Notarial Journal and Recordkeeping Obligations
Why the journal matters
Maine's statute imposes recordkeeping duties on notaries, and the journal is the standard tool for satisfying them. Even where a particular detail is left to practice rather than statute, the journal is the best evidence that you complied and the first thing an investigator or court will ask for. Treat recordkeeping as part of the act, not as optional paperwork.
What a solid entry contains
- Date (and time where practical) of the act
- Type of act performed (acknowledgment, jurat, oath, copy certification)
- Title or description of the document
- Signer's name and address
- Identification method and details: type of ID, issuing authority, number, expiration
- Fee charged, if any
- Signer's signature, where your practice records it
- Notes when a credible witness or interpreter was used
Handling and retention
Keep the journal secure and retain it for the period the Secretary of State's current guidance specifies - do not destroy old volumes. It may be subpoenaed or requested in an investigation, so produce copies rather than surrendering the original. Do not volunteer signers' personal information to anyone who merely asks.
Traps
Thinking a journal entry substitutes for a complete certificate - it does not; both are required. Erasing or using correction fluid instead of a single strike-through with initials. Recording an ID number you never actually saw. Writing an entry after the fact but dating it as though it were contemporaneous.