Utah Notary Journals

Does Utah require a notary journal?

No, Utah does not require a notary journal for in-person notaries. However, notary.utah.gov says: “While Utah law does not require a notary to keep a journal, here is a good question to ask yourself when considering whether or not to keep one: How will you defend yourself in a court of law if a notarization is called into question?”

Additionally, Utah state law does require a notary journal for remote online notaries.

Source: notary.utah.gov

Should I keep a notarial journal? 

UCA §46-1-13 A notary may keep, maintain, and protect as a public record, and provide for lawful inspection a chronological, permanently bound official journal of notarial acts, containing numbered pages.

While Utah law does not require a notary to keep a journal, here is a good question to ask yourself when considering whether or not to keep one: How will you defend yourself in a court of law if a notarization is called into question? If your answer is: “My notary journal”, you would be correct. The journal is the only sure way you can prove you used reasonable care in your performance as a notary, and may also be used as irrefutable evidence that a correct notarization occurred. Without it, you’re on your own.

UCA §46-1-13 A remote notary shall keep a secure electronic journal of each remote notarization the notary performs.

Utah law requires all remote notaries to keep a secure electronic notarial journal. All approved Remote Notary Vendors will have an electronic journal in their remote notarization process. Please reference code sections UCA §46-1-14 and UCA §46-1-15 for regulations and rules on remote notary journals.