How to Become a Notary in Tennessee (2026): Requirements, Cost & Steps

Requirements verified July 19, 2026 against Tennessee Secretary of State (commissioning via your county clerk)

Tennessee notaries start at the county clerk's office: you apply in your county, the county legislative body votes to elect you, and the Governor issues the commission through the Secretary of State. Expect a county application fee (commonly $12–$16), a $10,000 four-year surety bond, and no exam or training.

Tennessee is one of the last states where becoming a notary is literally an election. You file with your county clerk (fee set by the county — $12 in Knox, $16 in Shelby), the county legislative body votes you in at its next meeting, and the Governor then issues a four-year commission through the Secretary of State. It's not a rubber stamp of a process timing-wise: miss the county's filing deadline and you wait for the next commission meeting.

After the vote comes the money part: a $10,000 surety bond payable to the state, purchased from any Tennessee-authorized surety and filed at the county clerk's office when you take your oath. All in, most applicants spend $50–$100 across the county fee, bond premium, and the state-prescribed circular seal — with the odd rule that the seal's ink can be any legible color except black or yellow. There is no exam, class, or fingerprinting anywhere in the process.

Two features make Tennessee stand out for working notaries. Fees are uncapped — the statute simply entitles you to 'reasonable' compensation, where most bond states cap acts at a few dollars. And since July 1, 2019, the Online Notary Public Act has let commissioned notaries add a remote online commission for $75 plus a course, exam, and vendor contract — just note the online commission dies the same day your county commission does, so renew both together.

Who can become a notary in Tennessee?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must be a resident of the county where you apply, or have your principal place of business in that county. Under TCA § 8-16-101, someone whose principal place of business is in a Tennessee county can be elected a 'notary at large' even while living in another state.
• Background: The county application requires you to swear you are eligible under Titles 8, Chapters 16 and 18 of the Tennessee Code, which exclude certain people from office — including those convicted of offenses that disqualify them from holding public office unless their citizenship rights have been restored. County clerks review eligibility before the county vote; if you have a conviction, ask your county clerk's office before paying.
• Your application must be signed and notarized by a current notary before you submit it in most counties.
• Tennessee notaries are state officials elected at the county level — the commission itself comes from the Governor.

How to apply: step by step

1. Get the Tennessee notary public application from your county clerk's office (many counties post it online). Complete it, and have your signature on it notarized.
2. Submit the application to the county clerk with the county's application fee — for example, $12 in Knox County and $16 in Shelby County. Watch the deadline: applications typically must be in about two weeks before the county legislative body's next meeting.
3. Be elected. The county legislative body (county commission or council) votes on eligible applicants at its regular meeting — this election step is unique to Tennessee and a few other states.
4. Wait while the county clerk forwards elected applicants to the Tennessee Secretary of State, which assigns commission dates and prints the commission certificate signed by the Governor and Secretary of State, then returns it to your county clerk.
5. Buy a $10,000 surety bond from a company authorized to write surety in Tennessee. The bond is payable to the State of Tennessee and runs four years from the date the Governor issues your commission.
6. Return to the county clerk's office to file the bond, take the oath of office, and pick up your commission certificate. You cannot notarize anything until the commission is issued, the bond is filed, and the oath is taken.
7. Buy the official seal at your own expense — a circular rubber stamp in the design prescribed by the Secretary of State (your name at top, county of election at bottom, 'State of Tennessee Notary Public' in the center). Your county clerk can order it for you for a small statutory markup.

How long it takes: Timing depends on your county's meeting calendar: the application must usually arrive about two weeks before the county legislative body's session, then the state issues the commission after the vote. County clerk offices describe the full cycle as taking up to a couple of months — plan around your county commission's schedule.

What it costs in Tennessee

Exam and training

Tennessee does not require an exam or a mandatory course. No training requirement for a traditional commission. If you later apply to be an online notary, you must complete a course of instruction and pass an examination through a provider approved by the Secretary of State.

Can you notarize online in Tennessee? RON allowed

Yes — Tennessee authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Authorized by the Online Notary Public Act (SB 1758, 2018), TCA § 8-16-301 et seq., effective July 1, 2019, with details in Department of State Rules chapter 1360-07-03. The state does not endorse specific vendors.

To add RON to your commission: You must already be an active county-elected notary. Then: complete an online-notarization course and pass the exam through an SOS-approved provider, sign a contract with a third-party technology vendor that supplies the audio-video platform, identity proofing, credential analysis, and recording storage, and file the online application with the Secretary of State with a $75 fee, attaching your course certificate, vendor documentation, electronic seal, and electronic signature samples. The online commission expires the same day as your traditional commission, whenever it was granted.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. The seal design is prescribed by the Secretary of State: circular, with your name as commissioned at the top, your county of election at the bottom, and 'State of Tennessee Notary Public' (or 'Tennessee Notary Public') in the center. It must be a rubber or similar ink stamp — not an embosser — imprinted in any clearly legible color except black or yellow, and it must appear black when photocopied. The seal is surrendered to the county (through the county clerk) when your term ends or you resign (TCA § 8-16-114). See the new-notary supplies checklist and Tennessee stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Tennessee sets no dollar cap: under TCA § 8-21-1201, notaries 'are entitled to demand and receive reasonable fees and compensation' for their services. That flexibility is unusual among bond states — just keep fees defensible and disclosed.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $10,000 bond protects the people you serve, not you, so some Tennessee notaries add optional errors-and-omissions insurance for their own protection.

Earning more with your commission

Most new notaries who turn the commission into real income do it through loan signings — notarizing mortgage document packages for title companies. If that interests you, start with what a loan signing agent actually does and earns. Loan signing agent guide

Tennessee notary FAQ