WILMINGTON — In December, then-Gov. John Kasich signed Senate Bill 263, titled the Notary Public Modernization Act. Among other things, the Act shifts the application, recordation, renewal, and discipline of notary commissions from Common Pleas Courts to the Ohio Secretary of State, according to a joint press release from Clinton County Court of Common Pleas Judge John W. “Tim” Rudduck and Clerk of Courts Cynthia Bailey.
The Act repeals the authority of the Common Pleas Courts to accept and process notary public applications as of Sept. 20, 2019.
Therefore, the court has set the following deadlines and final testing dates:
• Deadline to submit an application to become a notary public: Aug. 23, 2019
• Deadline to submit a renewal application: Sept. 13, 2019
• Final testing date: Aug. 27, 2019
If you have any questions regarding these deadlines please contact the Clerk of Courts office at 937-382-2316.
If you miss any of the deadlines above, please contact the Ohio Secretary of State at 614-644-4559 for further guidance on how to process your Notary Public Application and/or Renewal moving forward.
Some of the more significant changes in the notary process include:
• Applicants must electronically submit a notary application to the Secretary of State and the application shall include among other required information the following:
• A criminal records background check that is not more than six months old issued by the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and evidence of successful completion of three hours of education and testing as required by section 147.021 of the Revised Code.
• Attorneys will need to complete at least three hours of education and electronically submit a notary application as well.
• To renew a notary commission a criminal background check that is not more than six months old as well as successfully completing at least one hour of continuing education will be required.
More details about the Notary Public Modernization Act can be found at https://www.sos.state.oh.us/ .
