CA Assembly Bill 2217
Notary Law Update: CA Assembly Bill 2217
Summary: Assembly Bill 2217 raises the fees Notaries may charge for the first time since 1994.
Signed: August 17, 2016
Effective: January 01, 2017
Chapter: 133
Affects: Amends Government Code Sections 8211 and 8223
Changes:
- Raises the maximum fee Notaries may charge for taking an acknowledgment or affidavit, or administering an oath or affirmation from $10 to $15.
- Raises the maximum fee Notaries may charge for taking a deposition to from $20 $30 and for administering the oath or affirmation for the deposition from $5 to $7, and raises the fee for the certificate to a deposition from $5 to $7.
- Raises the maximum fee Notaries may charge for certifying a copy of a power of attorney from $10 to $15.
- Raises the maximum fee a Notary who is qualified and bonded as an immigration consultant may charge for completing a set of immigration forms for per individual from $10 to $15.
Assembly Bill 2217 effectively gives Notaries a 50% raise from the maximum fees for most notarial acts under current law. Assemblymember David Hadley, the bill sponsor, had introduced legislation last year that would have eliminated the fee schedule entirely, allowing Notaries to charge their own fees. That measure was unsuccessful. This year he proposed AB 2217 with its 50% raise based on the increase in the consumer price index since 1994, the last time fees were raised in California. The bill passed through the Assembly without objection on the consent calendar, and easily passed the Senate. With the increase, which is effective January 1, 2017, California will now be alone in allowing Notaries to charge the highest fees of any other state.