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

Requirements verified July 18, 2026 against Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor

Utah notaries are commissioned by the Lieutenant Governor's office. You pass an online exam, pay $95 in state fees ($55 application + $40 test), file a $5,000 surety bond and a notarized oath of office, and hold the commission for four years. Total startup cost is usually around $170.

Utah is one of the few states without a Secretary of State, so notary commissions come from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor instead. The whole process runs through one portal at notary.utah.gov: you create an account, take the exam online, and upload your paperwork there. The state says most people finish in just under two weeks. The exam deserves respect — 35 questions worth 65 points, and you need 61 to pass, which means the ten 4-point fundamentals questions leave almost no room for error.

Here's what you'll actually do and spend: study the free official handbook, pass the online test, and pay $95 ($55 application fee plus $40 test fee). Then buy a $5,000 surety bond (around $50), get your oath of office notarized, and upload both to finish the application. Once your Certificate of Authority arrives by email, you buy a stamp for about $25 — so plan on roughly $170 total. The commission lasts four years, and there's no renewal shortcut: you retest and refile everything each term.

Utah has a few genuine quirks. Your stamp must print in purple ink — state law requires it for every in-person notarization. Fees are capped at $10 per act in person and $25 for remote work, so notarizing alone won't pay much, though Utah's escrow-based closing industry keeps loan-signing work open to independent notaries. Remote online notarization has been legal here since 2019; it takes a separate $50 certification, an approved technology vendor, and doubled bond coverage of $10,000.

Who can become a notary in Utah?

• Age: at least 18 years old.
• Residency: You must lawfully reside in Utah, or be employed in Utah for at least 30 days immediately before you apply. Out-of-state residents qualify through Utah employment, but you must keep that residency or job for the whole four-year term or resign the commission.
• Background: Every applicant goes through a mandatory criminal background check (required since November 1, 2019) and must list all criminal convictions on the application, including no-contest pleas. There is no automatic felony bar, but the Lieutenant Governor may deny an application over a conviction involving dishonesty or moral turpitude, or a past notary revocation or suspension (Utah Code § 46-1-3).
• U.S. citizen, or permanent resident status under Section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• Able to read, write, and understand English.
• Not currently revoked or suspended as a notary without express permission from the Lieutenant Governor's office.
• Must pass the state notary exam before the application can go forward.

How to apply: step by step

1. Study the free official Utah Notary Public Study Guide and Handbook from notary.utah.gov. There is no required class — the guide is the prep material.
2. Create an account at notary.utah.gov (secure.utah.gov/notary). The name on your account becomes the name on your commission and stamp, so enter it carefully.
3. Answer the qualification questions and take the exam online through your account: 35 multiple-choice questions worth 65 points, and you need 61 points to pass. Pay $95 when you finish ($55 application fee + $40 test fee). A retake within 30 days costs $40; after that you start over at $95.
4. Complete the mandatory background check through the Lieutenant Governor's office. You will not be notified of the results — just continue to the next step.
5. Buy a $5,000 four-year surety bond from a licensed surety (typically about $50). The name on the bond must match your application exactly, and you sign it as principal.
6. Have your Constitutional Oath of Office notarized, then upload the signed bond and notarized oath to your online application. The application submits automatically once everything is uploaded.
7. Watch for your Certificate of Authority by email, then buy your official stamp — purple ink is required for in-person notarizations — and a journal. Notaries commissioned on or after May 6, 2026 must keep a physical journal.

How long it takes: The Lieutenant Governor's office says the whole process — study, test, bond, oath — takes just under two weeks, and it emails your Certificate of Authority once the application is processed.

What it costs in Utah

Exam and training

Exam: Required, and the scoring is strict. The online exam has 35 multiple-choice questions worth 65 points total (10 fundamentals questions are worth 4 points each), and you must score 61 or higher — so missing two of the big questions can fail you. It's taken through your notary.utah.gov account, and you retake it every time you reapply.

No mandatory course. The state publishes a free Study Guide and Handbook that covers everything on the exam, including the full text of the notary statute. Paid prep courses exist but are optional.

Can you notarize online in Utah? RON allowed

Yes — Utah authorizes remote online notarization (RON). Authorized by 2019 legislation (Chapter 192, 2019 General Session; Utah Code §§ 46-1-3.5 and 46-1-3.6, effective November 2019). Remote notaries must record audio and video of each session and keep a secure electronic journal, and their electronic seal renders in black rather than purple.

To add RON to your commission: You must already hold an active Utah notary commission, then apply separately for a remote notary certification: contract with a state-approved technology vendor, raise your bond coverage to $10,000 (a rider on your existing bond is the recommended route), get an electronic seal and signature through your vendor, submit a notarized Remote Online Notary oath, and pay a $50 application fee. You reapply for the RON certification each time you get a new base commission, and you must be physically in Utah when performing remote notarizations.

Full guide: how to become a remote online notary.

After you're commissioned

Get your stamp and journal. Rectangular seal with a border no larger than 1 inch by 2.5 inches, and it must stamp in purple ink for in-person notarizations — a Utah signature quirk (electronic seals for remote notarizations render in black). Required elements: your name exactly as it appears on the commission, the words 'Notary Public', 'State of Utah', 'My commission expires on (date)', your commission number, and a facsimile of the great seal of Utah. You need a new seal with each new commission or legal name change (Utah Code § 46-1-16). See the new-notary supplies checklist and Utah stamp requirements before you order.

What you can charge: Utah caps notary fees at $10 per notarial act ($25 for remote notarizations). Utah Code § 46-1-12 caps in-person acts at $10: per signature for acknowledgments, jurats, and signature witnessings; per page for certified copies; per person for oaths without a signature. Remote notaries may charge up to $25 per act. A travel fee is allowed only if it doesn't exceed the federal mileage rate, you explain it's separate and not set by law, and the client agrees to it in advance. You must display an English-language fee schedule.

E&O insurance: Not required. The $5,000 bond protects the public, not you — optional errors-and-omissions insurance is what covers the notary if a mistake leads to a claim.

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

Utah notary FAQ