Title GOV, California Gov. Code

(a) No later than 30 days after the beginning of the term prescribed in the commission, every person appointed a notary public shall file an official bond and an oath of office in the office of the county clerk of the county within which the person maintains a principal place of …

A notary public shall notify the Secretary of State by certified mail or any other means of physical delivery that provides a receipt within 30 days as to any change in the location or address of the principal place of business or residence. A notary public shall not use a commer…

If a notary public changes his or her name, the notary public shall complete an application for name change form and file that application with the Secretary of State. Information on this form shall be subject to the confidentiality provisions described in Section 8201.5. Upon ap…

For the official misconduct or neglect of a notary public, the notary public and the sureties on the notary public’s official bond are liable in a civil action to the persons injured thereby for all the damages sustained. (Amended by Stats. 1982, Ch. 517, Sec. 248.)

The Secretary of State may refuse to appoint any person as notary public or may revoke or suspend the commission of any notary public upon any of the following grounds: (a) Substantial and material misstatement or omission in the application submitted to the Secretary of State to…

(a) In addition to any commissioning or disciplinary sanction, a violation of subdivision (f), (i), (l), (m), or (p) of Section 8214.1, or a willful violation of subdivision (d) of Section 8214.1, is punishable by a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars ($…

(a) A notary public who knowingly and willfully with intent to defraud performs any notarial act in relation to a deed of trust on real property consisting of a single-family residence containing not more than four dwelling units, with knowledge that the deed of trust contains an…

A notary public who willfully fails to provide access to the sequential journal of notarial acts when requested by a peace officer shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500). An action to impose a civil penalty under this subdivis…

(a) A notary public who fails to obtain a thumbprint, as required by Section 8206, from a party signing a document shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500). An action to impose a civil penalty under this subdivision may be broug…

Prior to a revocation or suspension pursuant to this chapter or after a denial of a commission, or prior to the imposition of a civil penalty, the person affected shall have a right to a hearing on the matter and the proceeding shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (com…

Notwithstanding this chapter or Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3, if the Secretary of State determines, after proceedings conducted in accordance with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3, that any notary public has co…

Whenever the Secretary of State revokes the commission of any notary public, the Secretary of State shall file with the county clerk of the county in which the notary public’s principal place of business is located a copy of the revocation. The county clerk shall note such revoca…

Upon conviction of any offense in this chapter, or of Section 6203, or of any felony, of a person commissioned as a notary public, in addition to any other penalty, the court shall revoke the commission of the notary public, and shall require the notary public to surrender to the…

When a surety of a notary desires to be released from responsibility on account of future acts, the release shall be pursuant to Article 11 (commencing with Section 996.110), and not by cancellation or withdrawal pursuant to Article 13 (commencing with Section 996.310), of Chapte…

(a) Every notary public who is not an attorney who advertises the services of a notary public in a language other than English by signs or other means of written communication, with the exception of a single desk plaque, shall post with that advertisement a notice in English and …

The Secretary of State may adopt rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this chapter. The regulations shall be adopted in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3). (Amended by Stats. 2004,…

(a) If any person shall knowingly destroy, deface, or conceal any records or papers belonging to the office of a notary public, such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and be liable in a civil action for damages to any person injured as a result of such destruction, defacing…

(a) Whenever it appears to the Secretary of State that any person has engaged or is about to engage in any acts or practices which constitute or will constitute a violation of any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation prescribed under the authority thereof, the Secr…

(a) A notary public who holds himself or herself out as being an immigration specialist, immigration consultant, or any other title or description reflecting an expertise in immigration matters shall not advertise in any manner whatsoever that he or she is a notary public. (b) A …

A notary public who has a direct financial or beneficial interest in a transaction shall not perform any notarial act in connection with such transaction. For purposes of this section, a notary public has a direct financial or beneficial interest in a transaction if the notary pu…

A notary public shall not take the acknowledgment or proof of instruments of writing executed by the notary public nor shall depositions or affidavits of the notary public be taken by the notary public. (Added by Stats. 1977, Ch. 1009.)

(a) Any person who solicits, coerces, or in any manner influences a notary public to perform an improper notarial act knowing that act to be an improper notarial act, including any act required of a notary public under Section 8206, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) Notwithst…

It shall be a misdemeanor for any person who is not a duly commissioned, qualified, and acting notary public for the State of California to do any of the following: (a) Represent or hold himself or herself out to the public or to any person as being entitled to act as a notary pu…

Any person who is not a duly commissioned, qualified, and acting notary public who does any of the acts prohibited by Section 8227.1 in relation to any document or instrument affecting title to, placing an encumbrance on, or placing an interest secured by a mortgage or deed of tr…

The Secretary of State or a peace officer, as defined in Sections 830.1, 830.2, and 830.3 of the Penal Code, possessing reasonable suspicion and acting in his or her official capacity and within his or her authority, may enforce the provisions of this chapter through the examinat…

(a) Any notary public who willfully fails to perform any duty required of a notary public under Section 8206, or who willfully fails to keep the seal of the notary public under the direct and exclusive control of the notary public, or who surrenders the seal of the notary public …

If a notary public executes a jurat and the statement sworn or subscribed to is contained in a document purporting to identify the affiant, and includes the birthdate or age of the person and a purported photograph or finger or thumbprint of the person so swearing or subscribing,…

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the “California Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Act of 1992.” (Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 901, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1993.)

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Every California child is encouraged to have a caring adult who, along with parents and teachers, is able to offer support, friendship, encouragement, and motivation to help the child excel academically and lead a produ…

As used in this article, “administrative costs” means the amounts expended by the Legislature, the Legislative Counsel Bureau, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Technology, the Office of Planning and Research, the Department of Justice, the State Controller’s Office, the S…

(a) The Central Service Cost Recovery Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. The Central Service Cost Recovery Fund shall consist of those amounts transferred in accordance with Section 11274, and any interest earnings. Money in the Central Service Cost Recovery Fund shall…

The Department of Finance shall determine, and may at any time redetermine, which funds, other than the General Fund and the Central Service Cost Recovery Fund, and which functions or activities of the Department of Water Resources supported by the General Fund, shall be charged …

(a) In determining or redetermining the fair share, the Department of Finance may consider the factors of cost distribution and cost estimation as it deems necessary, except that, as to the proceeds of those taxes, the use of which is restricted by Article XIX of the California C…

Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of Finance may allocate and charge a fair share of the administrative costs to all funds directly. The Department of Finance shall certify to the Controller the amount determined to be the fair share of administrative costs due and pa…

In the event a fund has an insufficient fund balance for the payment of the administrative costs, the Controller shall request that the Department of Finance provide direction on effecting the transfer and its timing. (Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 31, Sec. 76. (SB 836) Effective J…

The Secretary of State shall keep a correct record of the official acts of the legislative and executive departments of the government, and shall, when required, lay the same and all matters relative thereto before either branch of the Legislature, and shall perform such other du…

The Secretary of State is charged with custody of: (a) The enrolled copy of the Constitution. (b) All acts and resolutions passed by the Legislature. (c) The Journals of the Legislature. (d) The Great Seal. (e) All books, records, deeds, parchments, maps, and papers, kept or depo…

The Secretary of State shall attend at every session of the Legislature, for the purpose of receiving bills and resolutions and perform such other duties as may be devolved upon the Secretary of State by resolution of the two houses, or either of them. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch…

The Secretary of State shall keep a register and attest the official acts of the Governor and shall affix the Great Seal, with the Secretary’s attestation, to commissions, pardons, and other public instruments, to which the official signature of the Governor is required. (Amended…

The Secretary of State shall receive and record in proper books the official bonds of all officers whose bonds are required by law to be filed with the Secretary of State. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 40. (AB 378) Effective January 1, 2022.)

The Secretary of State shall record all conveyances made to the state, except (1) evidences of title acquired for state highway purposes and retained by the Department of Transportation, and (2) conveyances of tax-sold property. (Amended by Stats. 1974, Ch. 41.)

The Secretary of State shall certify and declare the result of all elections upon a question submitted to the electors of the state by either initiative or referendum petition filed in the Secretary’s office and make official declaration of the vote upon each question. (Amended b…

Within 100 days after the final adjournment of each session of the Legislature, the Secretary of State shall deliver to the State Printing Office the Secretary’s certificate showing what acts, or sections, or parts of acts of the Legislature are delayed from going into effect by …

Within 60 days after the day on which a general election is held throughout the State, the Secretary of State shall deliver to the State Printing Office the Secretary’s certificate showing: (a) What laws or constitutional amendments, proposed by initiative petition and approved b…

On demand, the Secretary of State shall furnish, to a person paying the fees therefor, a certified copy of all or any part of a law, record, or other instrument filed, deposited, or recorded in the Secretary’s office. (Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 50, Sec. 44. (AB 378) Effective J…

(a) When not inconsistent with other provisions of law, in lieu of filing or recording documents presented in paper format, the Secretary of State may adopt rules and regulations to authorize the electronic filing, including filing by facsimile, of a document required to be filed…