3.2 The Notarial Journal: Required Entries and Recordkeeping

The Journal Is Your Legal Memory

Arizona law requires every notary to keep a journal — also called a record book — that chronicles all notarial acts. The journal is far more than busywork: it is often the single most important piece of evidence if a notarization is later challenged in court, investigated by the Secretary of State, or questioned in a fraud claim. Because a complete journal can clear a notary of wrongdoing (and a missing or sloppy one can sink one), the Arizona Notary exam tests journal format, required entries, timing, and ownership in detail.

Required Format: Paper and Chronological

Under A.R.S. 41-319, a notary "shall keep a paper journal" to chronicle all notarial acts performed regarding tangible (paper) records, and must record those acts in chronological order. The Secretary of State recommends the journal be permanently bound so pages cannot be removed or inserted.

• Paper, not electronic: for traditional (in-person, paper) notarizations, an electronic-only spreadsheet or app is not an acceptable substitute for the paper journal. (Remote online notarizations follow their own electronic-journal rules, covered later in this guide.)
• Binding: the Secretary of State recommends a permanently bound book to discourage tampering, but binding is not the statute’s format requirement. A paper journal kept chronologically is required for tangible-record acts.
• Journal separation: ordinarily keep one active paper journal, but § 41-319(E) requires separate journals when any entries are not public records: one for public entries and one for nonpublic entries.
• Chronological / sequential: acts are entered in time order, creating a continuous numbered record with no gaps.

The Seven Required Entries

Ordinarily, a § 41-319(A) entry includes the following. Subsections (B)–(D) provide limited alternatives or grouping rules for personal knowledge, repeat signers within six months, and simultaneous similar acts. Covered deeds and powers of attorney also trigger § 41-254(C). Exam questions love to drop one item and ask which is missing, or to add an item Arizona does not require (such as the signer's Social Security number — never recorded).

A few exam-critical nuances:

• Time of day is good practice and is often recorded, but A.R.S. 41-319 does not list the time as a separately required field — the statute requires the date. Do not over-claim on the exam.
• Thumbprints: since September 12, 2026, A.R.S. § 41-254(C) requires the signing party’s right thumbprint in the journal for a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust, other document affecting real property, or power of attorney. The exceptions and substitute-finger procedure appear below. For other documents, this amendment does not impose a general fingerprint duty.
• Address of each individual is required — a frequent distractor omits it.

September 2026 Fingerprint Rule for Real Property and Powers of Attorney

Under A.R.S. § 41-254(C)–(D), effective September 12, 2026, require the signing party's right thumbprint in the notary journal when notarizing a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust, another document affecting real property, or a power of attorney. This is an extra requirement for those documents, in addition to the ordinary § 41-319 entry fields. If the right thumb is unavailable, use the left thumb or any available finger and identify that substitution in the journal. If the signer is physically unable to provide any thumbprint or fingerprint, record that fact and an explanation of the physical condition in the journal.

The requirement does not apply to a trustee's deed resulting from a judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure or a deed of release and reconveyance. For a compliant remote act involving an otherwise covered document, the fingerprint requirement is waived only if the journal includes the individual's identification credential number and the audiovisual recording is kept for at least seven years (§ 41-254(D)(3)). This special seven-year condition exceeds the ordinary five-year RON recording minimum under § 41-263(E) and R2-12-1308. The older general RON journal rule, R2-12-1309, says to omit credential serial/identification numbers; the later statutory exception specifically requires the credential number when claiming the fingerprint exemption. Follow the later statute for that exception.

Worked example: On September 29, 2026, a signer appears with a power of attorney and current ID. After the ordinary journal details and paper-journal signature, record the signer's right thumbprint. If that thumb is unavailable, record the substituted left-thumb or finger print and identify which was used. An ordinary affidavit would not trigger this special fingerprint requirement.

Make Entries Contemporaneously

Entries must be made at the time of the notarization (contemporaneously), while the signer is present — never reconstructed later from memory or back-dated. Complete the entry and obtain the signer's journal signature before the signer leaves. If you notice missing information after the fact, you generally cannot fix it from memory; record what you can verify and never alter a past entry to mislead.

Worked Example: A signer appears at 2:30 p.m. with an affidavit for an acknowledgment, shows an unexpired Arizona driver license, signs your journal, and pays the $10 fee. A correct entry reads: "06/14/2026 — Affidavit, Acknowledgment — John R. Smith, 100 Main St, Mesa AZ — [signature] — AZ DL exp. 03/2029 — Fee $10.00." Every required field is present, the signer signed in person, and the entry was completed before he left. That single line can later prove you verified identity, appeared the signer, and charged a lawful fee.

Correcting Mistakes the Right Way

Never erase, use pencil, or apply white-out — those scream tampering. To fix an error, draw a single line through the incorrect text so it remains readable, write the correction nearby, and initial and date it. The original entry must stay visible; the integrity of a chronological journal depends on it.

Who Owns the Journal?

Under § 41-319(E), entries that are not public records must be kept in a separate journal from public-record entries. Ownership then follows the journal’s contents:

• The separate journal containing nonpublic-record entries is the property of the notary's employer, and the employer retains it when the notary leaves that job.
• A journal containing only public-record entries is the property of the notary, regardless of whether the employer bought the journal or paid the commissioning fees.

Members of the public may request copies of public-record journal entries in writing, specifying the month and year of the act, the name of the individual whose signature was notarized, and the type of record or transaction.

Key Takeaways

• Keep a paper journal in chronological order for tangible-record notarizations (§ 41-319); permanent binding is recommended, not mandated.
• Record the ordinary § 41-319 fields, and add the § 41-254 fingerprint for covered real-property documents and powers of attorney unless a statutory exception applies.
• Make entries contemporaneously; never back-date, erase, or use pencil. Correct errors with a single strike-through, initialed and dated.
• Keep separate public and nonpublic journals when required; public-only journals belong to the notary, and nonpublic journals belong to the employer.

Journal entry check

Before finishing an ordinary entry, check the identification method and required credential description, signer name and address, actual date, paper-journal signature and fee. Apply any lawful personal-knowledge, repeat-signer or simultaneous-act alternative deliberately. For covered deeds and powers of attorney, separately check § 41-254’s fingerprint rule and its exceptions. This is a review checklist, not measured error-frequency data.