Title GOV — California Gov. Code

(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).

(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.

(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,…

(a) This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Online Notarization Act. (b) An online notarization platform shall not be authorized for use by a notary public in California and a notary public shall not provide online notarization for any principal pursuant to this art…

As used in this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Audio-video communication” means being able to see, hear, and communicate with another individual in real time using electronic means in a manner that conforms to the requirements of this article and a…

Every person appointed as a notary public authorized to perform online notarizations shall execute an official bond in the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) in lieu of the bond required by Section 8212. The bond shall be in the form of a bond executed by an admitted s…

(a) A notary public authorized to perform online notarization who resigns, is disqualified or removed from office, or allows the notary public’s registration to perform online notarization to expire without obtaining a reappointment, within 30 days, pursuant to Section 8209, shal…

(a) The Secretary of State may approve registrations of notaries public authorized to perform online notarizations for the military and naval reservations of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marine Corps of the United States that are located in the State of California.…

A person who, without authorization, knowingly obtains, conceals, damages, or destroys the certificate, disk, coding, card, program, software, or hardware enabling a notary public to affix the notary public’s electronic signature or electronic seal is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(a) A person or entity shall apply for registration with the Secretary of State to be an online notarization platform or depository as prescribed by the Secretary of State. (b) An entity required to obtain a certificate of qualification from the Secretary of State in order to tra…

(a) An online notarization platform or depository shall not have access to a notary public’s electronic signature or electronic seal. (b) An online notarization platform or depository shall not access, use, share, sell, disclose, produce, provide, release, transfer, disseminate, …

(a) The Secretary of State may refuse to appoint any person as a notary public or may revoke or suspend the commission of any notary public for a violation of this article. (b) The Secretary of State may refuse to register any online notarization platform or depository or may rev…

(a) For a violation of any provision of this article, an online notarization platform or depository is liable in civil action to the persons injured thereby for any of the following: (1) The greater of the following: (A) Any actual damages sustained by that person as a result of …

(a) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) “Audio-video communication” means being able to see, hear, and communicate with another individual in real time using electronic means. (2) “Audio-video recording” means a recording of the audio-vid…

Any waiver of the provisions of this article is contrary to public policy and is void and unenforceable.

(a) The Secretary of State shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement this article. The rules and regulations shall set and maintain standards for online notarizations and notaries public authorized to perform online notarization, including, but not limited to, all …

The provisions of this article are severable. If any provision of this article or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.

(a) (1) An applicant for a commission as a notary public may apply for registration with the Secretary of State to perform online notarization by complying with the requirements of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 8200). (2) A notary public who holds a California notary public …

(a) A notary public authorized to perform online notarization and physically located in this state may perform an online notarization that meets the requirements of this article and the rules and regulations adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to this article for a princip…

(a) (1) Pursuant to rules and regulations established by the Secretary of State, a notary public shall record each online notarial act performed by the notary public in one tangible sequential journal and one or more secure electronic journals. (2) Notwithstanding Section 8206, t…

(a) A notary public shall create an audio-video recording of the audio-visual communication of each online notarial act performed through the online notarization platform pursuant to Section 8231.4 and this section. (b) (1) The notary public shall retain the audio-video recording…

(a) A notary public shall take reasonable steps to ensure that any registered device used to create an electronic signature or electronic seal is current and has not been revoked or terminated by the device’s issuing or registering authority. (b) (1) Notwithstanding Section 8207,…

(a) In performing an online notarization, a notary public authorized to perform online notarizations shall verify the identity of a principal by satisfactory evidence that meets the requirements of this subdivision and the rules and regulations adopted by the Secretary of State. …

Fees charged by a notary public for the following services related to an online notarization shall not exceed the fees prescribed by this section. (a) For taking an acknowledgment of a deed or other instrument, to include the electronic seal and the completion of the electronic n…

For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply: (a) “Foreign state” means a government other than the United States, a state, or a federally recognized Indian tribe. (b) “Notarial act” means an act, whether performed with respect to a tangible or electronic record,…

(a) A notarial act performed in another state shall be afforded the same legal effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state, if the act performed in that state is performed by any of the following: (1) A notary public of that state. (2) A…

(a) A notarial act performed under the authority and in the jurisdiction of a federally recognized Indian tribe shall be afforded the same legal effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state, if the act performed in the jurisdiction of tha…

(a) A notarial act performed under federal law shall be afforded the same legal effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state, if the act performed under federal law is performed by any of the following: (1) A judge, clerk, or deputy clerk…

(a) If a notarial act is performed under authority and in the jurisdiction of a foreign state or constituent unit of the foreign state or is performed under the authority of a multinational or international governmental organization, the act shall be afforded the same legal effec…

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the “California Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Act of 1992.”

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…

In order to develop a statewide strategy to provide academic support and guidance to each child who requires it, there is hereby created the Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service Program, to be administered by the office of the Governor. The Governor shall do all of the following…

(a) The office of the Governor shall award grants to school districts and county superintendents of schools to administer the academic volunteer and mentor service program within the jurisdiction of each school district and county superintendents of schools to which a grant is aw…

(a) Any school district or county superintendents of schools desiring a grant under this article shall submit an application at the time, in the manner, and with the information that the office of the Governor may require. No funding shall be made available to any entity pursuant…

Outstanding academic volunteer and mentor service should be encouraged and recognized. For that purpose, the Governor is authorized to provide an award to recognize outstanding academic volunteer or mentor service in the schools for the 1993–94 fiscal year and for each subsequent…

Each local planning council may nominate, to be considered for the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Academic Volunteer and Mentor Service, an individual or individual program that has had significant and positive impact upon the lives of children. A local planning council desir…

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that funding for purposes of this chapter be appropriated in the annual Budget Act. (b) Of any amount appropriated for the purposes of this chapter for any fiscal year, an amount not exceeding five percent may be applied to the administrati…

It is the desire of the Legislature to create the Office of the Auditor General, whose primary duties shall be to perform performance audits as may be requested by the Legislature. The authority of the office under the direction of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee is confine…

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee is hereby created. The committee shall determine the policies of the Auditor General, ascertain facts, review reports and take action thereon, and make reports and recommendations to the Legislature and to the houses thereof concerning the st…

The committee shall consist of seven Members of the Senate and seven Members of the Assembly who shall be selected in the manner provided for in the Joint Rules of the Senate and Assembly. The committee shall elect its own chairman. Vacancies occurring in the membership of the co…