The standards by which a Notary Public should be judged and judge his or her self have been set in the Notary Public Code of Professional responsibility. Its ten Guiding Principles are the general standards for Notaries and should be adhered to at all times. They are summarized below in order for Notaries to make sure they are on the right track and for those who would like to hire one to be sure that theirs is following all of the rules.

• A Notary should serve the whole public honestly, fairly and without discrimination.

• A Notary should be impartial as a witness to a document signing and not profit from it in any way apart from the standard fee for their presence.

• A Notary will see each signer or oath taker in person in order to confirm their identity and make sure they understand the seriousness of their contract.

• A Notary will not notarize any false certificate or document of law.

• A Notary will always obey the law and the rules governing their job instead of the person hiring them for notarization.

• A Notary is an officer of the State and will not provide unauthorized advice or services.

• A Notary will affix a seal to every notarized document and will not allow this symbol to be used elsewhere or by anyone who is not a qualified Notary Public.

• A Notary will record every notarization in a private and secure journal and guard it as of public importance.

• A Notary will acknowledge the privacy of the information disclosed to him during any notarization and not use it in any manner outside of his or her professional actions as a Notary Public.

 • A Notary will keep up-to-date on current laws that affect their job as Notary Public, through their local notarial office.