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According to Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-21-1201, “Notaries public are entitled to demand and receive reasonable fees and compensation for the notaries public's services.”
The Attorney General stated that the notary is not required to keep the record in a particular type of “well bound book,” but that the notary may keep the information in another recorded format, as long as certain standards are met, as set forth fully in the opinion. This Attorney General’s opinion is available here: Attorney General Opinion No. 14-89
'Satisfactory evidence' means the absence of any information, evidence, or other circumstances which would lead a reasonable person to believe that the person making the acknowledgment is not the individual such person claims to be and any one (1) of the following:
- The oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally known to the officer that the person making the acknowledgment is personally known to the witness;
- Reasonable reliance on the presentation to the officer of any one of the following, if the document is current or has been issued within five (f) years;
- An identification card or driver's license issued by the department of safety; or
- A passport issued by the United States department of state; or
- Reasonable reliance on the presentation of any one (1) of the following, if the document is current or has been issued within five (5) years and contains a photograph and description of the person named on it, is signed by the person, bears a serial or other identifying number, and in the event that the document is a passport, has been stamped by the United States immigration and naturalization service:
- A passport issued by a foreign government;
- A driver's license issued by a state other than Tennessee;
- An identification card issued by a state other than Tennessee; or
- An identification card issued by any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
T.C.A. § 66-22-106
If a notary moves his or her residence or principal place of business out of the county from which he or she was elected to another county in Tennessee, the notary must notify the county clerk in the county from which the notary was elected and submit an address change form to the county clerk. T.C.A. § 8-16-109
Yes, it is optional and not required by law.
A Notary Signing Agent or a Loan Signing Agent is a Traditional Notary who has special training to handle loan document signings. The State of Tennessee does not have any additional requirements or guidelines for Notary Signing Agents or Loan Signing Agents.
You can file form SS-4800 to change the mailing address by mail or in person. A change in Registered Agent or principal address requires filing Articles of Amendment and paying the statutory $20 filing fee. Forms can be found on our the Forms & Fees page for mail and in person filings.
The State of Tennessee does not assign commission numbers, if the form requires an entry enter N/A for Not Applicable.
State law requires that all notaries use an official seal prescribed and designed by the Secretary of State. The notary must purchase the official seal at his or her own expense. At the notary’s request, the county clerk may obtain an official seal for the notary, and the county clerk may charge a fee for this service not to exceed 20 percent of the cost of the seal. T.C.A. § 8-16-114.
The current design prescribed by the Secretary of State is a circular seal with the notary’s name (as it appears on the commission) printed at the top, the county of election printed at the bottom, and the words “State of Tennessee Notary Public” or “Tennessee Notary Public” printed in the center.
The seal may be imprinted by a rubber or other type stamp (not an impression seal), and the stamp must be imprinted in some color, not black or yellow, that is clearly legible and appears black when copied on a non-color copier. Notaries may continue to use their impression seals until the expiration of their term. The use of an embossed seal after May 12, 2003, does not render an acknowledgment defective. T.C.A. § 8-16-114.
The seal must be surrendered to the county legislative body (through the county clerk) upon expiration of the notary’s term of office or resignation, and the personal representative must surrender the seal in the event of the death of the notary. T.C.A. § 8-16-114.
The renewal process for a notary is the same process as obtaining your original commission.
You do not have to re-register, but please go ahead and update your existing registration. Updating your name now keeps the rolls accurate and reduces the amount of paperwork you will have to fill out when you go vote.
According to T.C.A. § 8-16-114, the stamp must be imprinted in some color, not black or yellow, that is clearly legible and appears black when copied on a non-color copier.
- the date of the acknowledgment, affidavit,or other transaction;
- The name of the person whose signature is being notarized;
- To whom the instrument is being executed;
- A description, including the date of the instrument;
- Whether the person whose signature was notarized was a personal acquaintance or what proof was shown prior to notarizing the signature
- What fee, if any, was received.
The seal must be surrendered to the county clerk upon the expiration of the notary's term of office or resignation, and the personal representative must surrender the seal in the event of the death of the notary. T.C.A. § 8-16-114
The seal must be surrendered to the county clerk upon the expiration of the notary's term of office or resignation, and the personal representative must surrender the seal in the event of the death of a notary. T.C.A. § 8-16-114
Yes, you can use the system to update your name or address.
A Notary has the power to administer oaths and take depositions, affidavits, and acknowledgments. A Notary’s powers and duties can be exercised in all counties in the State of Tennessee.
Yes, if that person is physically present in the state.
Otherwise qualified voters who own real property within a municipality in which they do not live may register to vote if the municipal charter extends the right to vote to non-resident property owners. Non-resident property owners must provide proof of property ownership at the time of registration. Consult local election commission offices for further information or the city attorney of the municipality in which property is owned. T.C.A. 2-2-107.
Yes. Learn more about the qualifications to register here.
You can check with your county clerk's office to see if the request has been submitted to our office. You can also go to the Notary Search page and search for your information to check the status of your commission at https://tnbear.tn.gov/Notary/notary
Yes. Your county election commission will mail you a voter registration card when they have accepted your application. This can take up to three weeks.
Yes, however, in the case of events to which tickets are being donated to a charitable organization, the professional solicitor is responsible for attaining a written commitment from the charitable organization stating that they will accept donated tickets and specifying the number of tickets they are willing to accept. No more contributions for donated tickets that will be accepted may be solicited by the professional solicitor.
"Professional solicitor" means any person who, for a financial or other consideration, solicits contributions for, or on behalf of, a charitable organization, whether such solicitation is performed personally or through such person's agents, servants or employees or through agents, servants or employees specially employed by or for a charitable organization, who are engaged in the solicitation of contributions under the direction of such person, or a person who plans, conducts, manages, carries on or advises a charitable organization in connection with the solicitation of contributions. Any independent marketing agent or entity to whom a professional solicitor assigns fundraising or solicitation responsibilities shall be deemed to be a professional solicitor for purposes of this part. A salaried officer or permanent employee of a charitable organization is not deemed to be a professional solicitor. However, any salaried officer or employee of a charitable organization that engages in the solicitation of contributions for compensation in any manner for more than one (1) charitable organization is deemed a professional solicitor. A professional solicitor does not include an attorney, investment counselor, or banker who in the conduct of such person's profession advises a client. See T.C.A. §48-101-501(7).
An Administrative dissolution occurs for the following reasons:
- Failure to file an annual report
- Being without a registered agent
- A foreign entity fails to maintain its assumed name due to a name conflict
- Returned payment by a financial institution
No. You can vote in person during early voting or on Election Day, or you can absentee vote by mail if you meet certain requirements.
A certificate of existence is a document issued by our office that certifies that an entity is active and in good standing.
In order to register to vote in Tennessee, a person does not have to live in a building. Instead, a person who finds himself or herself homeless must describe where the person usually stays or returns to when absent. This location may be the address of a shelter where the person stays or frequents, or it may be the description of a street corner where the person may often rest. A physical description of the location must be given so that the election commission knows in which voting precinct to place the person. T.C.A. 2-2-122.
The election commission must mail voter registration cards to people who register to vote by mail. Therefore, if a homeless person tries to register to vote by mail using an address where the person does not get the mail, the person will have to give a mailing address where he or she can receive mail. For example, a homeless voter may be able to use a shelter as a mailing address or the address of a family member or friend who agrees to receive the mail. Another option is to use General Delivery as a mailing address. However, please note that absentee ballot materials may not be mailed to “general delivery.” T.C.A. 2-2-115 and T.C.A. 2-6-202.
If the voter registration card is returned as undeliverable to the election commission, the voter will be mailed a confirmation notice and placed on inactive status. T.C.A. 2-2-115.
In addition, like all registered voters, a homeless person should let the county election commission know when there are any changes to the mailing address or address where the person is registered to vote.
Yes, Public Chapter No. 255 of the 112th General Assembly changes the language allowing notary publics to perform marriages. There are no additional provisions to regulate how Notaries perform marriages, but they must follow the rules required of all officiants. Effective April 28, 2021.
A Notary is considered a public official and may be removed from office just as any other official. Complaints concerning official misconduct should be directed to local Law Enforcement in the county in which the Notary is elected or in which the alleged misconduct occurred.
With regard to criminal conduct of a notary, Attorney General Opinion No. 07-157 states:
"Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-7-103, the District Attorney General has the duty of prosecuting all violations of state criminal statutes which occur in his or her district. This duty includes prosecutions of criminal acts committed by notaries. A citizen who wishes to file a criminal complaint against a notary public may do so by contacting the District Attorney General of the judicial district in which the alleged criminal conduct occurred and proceeding through the complaint process."
Additionally, as explained in the above opinion of the Attorney General, a notary may be removed from office through the ouster proceedings set forth in Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-17-101.
A directory of District Attorneys can be found at Tennessee District Attorneys General Directory.
To determine if you are a registered voter and view your early vote location(s) or your polling location on Election Day, use our Voter Registration Lookup or use the GoVoteTN app. If no record is found, contact your local county election commission to determine the status of your registration.
A Notary’s term of office is four years. The four-year term begins on the date that the notary commission is issued by the Governor. It is a Class C misdemeanor for a Notary to act in an official capacity after the expiration of their notary commission.
You will not be able to register online since we will not be able to download your signature.
You can still register to vote by filling out a paper form. Remember that you will need a federal or Tennessee government-issued photo ID when you vote in person.
A commissioned notary can purchase a notary stamp through the county clerk's office or from an office supply company.
Contact the county clerk's office you were commissioned in to submit a name and/or address change along with a fee for the change.
An assumed name is a name other than the true entity name under which it conducts business. Tennessee does not recognize 'DBAs' (doing business as) or fictitious names. The assumed name is good for 5 years and can be renewed.
- The correct fee is not paid. The annual report fee for a corporation is $20, and an additional $20 is required if any change is made concerning the registered agent/registered office. The annual report fee for LLCs is $300 minimum up to a maximum of $3000. The fee increases by an additional $50 per member for every member over 6 members up to a maximum of $3,000.
- An officer is not listed. If the business is a Tennessee for-profit corporation, the corporation must list at least one officer. If the business is a Tennessee nonprofit corporation, a president and secretary or required.
- The board of directors are not listed, the box indicating that the board is the same as the officers listed is not marked, or the box indicating that the corporation does not have directors is not marked.
- The annual report is not signed and/or dated.
- The annual report is not typed or filled out in ink.
- The required filing fee was not enclosed.
- The document has not been signed
- The document is not clear and legible.
- The document was not enclosed.
- The document is not dated.
- An email address was not provided.
- The name that you have requested is unavailable because it is not distinguishable from another business entity on file.
- We were not able to obtain tax clearance from the Department of Revenue. Please, contact the Tennessee Department of Revenue at (615) 253-0600 or (800) 342-1003. Once you have satisfied their requirements, resubmit your document to our office for filing.
- The address of the registered office must be a physical Tennessee address; it cannot be a post office box, route number, or box number alone.
A business entity that has failed to file its annual report on a timely basis may be administratively dissolved and placed in inactive status. The filing history of every business is shown in the Business Information Search. Click on “filing history” for details on your business.
You can access the online voter registration system here.
Yes, a professional solicitor shall, prior to orally requesting a contribution and at the same time a written request for a contribution is made, clearly and conspicuously disclose at the point of solicitation the solicitor’s name as on file with the Division of Charitable Solicitation and Gaming and that the solicitation is being conducted by a “paid solicitor”. In the case of a solicitation campaign conducted orally, professional solicitors are required to send written confirmation to each person who has contributed or pledged to contribute within five (5) days after that person has been solicited. The written confirmation shall include the above disclosure.
A commercial co-venturer is any person who is organized for profit; is regularly and primarily engaged in trade or commerce, other than in connection with soliciting for charitable or civic organizations or charitable purposes; and conducts an advertised charitable sales promotion for a specific limited period of time. The charitable organization being promoted by the co-venturer must be duly registered or be exempt from registration with the Division of Charitable Solicitations. Commercial co-venturers are required to have a written agreement with the charitable organization on whose behalf the sales promotion is to be conducted. Such co-venturers are also required to keep all records in connection with the charitable sales promotion for no less than three (3) years after the end date of the promotion.
"Professional fundraising counsel" means any person who, for compensation, plans, manages, advises, consults, or prepares material for a charitable organization for the solicitation of contributions in this state, but who does not solicit contributions and does not employ, procure, or engage any person to solicit contributions on behalf of a charitable organization. "Professional fundraising counsel" does not include an attorney, investment counselor, bona fide salaried officer, employee, volunteer, or banker who in the conduct of such person's profession advises a client. See T.C.A. §48-101-501(6).
A registered agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your entity. Tennessee requires that all entities (except General Partnerships (GP) to maintain a registered agent/office in the State of Tennessee at all times.
Tax clearances are required to obtain a certificate of existence, to reinstate, and to terminate, cancel or withdraw an entity from Tennessee.