Fee calculator · California
The California notary fee calculator. The law caps part of your bill.
Per notarized signature, flat ceiling, travel left to the market. Run the number, then see the three rules that explain every quote.
California Fee Calculator
The law caps part of your bill. Here's which part.
California caps what a notary may charge per signature. It does not cap travel. That single split explains almost every "why is this $95?" question, and this calculator does the math both ways.
Your appointment
Signatures drive the capped portion, not documents. Count both.
Set by the notary and agreed before the appointment. California does not cap this.
Quote record · California
Verified
Notarial fees, maximum
4 signatures × $15.00 maximum each
Cal. Gov. Code §8211
$60.00
Travel fee
Quoted by the notary, agreed in advance
Not capped by statute
$45.00
Maximum total
$105.00
$15.00 per signature is a ceiling, not a set price. Travel is a separate charge and is recorded separately in the notary's journal. This calculator does not set prices and does not quote on any notary's behalf.
The three rules
Every California quote, explained in three cards.
Capped by law
$15.00 /signature
Per notarized signature — not per document, not per appointment. Two signers × three documents = six signatures. It's a ceiling: a notary may charge less, or nothing.
§ Cal. Gov. Code §8211Not capped by law
Travel
Coming to your kitchen table or a hospital room at 9pm is a separate service with no statutory cap. Our policy is that it's quoted and agreed before anyone drives — that's our rule, not California's.
§ Cal. Gov. Code §8211Online · in California
Not yet
California's own online notarization waits on the Secretary of State's technology certification. Out-of-state online notaries are recognized — they charge under their own state's law.
§ Cal. Gov. Code §8232.1For notaries
Quote it right, then record it right.
Switch the calculator to "What should I charge?" and it builds your quote from your own travel rate. These two panels update with it.
Journal line preview
California wants the notarial fee recorded separately from travel. Here's how this appointment breaks down in your journal.
Entries shown are the fee lines only. Your journal has other required entries, including a thumbprint for a power of attorney (Cal. Gov. Code §8206(a)(2)(G)).
Your fee menu
The same math applied to the appointments you'll actually be asked to quote, using your travel rate.
Maximums at your current travel rate. Charge less whenever you want to; you can never charge more than the capped portion.
Questions, answered
Before you book
Is it per document or per signature?
Per signature. Two people each signing three documents is six notarized signatures — the single most common miscount, and usually the whole story behind a quote that looks too high.
Why did my $15 notarization cost $95?
Travel. The notarization is capped per signature; the drive isn't capped at all. Once you read the bill as two numbers instead of one, it usually resolves in about ten seconds.
I think I was overcharged. What do I do?
Compare the notarial portion of your bill, not the total, against the capped maximum. Travel sits outside the cap, so a high total isn't itself a problem. If the notarial portion alone exceeds the maximum, raise it with the notary first. If the notarial portion exceeds the cap, the Secretary of State is who takes complaints about California notaries. The Secretary of State disciplines notaries — it can't recover your money or undo a document. Fraud or forgery goes to local law enforcement or the district attorney instead.
Can a notary charge me for waiting, printing or parking?
The statute caps the notarial act and treats travel separately. For anything else on a quote, ask the notary to itemize it before the appointment and get the total in writing. NotaryOT notaries quote travel in advance as a matter of our policy.
Should mine have been free?
Two notarizations must be free: a veteran's benefit claim, and vote-by-mail or other voting materials. Those are the two that apply to any notary. Three narrower exceptions exist, and two of them turn on who the notary is rather than what the act is. This calculator always shows the paid maximum, so it can't tell you that yours should be $0.
What about apostille costs?
Apostilles are issued by the California Secretary of State. An apostille costs $20 per document from the Secretary of State, separate from anything the notary charged. In person there's also a $6 handling fee for each different public official's signature. The notary's own fee is separate from both. It isn't part of what a notary charges, so it isn't part of this calculation.
Can I do this online in California?
California's own remote online notarization won't operate until the Secretary of State certifies its technology. Until then, online notarizations performed by notaries in other states are recognized here. So there's no California online fee to calculate.
Is this legal advice? Which document do I need?
No, and we can't tell you — that's a legal question, and notaries public are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice. This is arithmetic on a published fee cap with the statute cited beside it. For advice about your situation, talk to a lawyer.
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