The Clerk of Superior Court of Putnam County approves and issues Notary Public Commissions. The cost for a commission is $42.00 which must be tendered in cash or in the form of a company check approved by the Clerk. Notaries are commissioned for a four-year term, after which time a commission may be renewed by submitting a completed renewal application to the Clerk’s office. By law, all information contained in the application is open to public inspection.
Notary Public applications can be completed online (see the “Become a Notary” button below.) After completion, please print your notary package and follow the instructions that will print with your Notary Package. If you have questions concerning appointments or renewals, call 706-485-4501. Please note that you will need two endorsers for a new notary public application. They must also live in Putnam County, and cannot be related to you. Bring your completed application to the Clerk’s office to be commissioned and receive your certificate.
We have Georgia Notary Handbooks available for a cost of $10.00. They contain quite helpful information and we recommend them.
Powers & Duties
- Witness or attest signature or execution of deeds and other written instruments
- Take Acknowledgements
- Administer oaths and affirmations in all matters incidental to their duties as commercial officers and all other oaths and affirmations which are not required by law to be administered by a particular officer
- Witness affidavits upon oath or affirmations
- Take verifications upon oath or affirmations
- Make certified copies, provided the document presented for copying is an original document and is neither a public record nor a publicly recorded document of which certified copies are available from an official source other than a Notary and provided further that the document was photocopied under supervision of the Notary; and
- Such other acts as a Notary is authorized to perform pursuant to state law.
Definition: Notarial Act means any act that a Notary is authorized to perform, including attestions, taking of an acknowledgement, administration of an oath or affirmation, taking of a verification upon oath or affirmation, and the certification of a copy.
Disqualification
- When the Notary is the signer of the document to be notarized
- When the Notary knows a statement on a document is false or an action is intended to deceive or defraud
- When the Notary is a party to the document or transaction for which the notarial act is required
- Notarizing for relatives is strongly discouraged
A Notary may not perform a notarial act without confirming the identity of the document signer, oath taker or affirmant.
The commission of a Notary may be revoked for violation of any provision of law.
A Notary is not obligated to perform a notarial act if the Notary believes such act is for transaction, which the Notary knows or suspect is illegal, false, or deceptive; for a person who is being coerced or for a person the Notary has doubts that they understand the consequences of the act.
Seal of Office and Notarial Certificates
A Notary must provide a seal of office for the authentication of notarial acts. The seal must have the Notary’s name and the words “Notary Public, Putnam County, Georgia.” Either an embossing or a rubber-stamp type seal is authorized by law. A copy of the original certificate of appointment must be presented in order to obtain a Notary seal from an office supply company.
Notarial acts must be made in ink, with the Notary’s name appearing exactly as it is on the Notary commission. The date of the notarial act is required except in connection with attestation of deeds or other instruments pertaining to real estate.
Fees
Change of Name or Address
The notices must contain both the old and new addresses and names and must be received by the office within 30 days of the change. In the event of a name change, the new signature of the Notary must be included.
Notice of Loss or Theft of Seal
Resignation