4.2 Journal Entries: Required & Prohibited Data

4.2 Journal Entries: Required & Prohibited Data

Maintaining a lawful notary journal requires precise adherence to Illinois administrative regulations. Under Ill. Admin. Code tit. 14, Section 176.910, the state specifies exact data fields that must be recorded for every notarial act, alongside strict privacy mandates declaring specific sensitive identifiers categorically prohibited. Notaries must understand both mandatory elements and privacy restrictions to ensure their entries provide complete evidentiary value without violating state privacy laws.

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Required Journal Entry Fields (Ill. Admin. Code tit. 14, Section 176.910)

For every notarial act performed in Illinois, the notary public must make a contemporaneous journal entry containing seven core statutory elements.

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                               SEVEN MANDATORY JOURNAL ENTRY ELEMENTS                              |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Entry Element              | Statutory Requirement & Operational Detail                       |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. Date & Time             | Exact calendar date and specific time of day of the notarization.    |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 2. Type of Act             | Specific notarial act: Acknowledgment, Oath/Affirmation, Signature   |
|                            | Witnessing, Copy Certification, or RON.                              |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3. Document Description    | Title, document type, or nature of instrument (e.g., "Warranty Deed",|
|                            | "Power of Attorney"), plus document date.                            |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 4. Principal Information   | Full legal name and complete residential street address of the       |
|                            | principal (signer) appearing before the notary.                      |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 5. Identification Details  | Method of identity verification: Type of ID presented, issuing       |
|                            | agency/state, expiration date; or credible witness details.          |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 6. Fee Charged             | Exact dollar amount charged ($0.00 to statutory maximum of $5/$25).   |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 7. Physical Location       | Precise physical location of notary and principal during the act     |
|                            | (e.g., "123 Main St, Springfield, Sangamon County, IL").             |
+----------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Breakdown of Required Data

1. Timestamp (Date and Time): Recording both date and time (e.g., "May 1, 2026 at 2:15 PM") establishes chronological sequence and resolves execution timing disputes.
2. Notarial Act Type: The entry must explicitly name the certificate type executed. Generic terms like "Notarization" are insufficient.
3. Document Title & Date: Identifies the document notarized (e.g., document date, page count, or subject matter) without recording confidential details.
4. Principal's Identity & Address: Records the principal's full legal name and primary residence address. P.O. Boxes alone are insufficient.
5. Identification Method:
   • Government-issued photo ID: Record ID type (e.g., "IL Driver's License"), issuing authority ("IL SOS"), and expiration date ("Exp: 08/12/2028").
   • Personal knowledge: State "Personally known to notary."
   • Credible witness: Record credible witness full name, address, and ID details.
6. Fee Amount: Record exact notary fee collected ($0.00 or "Waived" if free).
7. Physical Location of Parties: Record where the notarization occurred (city, county, and state for both notary and principal).

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Strictly Prohibited Journal Data (Privacy Protections)

To safeguard citizens against identity theft and financial fraud, Illinois law strictly prohibits notaries from recording specific sensitive identifiers in their journals.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                 STRICTLY PROHIBITED JOURNAL DATA                                   |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|  PROHIBITED DATA ELEMENT           | SAFE LEGAL ALTERNATIVE IN JOURNAL                              |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Full Social Security Number (SSN) | Omit SSN entirely. Record document title only.                |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Complete Driver's License / ID #  | Record ID Type, Issuing Agency, & Expiration Date ONLY.       |
|                                    | (e.g., "IL DL, Exp 05/2027" - NO DL NUMBER).                  |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Financial Account Numbers         | Record document type only (e.g., "Mortgage Closing Doc").    |
|  (Bank, Credit Card, Loan #s)      | Omit account numbers.                                         |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Biometric Identifiers             | Obtain wet ink or digital signature ONLY. Do NOT capture      |
|  (Fingerprints, Thumbprints)       | fingerprints, thumbprints, or biometric scans.                |
+------------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------+

Statutory Rationale & Protection

• Driver's License Numbers: Illinois administrative rules under Section 176.910 forbid writing complete driver's license numbers or state ID numbers in the journal. Recording ID type, issuing agency, and expiration date is legally sufficient.
• Financial & Biometric Privacy: Recording bank account numbers or capturing thumbprints/fingerprints is illegal in Illinois. Prohibiting sensitive identifiers prevents journals from becoming targets for identity theft during legal disclosures.

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Specific Statutory Exemption: Candidate Nominating Petitions

Illinois law contains one major statutory exemption from the mandatory journal requirement.

5 ILCS 312/3-107(f) Statutory Exemption: Notarial acts performed on candidate nominating petitions and petitions for nomination are exempt from mandatory journaling.

Legislative Intent & Scope

• Election Code Harmony: Election petition circulators swear oaths before a notary for petition sheets containing voter signatures. Because circulators submit many sheets during short filing windows, requiring individual journal entries for every sheet would create severe administrative delays.
• Privacy Protection: Excluding nominating petitions protects campaign strategy and voter privacy while preserving the validity of circulator sworn oaths.
• Strict Scope: This exemption applies strictly to candidate nominating petitions under the Illinois Election Code, not general affidavits or political petitions.

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Key Takeaways Summary

• 7 Required Fields: Ill. Admin. Code 176.910 mandates recording date/time, act type, doc description, principal name/address, ID details, fee, and physical location.
• Strictly Prohibited Data: Full SSNs, complete driver's license numbers, financial account numbers, and fingerprints/biometric data are strictly illegal in journal entries.
• ID Recording Rules: Record ID type, issuing agency, and expiration date only—never the full ID identification number.
• Election Exemption: Candidate nominating petitions are explicitly exempt from mandatory journal entries under 5 ILCS 312/3-107(f).
• Location Mandate: Journal entries must record the physical location (city/county/state) of both the notary and principal during the notarization.