The notary bond, explained honestly (2026)
A notary bond is the most misunderstood item in commissioning: it's required in 29 states, it's cheap, and it doesn't protect you at all. Here's what it actually does and what your state requires.
Quick answer
- What it is
- A surety guarantee that pays the public for harm caused by your notarial errors or misconduct
- Who it protects
- The public — not you. If the surety pays a claim, it collects the money back from you
- Where required
- 29 of 51 jurisdictions
- What you pay
- A small one-time premium for the term — not the bond amount itself
- Protecting yourself
- That's E&O insurance — optional, separate, often bundled by the same vendors
How a surety bond works
Three parties: you (the principal), your state's public (the beneficiary), and a surety company. The surety promises that if your notarial misconduct or error financially harms someone, that person can recover from the bond — up to its amount. Then comes the part vendors don't advertise: the surety has the right to collect the paid claim back from you. A bond is a guarantee of your conduct, not insurance for you. Insurance for you exists — it's called errors & omissions (E&O) coverage, it's optional nearly everywhere, and it's the thing to consider if personal protection is what you want.
Bond requirements by state
| State | Bond amount | Term notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50,000 | Alabama's bond doubled to $50,000 under Act 2023-548 (effective September 1, 2023) — one of the largest notary bonds in the country. It must come from an Alabama-licensed bond producer, be payable to the State of Alabama, and be executed, approved, filed, and recorded in the probate judge's office of your home county before you take up the office. The premium is set by the surety; the bond protects the public, not you. |
| Alaska | $2,500 | Regular commissions need a $2,500 bond covering the four-year term — one of the smallest notary bonds in the country, so premiums are correspondingly low. Limited governmental notaries file employer approval instead of a bond, and their authority is limited to official government business. |
| Arizona | $5,000 | A four-year $5,000 bond from a licensed surety (A.R.S. § 41-315 / § 41-269), bought in duplicate and filed with the Secretary of State along with the application — Arizona has no county filing step. The premium is set by the surety and the bond protects the public, not the notary. |
| Arkansas | $7,500 | A $7,500 surety bond covering the ten-year term, from a surety authorized in Arkansas. Unusually, the original bond is filed with your county's recorder of deeds (circuit clerk in most counties) along with your oath — not with the Secretary of State. Put your name on the bond exactly as you'll sign as a notary; the seal must match it. |
| California | $15,000 | A $15,000 surety bond for the four-year term, filed together with your oath of office at the county clerk's office within 30 calendar days of the commission start date — in the county of your principal place of business. The bond is not insurance for you: the surety can recover from you anything it pays out, and you stay personally liable beyond $15,000. |
| District of Columbia | $2,000 | A $2,000 surety bond covering the five-year term, written only on the bond form ONCA sends with your Appointment Notice. You bring the original signed form and a paid-in-full receipt to your oath appointment; ONCA keeps the original. DC-government-only commissions are bond-exempt. |
| Florida | $7,500 | A $7,500 surety bond covering the four-year term, payable to anyone harmed by a breach of your notarial duty. It is written by your bonding agency and filed with the Department of State — you never file it yourself. The bond protects the public, not you. |
| Hawaii | $1,000 | A $1,000 official surety bond payable to the State, executed before you take up your duties. Unusually, it must be approved by a circuit court judge and is then kept on file by the clerk of the circuit court for the circuit where you live — not by the Attorney General. |
| Idaho | $10,000 | Idaho Code § 51-121 requires an assurance — a surety bond or its functional equivalent — of $10,000, submitted to the Secretary of State with your application and covering the six-year term. No county filing; everything goes to the SOS. |
| Illinois | $5,000 | A $5,000 bond with a four-year term matching the commission, issued by a surety qualified in Illinois and submitted with the application. Notaries adding electronic/remote authority need $30,000 of combined coverage ($5,000 notary + $25,000 electronic). The bond protects the public; the surety can recover payouts from you. |
| Indiana | $25,000 | A $25,000 corporate surety bond (IC 33-42-12-1) must be in effect for the entire 8-year commission and is uploaded as a certificate with the online application — nothing is filed at the county. If an employer paid for the bond and you leave the job, the employer can cancel it and you must replace it. The Secretary of State puts combined bond-and-stamp costs at roughly $50–$250 retail. |
| Kansas | $12,000 | A $12,000 commercial surety bond written for the full four-year commission term, issued by a surety or insurer licensed in Kansas, and filed with the Secretary of State as Section C of the application itself. The amount rose from $7,500 to $12,000 for applications filed on or after January 1, 2022. If the bond is cancelled and not replaced, you lose the authority to notarize. |
| Kentucky | $1,000 | A $1,000 surety bond covering the four-year term, required by KRS 423.390 and posted at the county clerk's office — not with the Secretary of State — when you take your oath within 30 days of approval. The surety must give the state 30 days' notice before cancelling. |
| Louisiana | $50,000 | A $50,000 notary surety bond or personal surety, renewed every five years. This is new: effective February 1, 2026 the Secretary of State raised the minimum from $10,000 to $50,000 and stopped accepting errors-and-omissions policies in lieu of a bond. Bonds under $50,000 are no longer accepted. |
| Michigan | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond written for six or seven years to match the commission term. Michigan's order of operations is unusual: the bond is filed with your county clerk — and the oath taken there — before your application ever reaches the Department of State. Michigan-licensed attorneys in good standing are exempt from the bond requirement. |
| Mississippi | $5,000 | A $5,000 surety bond covering the full four-year term, written by a surety licensed by the Mississippi Department of Insurance. It is filed with the Secretary of State — not a county office — and must be submitted within 60 days of the application date. Your commission actually expires when the bond expires, so the two always run together. |
| Missouri | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond from a Missouri-licensed surety, written for the four-year term running from the commission's issue date to its expiration. The commission is not effective until the oath of office and the bond are presented to the county clerk of the county where you were commissioned. Sureties must report any claims paid on the bond to the Secretary of State. |
| Montana | $25,000 | A $25,000 surety bond (or functional equivalent) covering the full 4-year commission term, filed with the Secretary of State as part of the online application — Montana does not file bonds at the county. The state's standardized bond form doubles as your Statement of Qualifications and Oath of Office, and the surety must notify the SOS within 30 days if the bond is cancelled or a claim is paid (MCA 1-5-619). |
| Nebraska | $15,000 | A $15,000 surety bond covering the four-year commission. You upload the executed bond to the Secretary of State's Online Notary Portal with your application — there is no county filing in Nebraska. The oath of office is signed on the bond itself, in front of another notary. |
| Nevada | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond covering the full four-year appointment. Nevada is a county-filing state: the executed bond and your oath go to the county clerk where you live (or where you work, for non-residents), and the clerk's filing notice is part of your application package to the Secretary of State. |
| New Mexico | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond (or functional equivalent) filed with the Secretary of State as part of the online application. Under NMSA 14-14A-20 the assurance must cover acts performed during the term of the commission, so it runs with your four-year term, and you may only notarize while a valid assurance is on file. The bond survived New Mexico's switch to RULONA — it is still required. |
| North Dakota | $7,500 | A $7,500 assurance — a surety bond or its functional equivalent under § 44-06.1-20(4) — filed with the Secretary of State, not a county. It must cover acts performed during the four-year term, and you may only notarize while a valid assurance is on file; if the surety cancels, it must give the state 30 days' notice. |
| Oklahoma | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond payable to the State of Oklahoma, filed with the Secretary of State (with a $25 filing fee) within 60 days after your commission is issued — along with your oath of office, loyalty oath, signature, and seal impression. The bond runs from its issue date to your commission's expiration date. SB 1028 raised the amount from $1,000 to $10,000 effective January 1, 2026. |
| Pennsylvania | $25,000 | A $25,000 bond from an insurer authorized in Pennsylvania, executed within 45 days of appointment and recorded with the county recorder of deeds before you start notarizing. The amount rose from $10,000 to $25,000 for notaries appointed or reappointed on or after March 28, 2026; notaries commissioned before that date keep their existing bond until the commission expires. |
| Tennessee | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond payable to the State of Tennessee, with a four-year term that starts on the date the Governor issues the commission. You buy it from any surety authorized in Tennessee and file it with your county clerk — no bond on file, no notarizing. The bond protects the public; the surety can recover payouts from you. |
| Texas | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond covering the four-year term. Unlike many states, proof of the bond (Form 2301-B) is filed with the Texas Secretary of State as part of the online application — nothing is filed at the county courthouse. The bond protects the public, not you. |
| Utah | $5,000 | A $5,000 surety bond executed by a licensed surety for the full four-year term, filed with the Lieutenant Governor along with your notarized oath of office. The commission is not effective until the office approves both (Utah Code § 46-1-4). Remote notaries need $10,000 of total coverage — usually a rider on the base bond. |
| Washington | $10,000 | A $10,000 surety bond in your name, typically written for four years to match the commission. Proof of the bond goes to the Department of Licensing with your application — nothing is filed at a county office. If the bond expires early, your commission ends with it. |
| Wisconsin | $500 | A $500 surety bond covering the four-year term, filed with the Department of Financial Institutions as part of the application. At $500 it is one of the smallest notary bonds in the country. Attorneys with permanent commissions do not post a bond. |
No bond required
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Buying and filing, practically
- Buy the bond during your application process — your state page says exactly when it's needed.
- Match your state's amount and term exactly; vendors sell state-specific bonds for this reason.
- File it where your state says — commonly the county clerk — before the deadline; miss it and the commission can lapse before it starts.
- Decide on E&O separately, knowing what each product does.
Notary bond FAQ
Does a $10,000 bond cost $10,000?
No. The bond amount is the coverage ceiling the surety guarantees to the public. You pay a premium — typically a small fraction of the amount, commonly well under $100 for a multi-year term. Bonding agencies quote the exact premium; it varies by state and vendor.
What's the difference between a notary bond and E&O insurance?
Direction of protection. The bond protects the public: if your error costs someone money, they claim against the bond — and the surety then recovers every dollar from you personally. E&O insurance protects you: it pays claims and defense costs arising from unintentional notarial mistakes so the loss doesn't land on you. States mandate bonds; E&O is almost always optional.
Where do I buy a notary bond?
From surety companies, insurance agents, or the bonding agencies that specialize in notaries — many state notary associations and supply vendors sell them bundled with stamps and E&O. Buy for your state specifically: amount, term, and filing procedure are set by state law, and the bond usually must be filed (often with your county) before your commission takes effect.
My state doesn't require a bond. Should I buy one anyway?
No — a voluntary surety bond mostly buys you the obligation to repay the surety. If you want protection, what you'd actually be shopping for is E&O insurance, which covers you. The confusion between the two products sells a lot of unnecessary bonds.