Title 32, Notaries Public

Short title. This act may be cited as the "Wyoming Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts."

Definitions. (a) As used in this act: (i) "Acknowledgment" means a declaration by a principal before a notarial officer that the principal has knowingly and willingly signed a record for the purposes stated in the record and, if the record is signed in a representative capacity, …

Applicability. This act applies to a notarial act performed on or after July 1, 2021.

Authority to perform; venue for notarial acts; reciprocity. (a) A notarial officer may perform a notarial act within the jurisdiction authorized by the officer's commission from the secretary of state or under other law of this state. (b) A commission to act as a notary public au…

Notarial acts in this state. (a) A notarial act may be performed in this state by: (i) A notary public of this state; (ii) A judge, clerk or deputy clerk of a court of this state; (iii) A district court commissioner; (iv) A full-time magistrate as authorized by W.S. 5- 9-208; (v)…

Notarial acts in another state. (a) A notarial act, including the acknowledgment of any deed, mortgage or conveyance, performed in another state has the same effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state, if the act performed in that state…

Notarial acts under authority of federally recognized Indian tribe. (a) A notarial act, including the acknowledgment of any deed, mortgage or conveyance, performed under the authority and in the jurisdiction of a federally recognized Indian tribe has the same effect as if perform…

Notarial acts under federal authority. (a) A notarial act, including the acknowledgment of any deed, mortgage or conveyance, performed under federal law has the same effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state, if the act performed under…

Foreign notarial act. (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 has the same eff…

Certificate of Authentication. (a) The secretary of state or his designee may sign and issue a certificate of authentication or an apostille evidencing the origin of a public document or the authentication of the official stamp or signature of the person or authority in this stat…

Requirements for certain notarial acts. (a) A notarial officer who takes an acknowledgment of a record shall determine from satisfactory evidence of the identity of the principal that the principal appearing before the notarial officer and making the acknowledgment has the identi…

Authority to refuse to perform notarial acts. (a) A notarial officer may refuse to perform a notarial act if: (i) The officer is not satisfied that the principal executing the record is competent or has the capacity to execute the record; (ii) The officer is not satisfied that th…

Signature if principal unable to sign. (a) If a principal is physically unable to sign a record, the principal may: (i) In the presence of the notarial officer and one (1) witness unaffected by the record, direct the witness to sign the principal's name on the record. The notaria…

Certificate of notarial act. (a) A notarial act shall be evidenced by a certificate. The certificate shall: (i) Be executed contemporaneously with the performance of the notarial act; (ii) Identify the county and state in which the notarial act is performed; (iii) Identify the na…

Short form certificates. (a) The following short form certificates of notarial acts are sufficient for the purposes indicated, if completed with the information required by W.S. 32-3-114: (i) For an acknowledgment in an individual capacity: State of ______________________________…

Official signature and stamp. (a) For a new notary public commission, or upon renewal, filed on or after July 1, 2021: (i) The official signature of a notary public shall: (A) Be filed with the secretary of state on a form prescribed by the secretary of state; (B) Be reasonably s…

Stamping device. (a) A notary public is the sole owner of the notary public's stamping device, is responsible for the security of the notary public's stamping device and may not allow another individual to use the device to perform a notarial act. On resignation from, or the revo…

Audiovisual recordings; journal; security. (a) If a notarial act is performed using an electronic notarization system or other form of communication technology, the notarial officer shall make an audiovisual recording of the entire communication. (b) Except as provided in subsect…

Acceptance of tangible copy of electronic record. A recorder may accept for recording a tangible copy of an electronic record containing a notarial certificate as satisfying any requirement that a record accepted for recording be an original, if the notarial officer executing the…

Notary public commissions and renewals; qualification; no immunity or benefit. (a) To hold a commission as a notary public, an individual shall: (i) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (ii) Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, or otherwise lawfully p…

Examination and education of notary public. (a) An applicant for a new or renewed commission as a notary public in this state must pass an examination administered by the secretary of state or an entity approved by the secretary of state. The examination must be based on the cour…

Grounds to deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend or condition commission of a notary public. (a) The secretary of state may suspend or impose conditions on a commission as a notary public for failure to: (i) Meet the examination and education requirements set forth in W.S. 32-3-…

Prohibited acts; penalties. (a) A notarial officer shall not: (i) Perform a notarial act with respect to a record to which the officer or the officer's spouse or civil partner is a party or in which either of them has a direct beneficial interest; (ii) Notarize the officer's own …

Validity of notarial acts. The failure of a notarial officer to perform a duty or meet a requirement specified in this act does not invalidate a notarial act performed by the notarial officer. The validity of a notarial act in this act does not prevent an aggrieved person from se…

Rulemaking authority. The secretary of state shall promulgate reasonable rules and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.

Notarial officer fees. (a) For performing a notarial act, a notarial officer may charge the maximum fees specified in this section, charge less than the maximum fees or waive the fees. (b) A notarial officer may charge the following fees: (i) Not more than ten dollars ($10.00) pe…

Change of name or contact information. (a) A notary public shall notify the secretary of state within thirty (30) days of any change in the information on file with the secretary of state using a form prescribed by the secretary of state. (b) In the case of a name change, the not…

Notary public commission in effect. A commission as a notary public in effect on the effective date of this act continues until its date of expiration. A notary public who applies to renew a commission as a notary public on or after the effective date of this act is subject to an…

Savings clause. This act does not affect the validity or effect of a notarial act performed before July 1, 2021.

Uniformity of application and construction. In applying and construing this act, consideration must be given to the need to promote uniformity of the law with respect to its subject matter among states that enact it.

Relation to electronic signatures in Global and National Commerce Act. This act modifies, limits and supersedes the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. Section 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit or supersede Section 101(c) of that act, 15 U.…