Chapter 1 – General Administration

14010.22 Notarization of Legal Documents

• Notarization of legal documents shall be available at all institutions. The incarcerated person shall pay the established notary fee for such service unless the incarcerated person is indigent as defined in section DOMDepartment Operations Manual section 14010.3. When the incarcerated person requests notarization, they shall indicate which document they request to have notarized.

• Incarcerated persons who request notarization of court documents, but who cannot pay the established fee, shall be advised that the courts permit an alternative to notarization. Under California Code of Civil Procedures (CCPCode of Civil Procedure) section 2015.5 and 28 U.S.C.A. section 1746, documents can be filed with a declaration under penalty of perjury as an alternative to notarization.

• Notary services shall be provided as expeditiously as possible, consistent with security and other operational needs.

• An employee acting as a notary shall not read the document to witness the signature other than to ascertain the title or description of the document for the notary’s record book and to ensure the person whose signature is being witnessed signs it in front of the notary.