03/17/2022
As the list of states where Remote Online Notarization (RON) is legal continues to grow, many people across the U.S. are wondering, “Does my state allow remote online notarization?” While RON allows for an incredibly fast, convenient, and secure notarization experience, some states have been slow to adopt it permanently.
At the moment, there is a push to make remote online notarization federally legal through the Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic (SECURE) Notarization Act.
If you’re wondering whether it is legal in your state, we’ve compiled a helpful list to help you break down whether you are allowed to utilize an online notary in your state:
States where Remote Online Notary is fully legal
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Florida
Hawaii
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
States where Remote Online Notary is legal with limitations
South Dakota - SD House Bill 1272 allows for some use of video and audio technology but requires several conditions that limit their ability to perform a fully remote online notarization, most notably: “(a) The notarial officer must have personal knowledge of the person; (b) The notarial officer must affix the officer’s signature to the original tangible document executed by the person.” In short, this means that the notary can be performed remotely as long as it is signed in ink which is not the case with a true Remote Online Notarization. It would be better described as a remote ink-signing notarization.
States where Remote Online Notary is not legal or states that only temporarily allowed it
Note: Just because RON is not considered permanently legal in these states does not mean that they are not currently legal temporarily (due to COVID-19) or that no permanent bill will be introduced soon. If you would like to push for Remote Online Notarization in your state, you can contact your local representative.
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Mississippi
North Carolina
Maine
Massachusetts.
Rhode Island