5.3 Notary Recordkeeping & Journal Best Practices

5.3 Journal and Recordkeeping

Arkansas law does not require a notary to keep a register or journal of traditional paper acts. The Secretary of State nevertheless recommends one because contemporaneous records can help the notary recall what happened and because official records and papers may be admitted as evidence in Arkansas courts.

The handbook's suggested fields

The recommended format contains seven items:

1. date of the notarial act;
2. type of act performed;
3. type of document involved;
4. name and address of each person whose signature was notarized;
5. signature of each person whose signature was notarized;
6. a notes section for personal annotations; and
7. an itemized list of fees collected.

This is a recommendation, not a statutory paper-journal mandate. An exam question asking whether every traditional act must be journaled should be answered “no.” A question asking whether the Secretary of State recommends a journal should be answered “yes.”

Accurate and restrained entries

Make an entry at the time of the act. Use a consistent chronological system and do not fill past events from memory. Record the act actually performed—acknowledgment, oath, affidavit, copy certification—not a vague “notary” label. Identify the document without copying confidential contents into the journal.

The handbook does not list a full driver's-license number, Social Security number, fingerprint, or copy of the credential among its seven suggested fields. Avoid collecting sensitive information merely because another state's journal form requests it. A notation such as “Arkansas driver's license reviewed” may be useful without creating a database of credential numbers.

Notes and refusals

Notes should be factual and neutral. “Signer used mark; witness Jane Smith present” records a procedure. “Declined—no shared language for direct communication” records a reason. Avoid unsupported conclusions such as “signer was mentally incompetent” or “document was fraudulent.” The notary is not diagnosing or adjudicating.

If no act occurs, the notary may record a refusal in a separate log, but should not create a journal entry that implies a completed notarization. Do not sign or stamp the document simply to match the journal.

Custody and employer issues

Keep any journal secure from alteration and unauthorized access. The handbook expressly treats the commission, bond, seal, and supporting documents as connected to the individual notary even when an employer paid for them. It does not publish a separate statutory ownership rule for a voluntarily created paper journal. When employment ends, protect the seal and official materials and handle journal records under a documented privacy and retention policy. If a subpoena, investigation, or revocation order requires records, follow the lawful demand.

RON is different

For an online notarial act, A.C.A. § 21-14-310 requires a secure electronic record containing the date and time, act type, document description, principal names and addresses, identity evidence, relevant audio-video material, and fee. The notary must maintain a backup, protect it from unauthorized use, and retain the record for at least five years.

Do not confuse the optional paper journal with this mandatory online record. A solution provider may create or store the record, but the online notary remains responsible for using an approved system and satisfying the statute.

Why the distinction matters

Calling a recommendation “mandatory” is as inaccurate as calling a statutory RON record optional. Precise wording lets a candidate answer both questions correctly and helps a working notary apply the right safeguards to the right format.

Choose a retention approach before beginning a voluntary journal. Number pages or entries, avoid removing inconvenient records, and note any correction transparently. Store a paper book where coworkers cannot add or alter entries, and protect an electronic log with access controls and backups. These are sensible record-integrity practices, not additional statutory fields.

When responding to a lawful records request, preserve the original record and document what was produced. Do not promise a signer that an official journal can never be subpoenaed or reviewed; the handbook specifically notes the evidentiary value of notarial records and papers.

Source anchor: Arkansas Secretary of State, Arkansas Notary Public Handbook (rev. 1-2025), “Notary Register or Journal”; Act 1047 of 2021, A.C.A. § 21-14-310.