How to become a notary public in Tennessee

Tennessee notary public licenses

Tennessee issues 2 notary public credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for every Tennessee notary public license on this page, so they are shown once here. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

Requirements

Minimum age

18 years old³

Renewal

How often

Every 4 years¹

From another state

Military service members, veterans and spouses: Tennessee bars active regular-forces service members from the office: anyone who is a soldier, seaman, marine or airman in the regular Army, Navy or Air Force is disqualified (T.C.A. § 8-18-101), and the Knox and Davidson county applications ask this question (Hamilton's application lists it as a disqualification). No military-spouse or veteran pathway was found.²

Who needs a Notary Public license

A state public official, elected by a county commission and commissioned for four years. A notary may acknowledge signatures, administer oaths, take depositions and affidavits, and qualify parties to bills in chancery anywhere in Tennessee. The notary may charge "reasonable" fees (no statutory schedule) but must then keep a record book.¹

Work that does not need this license:

• Notary signing agents (loan signing agents) need no separate Tennessee credential beyond a notary commission.⁷

Other rules on who may do this work:

• Tennessee does not offer in-person electronic notary (e-notary) commissions; the only commissions are the traditional notary and the online (remote) notary.⁸

Requirements for a Notary Public license

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

Background check

Background check required²
Disqualified: anyone convicted of offering or giving a bribe, larceny or any other offense declared infamous by law, unless their citizenship rights have been restored. Also disqualified: anyone with an unpaid judgment for public money, defaulters to the treasury, members of Congress and holders of an office of profit or trust under another government. The applicant must certify that they have never been removed as a notary for official misconduct, had a notarial commission revoked or suspended, or been found to have engaged in the unauthorized practice of law.⁹

Residency or citizenship

Must be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident. At the time of election the applicant must live in the county, or have their principal place of business there. Someone whose principal place of business is in a Tennessee county may be elected there even if they live in another state.¹

Social Security number

Hamilton County's application asks for a Social Security number; the Knox and Davidson applications do not. No state rule requiring an SSN was found.⁴

Surety bond

$10,000¹ (Every notary, after election and before acting; filed with the county clerk)

Insurance

Optional: the bond does not cap a notary's personal liability, and professional liability insurance may be available.¹⁰

Also required

After the commission is issued, file the bond and take the oath of office at the county clerk. You may not act until you have the commission, the bond is filed and the oath is taken.³

Also required

Buy an official seal at your own expense: a circular rubber or other ink stamp (not an embosser for new seals) with your name as commissioned at the top, the county of election at the bottom and "State of Tennessee Notary Public" or "Tennessee Notary Public" in the center. The ink may be any legible color except black or yellow, and must appear black when photocopied.¹¹

Also required

If you charge fees you must keep a record book (paper well-bound book or a qualifying electronic format).¹²

Also required

Tennessee does not assign commission numbers.¹³

How much a Notary Public license costs

You pay County clerk of the county of election (2 fees), Hamilton County Clerk (application fee), County clerk (fee to file this bond) and Knox County Clerk (additional).

Each line is a separate charge as the board lists it. The board does not publish a combined total, so none is shown here.

How to apply

1. Get the notary application from the clerk of the county where you live or have your principal place of business, complete it and have your signature notarized.¹⁴ Form (PDF, nashville.gov)¹⁵
2. Submit it to the county clerk with the fee ($12 in Knox and Davidson; $17 in Hamilton) before the county's deadline for the next county commission meeting.¹⁴
3. Be elected by the county legislative body (county commission or, in Nashville, the Metropolitan Council).¹⁴
4. Buy a $10,000 surety bond from a surety company authorized in Tennessee.¹⁴
5. At the county clerk, file the bond ($2), take the oath of office and pick up your commission once the Secretary of State has issued it.¹⁴
6. Buy your official seal (ink stamp) before notarizing.¹⁴

Application form

Form (PDF, knoxcounty.org)²

Renewal and continuing education

When it expires

Four years from the date the commission is issued. Renewal repeats the original process: a new application with the fee at the county clerk, re-election by the county commission, and a new bond. Hamilton County asks renewing notaries to apply eight weeks before expiry.¹⁶

Renewal fee

$12²

If it expires

No grace period. Acting after the commission expires is a Class C misdemeanor; an expired notary must apply again through the county clerk.¹⁷

Renew online

sos.tn.gov¹⁶

Moving to Tennessee with a license from another state

These are the routes SOS publishes for the Notary Public license. The other notary public licenses have their own routes in their sections below.

Online Notary Public

A commissioned Tennessee notary who also holds an SOS online commission may notarize by two-way audio-video conference for a principal located anywhere, provided the notary is physically in Tennessee. The notary may charge up to $25 per online notarization.¹

Requirements

Education or training

From January 1, 2026: complete an online-notarization course approved by the Secretary of State covering notarial laws, online-notarization technology procedures and ethics, and pass the provider's exam. Attach the certificate to the application. The SOS list of approved providers shows one: the National Notary Association.¹⁸
Who may teach it: Course must be approved by the Secretary of State or its designee.¹⁸

Experience

Must already hold a traditional notary commission from a Tennessee county legislative body.¹⁹
License you must hold first: Tennessee notary public commission (tn-notary-public-commission)⁵

Exam

Online notary course examination (administered by the SOS-approved course provider)¹
Given by: National Notary Association (the only approved course provider listed by the SOS)²⁰
When you can take it: After completing the approved course; before submitting the online application.⁵

Background check

Background check required⁶

Also required

Before applying, contract with third-party vendors for: attaching the electronic certificate, signature and seal; identity proofing and credential analysis; and storing the audio-video recordings. Upload the vendor details and instructions, your electronic seal and your electronic notarial certificate.⁵

Also required

Electronic seal: circular, square or rectangular, with your commissioned name at the top, the county of election at the bottom, "Tennessee Notary Public" in the center and "Online Notary Public" below, plus the commission expiry date.²¹

Also required

Keep a secure electronic journal and the audio-video recordings, with a backup, for five years.²²

Fees

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Hold an active Tennessee notary commission (county election).⁵
2. Read the Online Notary Public Act (T.C.A. 8-16-301 et seq.) and rule chapter 1360-07-03.⁵
3. Complete an SOS-approved online notary course and pass its exam.⁵
4. Contract with an online notarization vendor and get your electronic seal, digital certificate and vendor instructions.⁵
5. Create a TNCaB account and file the Online Notary Application online with the documents and the $75 fee.⁵ tncab.tnsos.gov¹⁹

Apply online

tncab.tnsos.gov⁵

Renewal

When it expires

Ends on the same day as your traditional commission. To continue, first be re-elected in your county, then reapply online the same way as the initial application, with the SOS receiving it by the expiry date.⁵

Renewal fee

$75⁶

From another state

The rules this license shares with every other level are under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

Notary PublicApply through your county clerk; the county commission elects notaries at its regular meetings, then the Secretary of State issues the commission. The authority is statewide.¹⁴

Check a license or report a problem

Before you hire a notary public in Tennessee, you can confirm the license is current on the board's own search. Every board we cover in Tennessee is on the Tennessee license lookup page.

Look up a license

tncab.tnsos.gov²³

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• T.C.A. § 8-16-101 (election by county legislative body; U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident; county residence or principal place of business)
• T.C.A. § 8-16-103 (four-year term)
• T.C.A. § 8-16-104
• T.C.A. § 8-16-106
• T.C.A. §§ 8-16-109, 8-16-110
• T.C.A. § 8-16-112 (statewide authority and powers)
• T.C.A. § 8-21-1201
• T.C.A. §§ 8-18-101, 8-16-114, 8-21-701, 66-22-113 as summarized in the CTAS Notary Public Handbook (June 2016)
• T.C.A. §§ 8-16-301 to 8-16-3xx (Online Notary Public Act), esp. § 8-16-306 (qualifications) and § 8-16-307 (notary located in Tennessee)
• Public Chapter 124 (2025), SB 1051: course and exam requirement, effective January 1, 2026
• Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1360-07-03-.02, -.04 (seal), -.06

Rule changes since January 2024

• January 1, 2026: Public Chapter 124 (2025) added a mandatory SOS-approved online-notarization course and provider-administered exam for online notary applicants.¹⁸

Common questions

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