District of Columbia Notary Fees
Acknowledgment: Up to $5.00 per act
D.C. notaries may charge up to $5 per notarial act (statute delegates the amount to Mayoral rule); travel expenses may be charged only by agreement, limited to actual and reasonable expense, itemized in writing separately from the notarial fee. Government-commissioned notaries may not charge.
Source: Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia - Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications · D.C. Code § 1-1231.23
Maximum notary fees in District of Columbia
What the official source allows a notary to charge for each notarial act. Charging less, or nothing, is allowed.
| Notarial act | Maximum fee | How it’s counted |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgment | Up to $5.00 per act | per act$5 per notarial act. |
| Jurat | Up to $5.00 per act | per act$5 per notarial act (taking affidavits including jurat). |
| Oath / Affirmation | Up to $5.00 per act | per act$5 per notarial act (administering oaths). |
| Any Notarial Act | Up to $5.00 per act | per actAny other notarial act: $5 per act. |
| Electronic Notarization | Up to $5.00 per act | per actOfficial search summary states the $5 cap applies to both traditional and electronic notarial acts; no separate $25 electronic fee was found in D.C. Code § 1-1231.23 or DC handbooks. |
How District of Columbia counts notary fees
Counted per notarial act
Acknowledgment, jurat, oath / affirmation, any other notarial act and electronic notarization: each notarial act performed is capped at $5.00. The maximum for several acts is the number of acts times the per-act cap.
- 1 act: up to $5.00
- 4 acts: up to $20.00
Price a District of Columbia appointment
Notarial acts start at the verified District of Columbia maximum and are checked against it. Travel and add-ons use example rates you can change.
District of Columbia quote calculator
1Job
Act fees default to the verified maximum
2Notarial acts
$5.00Maximum per act
Defaults to the verified District of Columbia maximum. Count units follow the state rule (per act, signature or signer).
3Travel
$40.00Used for the vehicle-cost estimate
Flat $40.00 per appointment.
4Printing & add-ons
$0.005Time & costs
Round trip
Fuel, wear, insurance share
Courier, supplies
Uses the miles you drive and your print cost whether or not you bill for them. An operational estimate, not accounting profit.
Suggested total
$45
General Notary Work · District of Columbia
- Notarial acts
- $5.00
- Travel & service fees
- $40.00
Job economics (estimate)
- Est. direct costs
- $0.00
- Est. net
- $45.00
- Effective rate
- $135.00/hr
20 min total time. Costs: mileage $0.00, printing $0.00, other $0.00. An operational estimate, not accounting profit; it leaves out taxes, insurance and overhead.
Breakdown
Notarial acts
1 × acknowledgment
$5.00
Travel
Flat
$40.00
Total
$45.00
Notarial acts vs. service fees
Within verified statutory fee limit
$5.00 verified maximum for your entries
- Traveling expenses must be agreed to by the person to be charged and be in writing, itemized, and separate from the fee for the notarial act.
Travel, printing and add-ons are not part of this check. Some states restrict these charges, and listing a fee separately does not by itself make it permitted.
District of Columbia on travel feesA notary public may also charge, upon agreement of the person to be charged, an amount not-to-exceed the actual and reasonable expense of traveling to a place where a notarial act is to be performed if it is not the usual place where the notary public performs notarial acts, with traveling expenses being in writing, itemized, and separate from the fee for the notarial act.
District of Columbia notary fee reference and official source
Travel fees in District of Columbia
A notary public may also charge, upon agreement of the person to be charged, an amount not-to-exceed the actual and reasonable expense of traveling to a place where a notarial act is to be performed if it is not the usual place where the notary public performs notarial acts, with traveling expenses being in writing, itemized, and separate from the fee for the notarial act.
Travel is a separate charge from the notarial act, so the maximums above do not cover it. Work out a travel charge with the notary travel fee calculator.
Fee notes from the District of Columbia source
Traveling expenses must be agreed to by the person to be charged and be in writing, itemized, and separate from the fee for the notarial act.
Electronic and remote notarization
The maximum fee that notaries may charge appears to be $5 per notarial act, whether the act is performed on paper or electronically.
Quoted from the official source
Notaries may charge up to $5 per notarial act. Notaries may waive the fee or charge less than the $5 fee, but may not charge more than the $5 fee. Residential and business notaries may not charge more than $5.00 per notarial act, e.g. administering oaths, taking affidavits, including a jurat or acknowledgment clause and sealer, or any other notarial act. A notary public may charge fees for performing notarial acts as established by the Mayor by rule issued pursuant to § 1-1231.31. A notary public may also charge, upon agreement of the person to be charged, an amount not-to-exceed the actual and reasonable expense of traveling to a place where a notarial act is to be performed if it is not the usual place where the notary public performs notarial acts, with traveling expenses being in writing, itemized, and separate from the fee for the notarial act. A notary public who is exempted from the payment of the application fee pursuant to § 1-1231.19(b) shall not collect a notary fee. Government commissioned notaries are prohibited by law from charging for their notarial services.
Caveats and research notes
D.C. Code § 1-1231.23 (https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/1-1231.23) delegates fee amounts to Mayoral rule; the $5 figure comes from the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications FAQ and DC Notary Public Handbook. Notaries commissioned solely on behalf of DC or federal government may not charge. Application fee $75.