09/08/2019
"My bank and the public library have a notary and they don't charge. Why do you?"
Notaries are *unpaid* government officials. Businesses often employ notaries to take care of internal needs and as a courtesy to their customers, however while that notary is working within their "work hours," their employer can dictate what the notary is able to notarize per their company policy. It is free because the notaries at those institutions are being paid for their services by the institution as well as being a paid employee.
If you have made it to our page you have probably heard from your bank that your document is a "conflict of interest" or they can't notarize a particular type of document. The notary at the library may not be on duty when you need them or the branch may not have a notary. That's where independent notaries come in.
A notary must be bonded, pay for supplies, errors and omissions insurance, and must make a living. We are available to meet you at your home, hospital, office, etc. This is a service that most banks and libraries will not offer.
We charge a modest fee of $1 per notary stamp.
Our travel fee to come to your location covers fuel, insurance, wear and tear on our vehicles and time (remember, the government does not pay us!) Our typical "on location" notary call takes an hour or more to prepare, travel, notarize and return to our office. Some difficult hospital and nursing home notarizations may take several hours, and we do not charge any additional fees to get the job done- just the travel fee and $1 per notary stamp.
We understand that people can be in difficult situations, financially and otherwise. We will work with our clients as much as possible to take care of your notary needs or refer you to other resources.
Used with permission from:
Chattanooga Notary on Call
