AB 1977: Notaries public.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law authorizes the Secretary of State to appoint and commission notaries public. Existing law requires a notary public who holds a California notary public commission, when applying for reappointment, to have completed a 3-hour refresher course of study prior to reappointment.

This bill would also require the applicant to have satisfactorily completed a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State, as specified.

Existing law establishes the duties of a notary public, which include taking the acknowledgment or proof of specified legal documents, taking depositions and affidavits, administering oaths, and certifying copies of powers of attorney. Existing law requires a notary, in performing these duties, to give a certificate of proof or acknowledgment, endorsed or attached to the instrument, signed by the notary in their own handwriting.

This bill would authorize a notary to instead sign with their electronic signature when performing these duties. The bill would require the electronic signature to include an image of the notary public’s handwritten signature and would allow that electronic signature to be kept on a storage device or online media that is accessed by the notary public with a secure means of multifactor authentication and protection, as prescribed.

Existing law requires the Secretary of State to issue a permit with a sequential identification number to each manufacturer or vendor authorized to issue notary seals, and authorizes the Secretary of State to establish a fee for issuing the permit.

This bill would instead require the fee to be $100.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. September 18, 2026Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 280, Statutes of 2026.
2. September 18, 2026Approved by the Governor.
3. August 25, 2026Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
4. August 19, 2026Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 62. Noes 9. Page 6250.).
5. August 17, 2026In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
6. August 17, 2026Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 10. Page 5490.).
7. June 16, 2026Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
8. June 15, 2026From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
9. June 10, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 2.) (June 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
10. May 27, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.
11. May 6, 2026Referred to Com. on JUD.
12. April 13, 2026In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.