Does South Dakota Require a Notary Journal? No — What to Keep Anyway (2026)
No. South Dakota law does not require notaries to keep a journal for traditional, in-person notarizations. Keeping one is the notary's own choice, and the case for doing it is strong.
Last updated: August 2026.
What South Dakota law covers
South Dakota's notary statutes (South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 18-1) govern commissions, seals, fees, and conduct, with the Secretary of State administering the program. They do not tell notaries to keep a record of their in-person acts; remote notarization provisions carry their own record duties for those acts.
The case for keeping one anyway
A journal answers the question that arrives years after a signing: did this person appear before you, and how did you know who they were? An entry with the date, the document, the ID checked, and the signer's own signature answers it with evidence rather than memory. The journal is your own record; South Dakota sets no rules for who may see a voluntary record, and in a dispute it can be subpoenaed like any business record.
What format works in South Dakota
Any consistent format: a bound book, printed pages kept in order, or an electronic record. Capture each act with the date, time, document, signer, identification, and fee, in the order the acts happen.
Questions South Dakota notaries ask
Do South Dakota signing agents need a journal for loan signings? Not by statute. Real estate documents are also the ones most likely to be questioned later, which makes loan signings the acts most worth recording.
Does remote notarization change anything? Yes, one concrete duty: an electronic audio-visual copy of each notarial act performed with a tamper-evident notarization system is retained for ten years (SDCL 18-1-11.3). For in-person work, keeping a record remains your choice.
Should signers sign my South Dakota journal? Nothing requires it. A signature in your record is direct evidence the person appeared before you.
The record without the handwriting
Prep & Print Notary Journal fills in the entry on screen before the signing, prints it for ink signatures at the table, and keeps the saved entry in your browser on your own computer. It costs $19 once, at prepandprintnotary.com.
Every state's rule is on one page: Notary Journal Requirements by State.
Sources: SDCL ch. 18-1 (notaries public), including § 18-1-11.3 (audio-visual copy retention); South Dakota Notary Public Handbook. General information, not legal advice.
