How much does a notary cost in Alabama?
Most "notary cost" pages are run by an online-notarization platform or a notary supplier — each answering with its own product. This one isn't. Here's what it actually costs in Alabama, all your options compared fairly — including the one where your bank does it for free.
The two prices, separated
1 · The notarial fee
State-capped. This is the official act — verifying you, witnessing the signature, applying the stamp. It's the same amount whether you drive to the notary or they drive to you.
2 · The travel / convenience fee
Section 36-20-74 caps only the notarial-act fee ($10). It does not address travel, mobile-service, or convenience fees, so a mobile notary's trip charge is unregulated and negotiated separately on top of the $10 act fee. Best practice (and the practical norm) is to disclose the travel fee and obtain the signer's consent in advance, but no statutory cap or mandatory disclosure rule exists. It only applies when a notary comes to you — a bank or walk-in counter doesn't charge it.
Your options, compared honestly
Alabama specifics
Fee schedule: Alabama caps a notary's fee at $10 per notarial act (Ala. Code section 36-20-74, raised from $5 by Act 2023-548 effective Sept 1, 2023); the same $10-per-act cap governs remote notarizations, as there is no separate RON/remote session fee in statute.
Travel fees: Section 36-20-74 caps only the notarial-act fee ($10). It does not address travel, mobile-service, or convenience fees, so a mobile notary's trip charge is unregulated and negotiated separately on top of the $10 act fee. Best practice (and the practical norm) is to disclose the travel fee and obtain the signer's consent in advance, but no statutory cap or mandatory disclosure rule exists.
The fee cap is $10 PER NOTARIAL ACT (per signature/seal executed), raised from $5 by Act 2023-548 effective Sept 1, 2023 — 'a reasonable fee, not to exceed ten dollars ($10), for each notarial act performed.'
State, county, or municipal EMPLOYEES may charge NO fee for a notarial act performed during and as part of their public service (unless otherwise provided by law) — so notarizations at many government offices are free.
The $10 cap covers only the notarial act itself; a mobile/traveling notary's separate travel or convenience fee is NOT capped by statute and is added on top of the $10.
Alabama notaries are commissioned by COUNTY PROBATE JUDGES, not the Secretary of State (SOS only maintains records) — but the $10 fee cap is uniform statewide.
Alabama's 'remote' notarization is remote-INK (RIN): the signer appears by live video, but must physically deliver the original wet-ink document to an in-state notary for the actual signature/seal — there is NO fully-electronic RON in Alabama.
Charging a fee in excess of the maximum allowed by the article is expressly listed as prohibited conduct in Act 2023-548's revised section 36-20-75.
The earlier notary-audience guide's claim of 'notary-set fees — no statutory hard caps' is FACTUALLY INCORRECT — section 36-20-74 imposes a hard $10-per-act ceiling.
Remote online notarization: RON · Live in-state — Alabama authorizes remote notarization by two-way audio-video communication under Ala. Code section 36-20-73.1 (made permanent by SB322/2021, ratifying emergency-order actions taken before July 1, 2021, and carried into Act 2023-548), and it is operational. IMPORTANT CAVEAT for the booking engine: this is remote-INK notarization (RIN), NOT full electronic RON. The signer appears by live audio-video, but the statute requires that all documents 'be provided to the notary for his or her authentication and original signature' — i.e. the original wet-ink document must be physically delivered to an in-state notary who applies the actual signature and seal. No fully-electronic national RON platforms (e-signature, e-seal, tamper-evident tech) are authorized. The notary must be physically located in Alabama. Remote notarization may not be used for absentee-ballot applications/affidavits or any voting purpose. No separate remote fee exists — the $10-per-act cap applies. Interstate: Alabama generally recognizes valid out-of-state notarial acts, but an Alabama remote act must be performed by an Alabama-commissioned notary physically in-state.
Official source: Alabama Secretary of State — Notaries Public: Act 2023-548 (SB322 Enrolled), amending Ala. Code sections 36-20-70 through 36-20-75 →Before you pay
- Ask to confirm the notary's commission is current (a mobile notary should be happy to show it).
- Get the total quoted upfront and itemized — the $10 per notarial act notarial fee separate from any travel/convenience fee.
- Ask for a receipt.
- For online/remote notarization, confirm the party receiving your document accepts it.
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Figures on this page are sourced to Alabama Secretary of State — Notaries Public: Act 2023-548 (SB322 Enrolled), amending Ala. Code sections 36-20-70 through 36-20-75 (Ala. Code § 36-20-74 (as amended by Act 2023-548, 2023)), verified 2026-07-14. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm specifics with the official authority.