What a Pennsylvania notary commission lets you do

The six notarial acts in Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania commission authorizes six notarial acts. Loan signings lean on two of them: acknowledgments on the deed of trust or mortgage, and verifications on affidavits.

The six are taking an acknowledgment, administering an oath or affirmation, taking a verification on oath or affirmation, witnessing or attesting a signature, certifying or attesting a copy or deposition, and noting a protest of a negotiable instrument.

Everything else in a signing appointment sits outside that list. Presenting the documents, collecting signatures in order, and shipping the package back are services you sell. They are not notarial acts. That split matters for pricing, which is set out on the fees and journal page, and for tax, which is covered on the annual obligations page.

6 actsPennsylvania's Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts authorizes notaries to perform six notarial acts, from acknowledgments to protests of negotiable instruments. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

A commission belongs to one named individual

The commission is granted to you personally. You cannot delegate it, lend it, or transfer it, even for a day, and you must keep your stamp and journal secure.

This is the rule most new signing agents get wrong in practice. A spouse who helps with paperwork cannot stamp for you. An assistant cannot sign a certificate while you drive to the next appointment. A company you own cannot hold the commission either.

Letting another person use your stamp is treated as impersonating a notary. That person faces criminal penalties. You face discipline for failing to guard the equipment.

The business side of this rule is where the real confusion lives. The page on the commission and the company works through what an LLC can and cannot do when the office stays with you.

The Department of State says a notary commission is granted to a particular individual, cannot be delegated, and is not transferable even temporarily. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

A notary's stamping device is the exclusive property of the notary it was issued to, and use of it by anyone else is deemed impersonation. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Where a Pennsylvania notary may work

Your authority covers every county in Pennsylvania. It stops at the state line, so a signing in a Delaware or Ohio kitchen needs that state's commission.

This trips up agents who live near a border. A title company in Philadelphia may book a borrower who has moved to Cherry Hill. Your Pennsylvania stamp does nothing there. Check the property address and the signer's location before you accept.

Remote online notarization changes one part of this. The notary must still be in Pennsylvania, but the signer may be elsewhere. The remote notarization guide sets out when that applies.

A Pennsylvania notary may notarize anywhere in the Commonwealth but may not perform notarial acts outside the state. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Personal appearance and identifying the signer

Every act except certifying a copy needs the signer in front of you. You identify them by personal knowledge, a qualifying ID, or a credible witness you know.

Physical presence means you can see, hear and hand documents to each other without a phone or camera. Skype and FaceTime do not count. The only exception is an authorized remote notarization.

Satisfactory evidence is usually a current passport, driver's license or state ID. Other current government ID with a photo or signature can also qualify. Since March 28, 2026, the regulations list more, including a Social Security card and certain consular IDs.

You may ask for more proof when something feels wrong. That is your call, not the lender's.

March 28, 2026Pennsylvania's comprehensive notary regulations implementing RULONA took effect on March 28, 2026, adding new credentials that count as satisfactory evidence of identity. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

When a notary may refuse, and when not

You may refuse an act when you doubt the signer's capacity or willingness, or when the ID or signature does not match. You may not refuse for discriminatory reasons.

At a closing, this is real. A borrower who seems confused about what they are signing, or who is being coached by a relative, is a reason to stop. So is a signature that looks nothing like the one on the license.

The Department lists protected grounds you may never use: race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and marital status. Refusing for a lawful reason protects you. Refusing for a protected one is its own violation.

A Pennsylvania notary may refuse an act if not satisfied about the signer's competence, voluntariness, signature or photo match, but not on protected grounds such as race or disability. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Advertising notary services without implying legal skill

A Pennsylvania notary who advertises must state, in every language used, that they are not an attorney. The notary may not draft legal records or give legal advice.

The rule targets the notario problem. In some countries a notario is a lawyer, and people are misled by the word. Pennsylvania bars notaries from acting as immigration experts or representing people in immigration or citizenship matters.

For a signing agent, the same line runs through every website and business card. Market what you do: travel to the signer, present the documents, notarize and return the package. Leave out anything that sounds like legal help.

The Department of State says notaries may not help write legal documents, give legal advice, act as immigration experts, or represent people in immigration or citizenship matters. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Acting as a notary without a valid commission

Performing notarial acts without a commission is a crime in Pennsylvania. So is using a stamp that names someone else.

Pretending to be a notary falls under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4913, a misdemeanor. Other violations of the notary law or regulations are summary offenses, with fines of up to $1,000 on conviction.

Two practical cases matter for signing agents. The first is a commission that lapsed quietly while you kept taking bookings. The second is an office where a colleague stamps with your seal to cover a busy day. Both are covered by these rules.

18 Pa.C.S. § 4913Falsely pretending to be a Pennsylvania notary, or using a stamp that names another notary, falls under 18 Pa.C.S. § 4913, a misdemeanor offense. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

Penalties that follow the commission holder

Violations land on you personally. The Department can fine a notary up to $1,000 per act or omission and can suspend or revoke the commission.

Past conduct counts too. A felony, or a misdemeanor involving fraud, dishonesty or deceit, within five years before applying creates a presumption that you are ineligible. You can rebut it only with clear and convincing evidence of rehabilitation.

Keep this in mind when you set up the business. A company can carry contracts, bank accounts and insurance. It cannot absorb a penalty against your commission. Plan for that in your business setup rather than learning it from a complaint.

$1,000 per violationThe Department of State may impose an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 on a notary for each act or omission that violates RULONA. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

5 yearsA conviction for a felony or a fraud-related misdemeanor within five years before applying makes an applicant presumptively ineligible for a Pennsylvania commission. — Pennsylvania Department of State, retrieved 2026-09-27

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