The Lorain County Bar Association no longer handles the Notary Public information/testing for Lorain County.  

Notary Public Information for Lorain County Residents

If you do not live in Lorain County, please contact your county of residence's Notary Commission for further instructions.

If you are a new applicant and seek to become a Notary Public in the State of Ohio, the application fee is $45.00. The required application form is available in the Lorain County Clerk of Court's office (Room 105) and will be provided to you when your payment is received, along with a copy of the Lorain County Notary Commission Notary Public Guide. All new applicants are required to successfully pass an examination administered monthly by the Lorain County Notary Commission. Your testing date will be printed on the upper right hand corner of your application. The application must be completed and returned at least seven days prior to the exam date. Please study the Guide carefully, as the test questions are taken directly from the Guide.

Notary Public examinations are typically administered on the third Friday of each month at 3:30 p.m. in the Visiting Judge's Courtroom on the 4th Floor of the Lorain County Justice Center at 225 Court Street in Elyria. Individuals who successfully pass the test will complete forms that are mailed to the Ohio Secretary of State. That office generates the Commissions and mails them to the Clerk of Court's office. New notaries will receive a postcard from the Clerk's office to register their commissions here in Lorain County (county of residence) and take their oaths. (Please bring your photo ID and $5.00.)

Renewal applications are also available in the Clerk's office (Room 105). The application fee is $35.00. ALL RENEWING APPLICANTS MUST STILL RETURN TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE UPON RECEIPT OF THEIR POSTCARDS TO TAKE THE OATH AND REGISTER THEIR NEW COMMISSIONS, OR THEY CANNOT NOTARIZE DOCUMENTS! If your commission has already expired, and it has been more than a year since your expiration, you will have to take the examination as a new applicant.

The LCBA and the Clerk of Court's office cannot answer questions about whether or not it is proper for you to notarize a document. If you have questions, refer to your Notary Public Guide or the Ohio Revised Code. If you cannot find your copy of the Guide and would like to purchase another one, the Clerk's office has additional copies available at a cost of $2.00 each. If you need to reach the Lorain County Notary Commission for any reason, such as to reschedule your test date, please call 440.323.4550.

Is there a way I can verify that an individual is a notary public in Ohio?
Yes. This information is publicly available on the Ohio Secretary of State's website. Searches may be conducted by first name, last name, county, and zip code. Please remember that notaries are commissioned by county of residence.

Notary certifications
If you need a notary certification, or verification that a notary public has registered and has a valid notary public commission here in Lorain County, the Clerk of Court's office (Room 105) can perform the search and provide the paperwork for a fee of $2.00 per document.

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