7.3 RON Procedures and Requirements

Live Audio-Visual Communication

Every RON act runs over real-time, two-way audio-visual communication. The connection must let the notary and principal see and hear each other continuously — no pre-recorded clips, no audio-only calls, no text-chat substitutes. If the feed freezes or drops mid-act, the notary must pause and re-establish a clean connection before continuing. Rule R623-100 sets baseline audio and video quality so faces are clearly visible and credentials legible on camera.

The notary must confirm three things live on screen: the principal can see the notary, can be seen by the notary, and can communicate and respond without significant lag.

Identity Proofing: Two Layers Required

Unless the notary has personal knowledge of the signer, Utah requires two independent identity layers — credential analysis and KBA. One alone is not enough.

Layer 1 — Credential analysis. The signer photographs a government ID; the platform inspects it for security features (microprint, holograms, machine-readable zone) and compares the ID portrait to the live video and to a selfie. This authenticates the document and binds it to the live face.

Layer 2 — Dynamic knowledge-based authentication (KBA). The platform generates questions from public and private data sources. Rule R623-100-5 sets exact parameters you should memorize:

Typical KBA prompts: "Which of these streets have you lived on?" or "Which of these vehicles have you owned?" A signer who cannot clear KBA after the allowed attempts cannot proceed — the notary must decline the act.

Mandatory Recording

A defining feature of RON: the entire session is recorded by audio and video. The 2024 statutory amendment (Utah Code 46-1-3.6, effective May 1, 2024) made the audio-video recording an express requirement. The recording must capture, end to end:

• the identity-verification steps,
• the oath or acknowledgment spoken aloud,
• the actual signing of the electronic document, and
• the notary's completion of the notarial certificate.

The recording must be stored securely and retained for a minimum of five years. Tampering with, deleting early, or failing to retain a recording is a serious compliance failure that can support discipline or commission revocation.

Electronic Journal

RON notaries must keep an electronic journal. Per Rule R623-100-7, each entry records the notarial act performed, the date and time, the name of the principal, and the IP address of the principal, plus a reference to the session recording.

Electronic Seal and Document Rules

The electronic seal carries the same data as a traditional seal — notary name, "Notary Public," "State of Utah," and commission number — but is digital, tamper-evident, and timestamped. Documents must be fully electronic (commonly PDF), complete before the act, and locked against alteration once sealed.

Where the Notary and Signer May Be

A Utah remote notary must be physically located within the state of Utah at the moment of performing each remote act — the commission's authority is territorial, and stepping outside Utah voids the notary's power even on a live video call. The signer, by contrast, may be located anywhere — in another state or another country — because the act is governed by the law of the notary's commissioning state. This asymmetry is a frequent exam point: notary in Utah (required), signer anywhere (allowed).

The notarial certificate still recites the act as performed "in the State of Utah," and the venue reflects the notary's location, not the signer's.

The act must also use a technology platform that appears on the approved RON vendor list maintained by the Lieutenant Governor's Office. The notary cannot improvise with an ordinary video-call app; the platform has to provide the required identity-proofing, tamper-evident sealing, and recording capabilities baked in. Choosing and registering with an approved provider is part of the RON application, and the provider's name is reported to the state.

Common Traps

• Treating KBA as optional or as a substitute for credential analysis. Both are required absent personal knowledge.
• Misremembering the KBA numbers — it is five questions, 80%, two minutes, up to three total attempts in 48 hours.
• Forgetting that a dropped video feed voids continuity; the notary must re-establish live contact, not finish off-camera.
• Deleting recordings early. The five-year minimum retention is firm.
• Assuming the notary can be anywhere. The notary must be in Utah; only the signer may be located elsewhere.