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Notary Services

Library Notary Services

Notary Policy Updates

Beginning Wednesday, September 3, 2025, all of CRRL's locations offering public meeting rooms and notary services will implement new policies, which should increase availability to the general public and not-for-profit groups, as well as help the library recover associated costs. These policies were approved by CRRL's Board of Trustees at their June 9, 2025 meeting: 

General public and not-for-profit groups:

  • Beginning September 3, reservations will be required to meet with a notary. Reservations may be made online or by calling the branch.
  • Appointment reservations may be made in-branch for walk-in customers, subject to notaries' availability. 
  • There will continue to be no charge for notarization for the general public and not-for-profit groups.

For-profit businesses and organizations*:

  • Beginning September 3, reservations will be required to meet with a notary.

Reservations may be made online or by calling the branch. 

  • Appointment reservations may be made in-branch for walk-in customers, subject to notaries' availability.
  • Businesses and for-profit organizations will be charged a $10 notarization fee per appointment, to be paid at the time the reservation is confirmed.
  • *Note: This designation includes for-profit artistic groups which charge fees for classes, membership, or participation. This designation does not apply to educational organizations, including but not limited to: GED, special needs, ESOL, and homeschool groups.

For more information on notary services, go to librarypoint.org/notary.

FAQs

  • Click here to learn more about our notary services.

  • Beginning on September 3, CRRL will charge for-profit businesses $10 for notarizations. Aligned with the update to charge businesses for meeting room use, charging businesses for notary services addresses Library Board expectations that the general public and not-for-profits' access to public library resources should be prioritized over those of for-profit businesses.

  • Beginning on September 3, requesting a notary appointment helps ensure that a notary is available at the time you need, and allows the notary to understand what you’re having notarized to determine if your document is something CRRL notaries can do. Booking a notary appointment online also facilitates collecting the notarization fees from businesses.

  • Beginning on September 3, an advance appointment ensures that a notary is available and that your document is something that CRRL notaries can do. Walk-ins may be able to make an on-the-spot appointment if one is free.

  • Beginning on September 3, CRRL notaries will make every effort to review your request and let you know in advance if it is something we cannot notarize. You can assist in this process by uploading a digital copy of the form you wish to have notarized at the time you make your appointment. However, it is not guaranteed that a notary will be able to make that determination before fully reviewing the document. If you arrive for an appointment and CRRL notaries are unable to fulfill your request, we will provide you with a list of area notaries to contact as well as a refund if you paid the $10 business fee.

View more about Services

We offer simple notary services to our customers as a free public service.

Please read the guidelines below, then call your library branch ahead of time to ensure a notary is available. When you arrive, the notary will review your document to determine if it falls within the library’s notary guidelines. If your document/s require 5 or more signatures total, the notary may ask you to make an appointment.

Please note that our notaries staff the research desk and must give priority to customers needing research help, so there could be a wait for notary services.

Notary Guidelines

  1. People seeking notarizations must bring with them their unsigned documents, valid photo identification, and any witnesses required. Please be aware that CRRL notaries follow these guidelines.
  2. Notaries may decline to notarize a document if it is prepared in a format unfamiliar to the notary, they cannot be certain of the identity or mental capacity of the signer, or for any other reason.
  3. Our notaries will not notarize documents requiring verification of facts, including wills, quitclaim deeds, warranty deeds, or power of attorney.
  4. Our notaries will not notarize trust documents.
  5. Our notaries do not generally notarize real estate transactions. Please contact the Research Desk at your branch to discuss your situation before requesting an appointment to notarize a real estate transaction.
  6. Our notaries do not act as authorized representatives for employers to verify the employment eligibility of employees, including the I-9.
  7. By law, Virginia notaries are not authorized to certify true copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates or court-issued documents.
  8. Photo identification should be provided by all signers, even if the signer is “known.” Acceptable forms of ID are:
    1. United States passport
    2. United States passport card
    3. Certificate of United States citizenship
    4. Certificate of naturalization
    5. Foreign passport
    6. Alien registration card with photograph
    7. State-issued driver’s license
    8. State-issued identification card
    9. United States military identification card
  9. Photo IDs must be current and written in a language the notary understands. If an ID is not familiar to the notary, the notary has the option to refuse acceptance.
  10. Notaries may not administer an oath to a non-English speaker.

If we are unable to provide notary services for you, we can supply a list of other notaries in the area.

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