BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office is encouraging non-attorney public notaries to verify their commission status following recent changes to state law that increased surety bond requirements.
Under Act 258 of the 2025 Regular Legislative Session, all non-attorney notaries, both commissioned and ex-officio, are now required to maintain a $50,000 surety bond, an increase from the previous $10,000 requirement. The law took effect on Feb. 1, 2026.
Notaries who did not meet the updated requirement may have had their commissions suspended.
The Secretary of State’s Office mailed letters in August 2025 and January 2026 about the upcoming changes and deadline, as well as granting an additional two-and-a-half-month grace period to allow for compliance.
While formal notifications are currently being sent to notaries whose commissions have been suspended after not complying before the grace period ended, officials are urging anyone who has not updated their surety bond to proactively confirm their status by visiting https://sos.la.gov/NotaryAndCertifications.
Notaries who have obtained the required bond may upload proof by visiting https://sos.la.gov/NotaryAndCertifications/FileNotaryDocuments/FileDocumentsOnline/ or by mailing the document and fee to Notary Division, P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125.
For more information about notary requirements and commission status, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website or contact the office directly.