IL Notary Notary Journal Record-Keeping Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What information must an Illinois notary record in their journal for each notarial act?
- Only the signer's name and date
- Date, type of act, document type, signer's name, ID method, and fee charged (Correct answer)
- A photocopy of the document notarized
- The signer's social security number and address
Correct answer: Date, type of act, document type, signer's name, ID method, and fee charged
Illinois requires comprehensive journal entries including the date, type of act, document type, signer's name, ID method, and fee charged.
The Illinois Notary Public Act requires notaries to maintain a detailed journal of all notarial acts with multiple data points.
Question 2: Is an electronic notary journal permitted in Illinois?
- No, only bound paper journals are permitted
- Yes, if it meets statutory requirements for security and tamper-evidence (Correct answer)
- Yes, any spreadsheet application is acceptable
- Only for RON transactions
Correct answer: Yes, if it meets statutory requirements for security and tamper-evidence
Illinois permits electronic journals provided they meet security requirements including tamper-evidence.
Illinois allows notaries to maintain their journal in electronic format, provided it meets statutory requirements for security.
Question 3: How long must an Illinois notary retain their journal after their commission expires?
- They may destroy it immediately
- 5 years
- 7 years
- The journal must be maintained for the legally required retention period (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The journal must be maintained for the legally required retention period
Illinois notaries must retain their journal for the legally required retention period even after their commission expires.
An Illinois notary's obligation to maintain their journal does not end when their commission expires.
Question 4: A court issues a subpoena for an Illinois notary's journal. What must the notary do?
- Refuse because journal contents are confidential
- Comply with the subpoena and produce the journal (Correct answer)
- Produce only the specific entry, not the entire journal
- Contact the Secretary of State before responding
Correct answer: Comply with the subpoena and produce the journal
A notary must comply with a lawful court subpoena and produce their journal.
Notary journals are not privileged or confidential documents. When a court issues a lawful subpoena, the notary must comply.
Question 5: What should an Illinois notary do if they make an error in a journal entry?
- Use white-out to correct the error
- Draw a single line through the error and initial it (Correct answer)
- Remove the page and rewrite it
- Leave it uncorrected and note the error separately
Correct answer: Draw a single line through the error and initial it
Errors should be corrected by drawing a single line through the incorrect entry and initialing the correction.
When an Illinois notary makes an error in their journal, proper correction requires drawing a single line through the incorrect information so the original entry remains legible.
Question 6: Can an Illinois notary allow someone else to make entries in their journal?
- Yes, a trained office assistant may make entries
- Yes, if the notary reviews and signs each entry
- No, only the notary may make entries in their own journal (Correct answer)
- Yes, but only the notary's employer
Correct answer: No, only the notary may make entries in their own journal
Only the commissioned notary may make entries in their notary journal.
The notary journal is a personal record and only the commissioned notary may make entries.
IL Notary Notary Journal Record-Keeping Standards 2
What information must an Illinois notary record in their journal for each notarial act?