Journals
N.D. Cent. Code § 44-06.1-16.1
in effect44-06.1-16.1. Journals
1. A notary public shall maintain a journal in which the notary public chronicles all notarial
acts the notary public performs with respect to a remotely located individual under
section 44-06.1-13.1. The notary public shall retain the journal for ten years after the
performance of the last notarial act chronicled in the journal.
2. A journal may be created on a tangible medium or in an electronic format. A notary
public shall maintain only one journal at a time to chronicle all notarial acts performed
regarding tangible records and one or more journals to chronicle all notarial acts
performed regarding electronic records. If a journal is maintained on a tangible
medium, it must be a permanent, bound register with numbered pages. If the journal is
maintained in an electronic format, it must be in a permanent, tamper-evident
electronic format complying with the rules of the secretary of state.
3. An entry in a journal must be made contemporaneously with performance of the
notarial act and contain the following information:
a. The date and time of the notarial act;
b. A description of the record, if any, and type of notarial act;
c. The full name and address of each individual for whom the notarial act is
performed;
d. If identity of the individual is based on personal knowledge, a statement to that
effect;
e. If identity of the individual is based on satisfactory evidence, a brief description of
the method of identification and the identification credential presented, if any,
including the date of issuance and expiration of the identification credential; and
f. The fee, if any, charged by the notary public.
4. If the journal of a notary public is lost, the notary public loses access to the journal, or
the journal is stolen, the notary public promptly shall notify the secretary of state upon
discovering the journal is lost, access is lost, or the journal is stolen.
5. On resignation from, or the revocation or suspension of, the commission of a notary
public, the notary public shall retain the journal in accordance with subsection 1 of this
section and inform the secretary of state where the journal is located.
6. Instead of retaining a journal as provided in subsections 1 and 5, a current or former
notary public may transmit the journal to a repository approved by the secretary of
state.
7. Upon the death or adjudication of incompetency of a current or former notary public,
the personal representative or guardian of the notary public shall retain the journal as
provided in subsections 1 and 5 or transmit the journal to a repository approved by the
secretary of state.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t44c06-1.pdf#nameddest=44-06p1-16p1Fetched: 10/16/2026