For the Record

Liberty County, Superior Court, State Court and Juvenile Court

Commissioning of Notaries Public in Georgia

Superior court clerks in Georgia wear a lot of hats and perform, in addition to the many court

clerical and administrative duties required of them by law, numerous other statutory duties.

Commissioning notaries public of the state is a power reserved exclusively for clerks of superior court.

A notary public is a public officer of the state authorized to witness or attest signature or

execution of deeds and other written instruments. Additionally, Georgia law authorizes and empowers a

• Take verifications upon oath or affirmation; and

• Make certified copies, provided that the document presented for copying is an original document

and is neither a public record nor a publicly recorded document certified copies of which are available

from an official source other than a notary and provided that the document was photocopied under

supervision of the notary.

To be eligible for a commission as a notary, an individual must be at least 18 years old, a resident

of Georgia, a resident of the county from which he or she seeks to be appointed, and able to read and

write the English language. Persons who are residents of a state bordering Georgia and who “carries on a

business or a profession” in Georgia may also be commissioned as a notary public by the clerk of

superior court of the county in which he or she carries on such profession, business, or employment.

integrity, good moral character, and capability to perform notarial acts. The declaration of the applicant

must be signed in the presence of commissioned notary public of this state. A fee of $37.00 is payable to

the Clerk of Superior court along with the application.

license issued to the applicant in Georgia or any other state; commission of any act causing the

applicant has in this or any other state engaged in the unauthorized practice of law. An applicant denied a

commission, shall, upon demand, be allowed a hearing and adjudication before the clerk of superior court

with a right to an appeal to the superior court “without the intervention of a jury.”

A notary holds office for four years, with the right to petition the clerk at the end of each term for

renewal of the commission. Renewal may be accomplished in person, by mail, or online. at the discretion

of the clerk. The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority keeps a registry of all

commissioned notaries public of the state on its website at http://search.gsccca.org/notary.

A notary is prohibited by law from making claims that he or she has powers, qualifications, rights,

or privileges that the office of notary does not authorize, including counseling on immigration matters and

giving legal advice. A notary who is not an attorney licensed to practice law in Georgia is barred from

advertising services as a notary public by radio, television, signs, pamphlets, or any other medium unless

the notary states that he or she is not an attorney licensed to practice law and may not give legal advice

• Every other certificate…. ............................................................................................................... $2.00

It is illegal for a notary to charge more than $4.00 for each service performed, which amount shall

include a $2.00 fee for performing the notarial act and a fee of $2.00 for “attendance to make proof as a

notary public and certifying to same.” The notary is required prior to performing a notarial act to inform the

party requesting his or her notarial services the fees permitted for each act.

Any notary commission may be revoked by the clerk of superior court when the notary violates

any provision relative to the duties and powers enumerated in Chapter 17 of Title 45 of the Official Code

of Georgia Annotated; when the notary performs any illegal notarial act; when the notary submits an