $10.00; Certifying or attesting a copy $10.00; Administering an oath or affirmation $10.00; Certifying that an event has occurred or an act has been performed $10.00. (2) A notary public need not charge for notarial acts. (3) A notary public may not charge fees for receiving or noting a protest of a negotiable instrument. (4) A notary public may additionally charge the actual costs of copying any instrument or record. (5) A notary public may charge a travel fee when traveling to perform a notarial act if: (a) The notary public and the individual requesting the notarial act agree upon the travel fee in advance of the travel; and (b) The notary public explains to the individual requesting the notarial act that the travel fee is in addition to the notarial fee in subsection (1) of this section and is not required by law.