5.2 Journal Requirements

Under the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), every New Jersey notary public must maintain a journal (the statute calls it a journal or recordbook) of all notarial acts performed. This is a hard requirement, not a best practice, and it is heavily tested. The journal protects both the notary (proof of correct procedure) and the public (an audit trail against fraud).

The One-Journal Rule

A notary public shall maintain only one journal at a time to chronicle all notarial acts, whether those acts are performed on tangible or electronic records. You cannot run a separate paper book for in-person work and a separate electronic log for electronic notarizations at the same time. One active journal, period.

Format Standards

A loose-leaf binder or a spreadsheet you can silently edit does not qualify. Permanence and tamper-evidence are the controlling concepts.

Required Entry Fields (Memorize These Six)

For each notarial act, the notary shall record in the journal:

1. The date and time of the notarial act.
2. The type of notarial act (e.g., taking an acknowledgment, taking a proof of a deed, administering an oath, taking an affidavit).
3. The name and address of each person for whom the act is performed.
4. If identity is based on personal knowledge, a statement to that effect.
5. If identity is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of the method of identification and the credential presented — including, if applicable, the type, date of issuance, and date of expiration of the ID document, or the name and signature of any identifying credible witness and that witness's document details.
6. An itemized list of all fees charged for the notarial act.

Trap: New Jersey's statute does not require the signer's thumbprint, and it does not require a Social Security number — collecting an SSN creates identity-theft exposure and is wrong on the exam. The required list is the six items above; do not add invented fields.

Sample Compliant Entry

Entry #: 147
Date/Time: March 15, 2026, 2:30 PM
Type of Act: Acknowledgment
Name/Address of Signer: Jane B. Doe, 456 Oak Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08608
Identity Basis: Satisfactory evidence
ID Method/Credential: NJ Driver's License, issued 05/20/2023, expires 05/20/2027
Itemized Fees: $2.50 (acknowledgment)

Correcting Errors

Never destroy or obscure a journal entry. Preserve the original so the record stays an honest chronicle.

Retention and Custody

The retention rules are precise and frequently tested:

The Attorney / Title-Company Exception

In lieu of a journal, a notary who is a New Jersey attorney-at-law, is employed by an attorney, or is employed by or acting as agent for a licensed title insurance company (N.J.S.A. 17:22A-26 et seq.) may instead keep a record of notarial acts in the form of files. This narrow carve-out is a common distractor: a bank teller or independent signing agent does not qualify for it.

On the Exam

Expect several questions here. Lock in: journal required; one journal at a time; bound-and-numbered or tamper-evident electronic; six entry fields; 10-year retention; 10-day lost/stolen report to the Treasurer; 45-day death/incompetency transfer; SSN and thumbprint not required.

Why the Journal Matters Beyond Compliance

Even where the law is silent, the journal is the notary's best defense and a public safeguard:

1. Evidence of due process. If a notarization is later challenged in court, a complete entry showing the identification method and date defeats claims that the notary never properly identified the signer.
2. Fraud deterrence. Signers who see their name, address, and ID details recorded are far less likely to attempt impersonation.
3. Reconstruction. When a signer needs proof that a document was notarized on a given date, the chronological entry supplies it.
4. Pattern detection. Regulators reviewing a complaint can see whether a notary follows consistent identification practice.

Inspection and Confidentiality

The journal is the notary's property, but it is not entirely private. It may be subpoenaed by a court and produced to the State Treasurer in an investigation. At the same time, a prudent notary does not let third parties browse the book, because earlier entries contain other signers' personal information. The balance: cooperate with lawful demands, but do not casually expose unrelated entries.

Common Journal Mistakes (and the Fix)

Treat the journal as a permanent, auditable chronicle, and the exam questions on this topic become straightforward.