44-06 Notaries Public - North Dakota Statutes

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CHAPTER 44-06NOTARIES PUBLIC44-06-01. Appointment and qualification of notaries public. The secretary of stateshall appoint notaries public. A notary holds office for six years unless sooner removed by the
secretary of state. Each notary may administer oaths and perform all other duties required by
law. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a notary public may perform any notarial act as
defined in section 47-19-14.1 outside the state as provided in section 47-19-55. A notary public
must have the qualifications of an elector as to age and residence or must reside in a county that
borders this state and which is in a state that extends reciprocity to a notary public who resides in
a border county of this state. If the person resides in a county bordering this state, that person
must designate the secretary of state as the agent for service of process, for all purposes relating
to notarial acts, including the receipt of correspondence relating to notarial acts.44-06-02. Commission - Record - Fee - Notice. The secretary of state shall issue acommission to each notary public appointed by the secretary of state in the notary's legal name.
Before issuing a commission, the secretary of state may require proof acceptable to the
secretary of state of the notary's legal name.The notary shall post the commission in aconspicuous place in the notary's office. The secretary of state shall collect thirty-six dollars for
the issuance of the commission. The secretary of state shall remit all fees collected under this
section to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund. The secretary of state shall keep a
record of appointments and the date of the expiration of the appointments. The secretary of state
shall notify each notary public by mail at least thirty days before the expiration of the notary
public's term of the date upon which the notary public's commission will expire. The notice must
be addressed to the notary public at the last-known place of residence. Each notary public
issued a commission shall notify the secretary of state by mail within sixty days of any change of
address. If a notary fails to notify the secretary of state within sixty days of a change of address,
the secretary of state may impose a late fee in the amount of ten dollars. The notary shall pay
any late fee imposed by the secretary of state before the renewal of the notary's commission.44-06-03. Oath and bond of notary public - Approval of bond. Each notary public,before entering upon the duties of the office, shall take the oath prescribed for civil officers and
give to the state a bond in the penal sum of seven thousand five hundred dollars conditioned for
the faithful discharge of the duties of the office. Such bond may be furnished by a surety or
bonding company authorized to do business in this state or by one or more sureties, and is
subject to approval by the secretary of state.44-06-03.1. Notice by surety to secretary of state of claim against bond. If a suretyor bonding company giving a bond under section 44-06-03 receives a claim against that bond
with respect to a notary public, that surety or bonding company shall notify the secretary of state
of the outcome of said claim.44-06-04. Filing of oath, bond, and impression of notarial seal - Requirements ofseal. Each notary public, before entering upon the duties of office, shall file the notary public's
oath and bond, in the office of the secretary of state. The secretary of state, upon receipt of the
proper fee, oath, and bond, shall issue a certificate of authorization with which the notary public
may obtain an official notary seal. A notary seal vendor may provide a notary with an official seal
only upon presentation by the notary of a certificate of authorization. The notary public shall
place an impression of the notary's seal on the certificate of authorization and return the
certificate of authorization to the secretary of state.After the certificate of authorization isreceived, approved, and filed, the secretary of state shall issue a notary commission that
authorizes the notary to commence the duties of the office of notary public.After August 1, 2003, a notary being commissioned must obtain a seal approved by thesecretary of state which must be designed to leave a clear impression, be photographically
reproducible, include the words "State of North Dakota" and "Notary Public", contain the name
and commission expiration date of the notary public exactly as shown on the notary's
commission, and which may not contain any other words, numbers, symbols, or a reproductionPage No. 1of the great seal of the state. All notary seals must be surrounded by a border and be either one
and five-eighths inch [41.28 millimeters] in diameter or if of a rectangular design, may be up to or
equal to seven-eighths inch [22.23 millimeters] vertically by two and five-eighths inches [66.68
millimeters] horizontally.An official seal is the property of the notary only and may not beretained or used by any other person including an employer of a notary even if the employer
purchased or paid for the notary's seal. An official seal must remain in the direct and exclusive
control of the notary at all times during a notary's commission. A notary must affix the notary's
seal to each jurat or certificate of acknowledgment at the time of performing the notarial act.
Upon the resignation, removal, revocation, or expiration of a notary's commission, or the death or
name change of a notary, the notarial seal must be destroyed. When a notary's official seal is
lost, damaged, or is rendered otherwise unworkable, the notary shall immediately submit written
notice of that fact to the secretary of state. Within five working days after receipt of the notice,
the secretary of state shall issue a new certificate of authorization which a notary may use to
obtain a replacement seal.44-06-04.1. Name change. A notary who has legally changed the notary's name shallsubmit to the secretary of state a rider to the notary's surety bond stating both the old and new
names, the effective date of the new name, and a ten dollar fee within sixty days of the name
change.Upon receipt of the rider and fee the secretary of state shall issue a certificate ofauthorization that a notary public may use to obtain a new seal. Once the authorization is on file
the secretary of state shall issue a commission with the notary's new name. After notification to
the secretary of state of the name change and until a new seal is obtained, the notary may
continue to use the old seal but must sign any notarial certificate substantially as follows:______________________________________Notary public North Dakota
Formerly known and commissioned as______________________________________
My commission expiresNotary Seal44-06-05. Vacancy - Disposition of records and seals. Whenever the office of anynotary public becomes vacant, the record of the notary together with all papers relating to the
office must be deposited in the office of the secretary of state except for the seal which must be
destroyed as provided in section 44-06-04. If a notary public resigns the notary's commission,
the notary shall notify the secretary of state within thirty days of the resignation, and shall indicate
the effective date of the resignation. Any notary public who, on resignation or removal from
office, or any executor or personal representative of the estate of any deceased notary public
who neglects to deposit the records and papers as aforesaid for the space of three months, or
any person who knowingly destroys, defaces, or conceals any records or papers of any notary
public, shall forfeit and pay a sum of not less than fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars,
and that person also is liable in a civil action for damages to any party injured.44-06-06. Duty of notary as to protested instrument. Each notary public, when anybill of exchange, promissory note, or other written instrument, is by that notary public protested
for nonacceptance or nonpayment, shall give notice thereof in writing to the maker, to each and
every endorser of such bill of exchange, and to the maker of each security or the endorsers of
any promissory note or other written instrument, immediately after such protest has been made.44-06-07. Service of notice by notary public. Each notary public shall serve noticepersonally upon each person protested against, or by properly folding the notice, directing it to
the person to be charged at that person's place of residence according to the best information
that the person giving the notice can obtain, depositing it in the United States mail or post office
most conveniently accessible, and prepaying the postage thereon.44-06-08. Record of notices - Certified copy - Competent evidence. Each notarypublic shall keep a record of all notices, of the time and manner in which the same were served,
the names of all the persons to whom the same were directed, and the description and amount ofPage No. 2the instrument protested. Such record, or a copy thereof, certified by the notary under seal, at all
times is competent evidence to prove such notice in any court of this state.44-06-09. Secretary of state - Preservation of records. The secretary of state shallreceive and keep safely all the records and papers directed by this chapter to be deposited in the
secretary of state's office and shall furnish certified copies thereof when required. Such copies
have the same force and effect as if the same were certified by the notary public by whom the
record was made.44-06-10. Removal from county - Requirements. Repealed by S.L. 1955, ch. 286,