Notary Service

 

Notary Service

Notary Service is available at all locations of the Wayne County Public Library and provided by a licensed State of Ohio Notary. By appointment only! 

Please contact your local branch to make an appointment. This service is provided free of charge.  

Notary Service Guidelines for Patrons  

The notary’s role is limited to authenticating the signature presented.  Patrons should be aware that notarizing a document does not constitute a legal review of the document’s contents.   A Notary Public is not a licensed attorney.  Notaries cannot provide legal advice or counseling regarding documents.  In accordance with Ohio notarial law, the library’s notaries will not provide service if the customer, document, or circumstances of the request for notary service raise any issue of authenticity, ambiguity, doubt, or uncertainty for the library.  In this event, the notary may, at their sole discretion, decline to provide notary service. 

 

Availability 

 

You must call ahead to reserve an appointment and ensure that we are able to notarize the documents that you plan to bring with you. Notary service is one of many services provided by the library and not the Notary’s only duty.  

 

Limits 

The library limits the number and length of documents able to be notarized at one time to 3 documents.  

 

Documents 

The library notarizes a variety of documents free of charge.  

Some requests require specialized knowledge or expertise beyond our capabilities. The library will not notarize: 

Documents in languages other than English 

Real Estate Transactions and Quit Claim Deeds 

Corporate Documents 

Last Will and Testaments  

Living Wills 

Living Trusts 

Codicils  

I-9 forms  

Documents that require electronic signature 

Passport or Visa Applications  

 

Appearance and Identification 

Ohio law requires that the person(s) signing the document(s) to be notarized appear in person and present proper identification.  

Valid forms of Identification include: 

Current Driver’s License 

State-Issued ID 

US Passport 

US Military ID  

US Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) 

 

International Identification cards and/or International Driver’s Licenses cannot be accepted.  

Each notary maintains a log wherein each transaction is noted. The notary also enters information regarding documentation used for identification, the document notarized, and witnesses.  

 

Witness  

You must be accompanied by any witnesses that are needed to complete the document. Witnesses cannot be provided by the library, nor can they be solicited from Library patrons. The witness must personally know the person whose document is being notarized and must be in possession of a valid photo identification.  

 

Preparation of the document to be notarized  

The name on the notarized document must match the name on the ID exactly. 

Complete all information above the signature line completely leaving no blanks. Blank spaces not used in a document should have a line drawn through them so that no one can add to the terms of the document after it was signed. 

Documents to be notarized must contain a Notary Public jurat or acknowledgment certificate. If the document(s) does not include this, the Notary will have to attach a certificate to the document before it can be notarized. 

All document signers must be present at the time of signing and must sign in the presence of the notary. 

Some documents require that the signer take an oath. The notary will administer the oath. 

 

Communication 

Ohio law requires that the notary and the customer seeking notarization be able to communicate directly with each other and with witnesses.  The library is not permitted to make use of a translator to communicate with a notary service customer. Currently our Notary staff speak English only.  

 

Certification  

In the State of Ohio, notaries cannot certify documents. We cannot certify copies of: 

Passports 

Driver’s licenses 

Birth certificates 

Marriage licenses 

Death certificates 

Divorce certificates 

Naturalization certificates 

If you were born anywhere in Ohio, go to the Dept. of Vital Statistics at the Wayne County Health Department, 203 S Walnut St, Wooster, OH 44691, and obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate. 

 

If you were born outside of Ohio, go to https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/index.htm or https://www.vitalchek.com/birth-certificates and order a copy of your birth certificate to be sent to you.