House Bill 209 Summary

• Repeals existing Idaho notary public laws and replaces them with the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, modernizing standards for notarial acts including electronic records.

• Establishes qualifications for notaries public: at least 18 years old, U.S. citizen or permanent resident, Idaho resident or employed in state, and able to read and write; requires $10,000 surety bond.

• Requires personal appearance before notary public, identity verification through government-issued ID or credible witness testimony, and prohibits notaries from performing acts on documents where they have a financial interest.

• Sets notary commission term at 6 years, allows fees up to $5.00 per notarial act, and establishes grounds for denying or revoking commissions including fraud, dishonesty, criminal conviction, or failure to maintain required assurance.

• Authorizes notaries to perform electronic notarial acts with approved technology, recognizes notarial acts from other states and foreign countries, and requires Secretary of State to maintain public database of notaries; effective July 1, 2017 (with certain seal provisions effective October 1, 2018).