GA Notary - Georgia Notary Prohibited and Unlawful Acts Questions and Answers

Question 1

A Georgia notary who is not an attorney advertises their services in a local Spanish-language newspaper. Which of the following is an unlawful act regarding this advertisement?

Accepted Answer

Advertising in a language other than English without including a specific legal disclaimer.

Answer

Listing the statutory fee of $2.00 per notarial act in the advertisement.

Answer

Using the title "Notary Public" in the advertisement.

Answer

Including their business phone number and address in the advertisement.

Question 2

A notary is employed by a real estate firm and is asked to notarize the signatures of the firm's CEO on a deed for a property the firm is selling. The notary's compensation is a fixed salary and does not depend on this transaction. Under Georgia law, is this a prohibited act?

Accepted Answer

No, because the notary is not a party to the transaction and has no direct financial interest beyond their regular salary.

Answer

Yes, because notarizing for an employer always constitutes a conflict of interest.

Answer

Yes, because the notary is an employee of a party involved in the transaction.

Answer

No, but only if the CEO is a close personal friend of the notary.

Question 3

Which of the following actions constitutes the unauthorized practice of law by a Georgia notary public who is not an attorney?

Accepted Answer

Advising a signer on which type of notarial certificate (e.g., acknowledgment or jurat) is required for their document.

Answer

Refusing to notarize a document that appears to be fraudulent or for a person who seems coerced.

Answer

Charging the maximum statutory fee of $2.00 for administering an oath.

Answer

Informing a signer that they must physically appear before the notary at the time of the notarization.

Question 4

A client asks a Georgia notary to perform five notarial acts (five separate signatures on a document). The notary charges a total of $20.00 for the service, stating it's a '$10.00 service fee' plus the '$2.00 per act' statutory fee. This action is:

Accepted Answer

Unlawful, because a notary cannot charge more than the maximum fee of $2.00 per notarial act.

Answer

Lawful, as long as the additional 'service fee' was agreed to by the client in advance.

Answer

Lawful, because the total charge is reasonable for the service provided.

Answer

Unlawful, unless the notary is also a licensed paralegal.

Question 5

Under what circumstances is a Georgia notary public expressly disqualified from performing a notarial act due to a conflict of interest?

Accepted Answer

When the notary is a party to the document or transaction.

Answer

When the document is for a transaction involving the notary's first cousin.

Answer

When the notary is an employee of the corporation that is a party to the document.

Answer

When the signer is a long-time friend of the notary.

Question 6

A Georgia notary knowingly executes a notarial certificate stating a signer personally appeared, when in fact the signature was acknowledged over a video call. This is the notary's first such offense. According to Georgia law, this unlawful act is classified as what type of offense?

Accepted Answer

A misdemeanor.

Answer

A felony.

Answer

A civil infraction subject only to a fine.

Answer

An administrative violation resulting only in commission revocation.

A Georgia notary who is not an attorney advertises their services in a local Spanish-language newspaper.Which of the following is an unlawful act regarding this advertisement?

A Georgia notary who is not an attorney advertises their services in a local Spanish-language newspaper.
Which of the following is an unlawful act regarding this advertisement?