Washington Notary Journal Requirements — Permanent, Bound, Numbered Pages (2026)
Yes, and the format is spelled out. Washington requires every notary to keep a journal of all notarial acts, and a paper journal must be a permanent bound book with numbered pages. Printed loose pages do not satisfy Washington's law.
The statute: the Revised Code of Washington, at RCW 42.45.180, sets both the duty and the format:
"A notary public shall maintain only one tangible journal at a time to
chronicle notarial acts, whether those notarial acts are performed
regarding tangible or electronic records."
"The journal must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages."
An electronic-records notary may also keep an electronic journal in a permanent, tamper-evident format, kept alongside the tangible one for the acts it covers.
Last updated: August 2026.
What each Washington entry must include
The date and time of the act, a description of the record and type of act, the full name and address of each individual, a description of the method used to identify the signer, and the fee charged. The Department of Licensing's rules add one more element the statute doesn't spell out: the journal must have the capacity to record the signer's signature for each act, with a notation taking its place for remote notarizations (WAC 308-30-200). One tangible journal, all acts, in order.
Retention and duties
Washington journals are official records, kept ten years after the last notarial act and then destroyed (WAC 308-30-210). The journal is "the exclusive property of the notary public, and shall not be surrendered to an employer upon demand or termination," whether or not the employer paid for it (WAC 308-30-200). An electronic journal is permitted only in addition to the tangible one.
What Washington notaries should buy
A permanent bound journal with numbered pages, from any notary supplier. Nothing else satisfies RCW 42.45.180 for the journal itself.
One tangible journal at a time means the active register chronicles every act until it fills. The numbered pages are what let an old act be found years later, so start the next book only when the last is full.
Questions Washington notaries ask
Can I keep only an electronic journal in Washington? Only if you are an electronic-records notary, and the tangible-journal rule still governs the paper side. For ordinary paper notarizations, the bound register is the requirement.
Can I keep two journals for two jobs? No. Only one tangible journal at a time, covering all acts.
How long do I keep my Washington journal? Ten years after the last notarial act chronicled in it, per the Department of Licensing's rules (WAC 308-30-210).
The honest note from us
Prep & Print Notary Journal sells a $19 app that prints filled-in journal pages, and printed pages do not comply with Washington's bound journal law. If you are commissioned in a state that leaves the journal format to you, the app is at prepandprintnotary.com. Washington notaries: buy the bound book.
Update, September 2026: we make a bound edition now. The Prep & Print bound journal is on Amazon — permanently bound, one signing per two-page spread, preprinted page and entry numbers, signature and thumbprint boxes, in five cover colors.
Every state's rule is on one page: Notary Journal Requirements by State.
Sources: RCW 42.45.180; WAC 308-30-200 and -210 (journal rules). General information, not legal advice.
