In California, the official way to check whether a notary public is licensed and currently active is through the California Secretary of State’s “Notary Public Listing” page.
This process is straightforward and designed to give you confidence that the notary is valid. The page says you must download the ZIP file, extract it, and open active-notary.txt. The file is updated each business day and includes the notary’s name, commission number, filing county code number, and commission expiration date.
Fastest way to verify
- Go to the California Secretary of State Notary Public Listing page
- Download the compressed ZIP file listed there.
- Decompress it and open active-notary.txt in any text editor
- Search for the notary by name or commission number in that file.ca
- Confirm the notary appears in the file and check the commission expiration date. If the commission has not expired, that supports that the commission is active, as shown in the active listing.ca
What you will see in the official active file
The Secretary of State says the active-notary file includes:
- Notary Public's name
- Business name (if provided)
- Mailing address
- Filing county code number
- Commission number
- Commission expiration date
If the notary is not in the active file
The Secretary of State’s page says that for inactive notaries — including expired, revoked, suspended, or failed-to-qualify commissions — you should contact the Notary Public Section.
The Notary Public Section contact information published by the Secretary of State is:
-
Phone: (916) 653-3595
- Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding state holidays)
- Mailing address: Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877, Sacramento, CA 94277–0001ca
- Office location: 1500 11th Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814ca
Practical takeaway
- Active today? Check the downloadable active-notary file on the Secretary of State site.
- Need historical or inactive status? Contact the Notary Public Section directly.