§ 5345. Prohibitions; offenses
(a) A person shall not perform or attempt to perform a notarial act or hold himself or herself out as being able to do so in this State without first having been commissioned.
(b) A person shall not use in connection with the person’s name any letters, words, or insignia indicating or implying that the person is a notary public unless commissioned in accordance with this chapter.
(c) A person shall not perform or attempt to perform a notarial act while his or her commission has been revoked or suspended.
(d) A person who violates a provision of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than $5,000.00 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. Prosecution may occur upon the complaint of the Attorney General or a State’s Attorney and shall not act as a bar to civil or administrative proceedings involving the same conduct.
(e) A commission as a notary public shall not authorize an individual to assist a person in drafting legal records, give legal advice, or otherwise practice law.
(f) Except as otherwise allowed by law, a notary public shall not withhold access to or possession of an original record provided by a person who seeks performance of a notarial act by the notary public. (Added 2017, No. 160 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. July 1, 2019.)
Structure Vermont Statutes
Title 26 - Professions and Occupations
§ 5302. Uniformity of application and construction
§ 5303. Relation to Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
§ 5321. Secretary of State’s Office duties
§ 5341. Commission as notary public; qualifications; no immunity or benefit
§ 5342. Grounds to deny, refuse to renew, revoke, suspend, or condition commission of notary public
§ 5343. Renewals; continuing education
§ 5344. Database of notaries public
§ 5345. Prohibitions; offenses
§ 5361. Notarial acts in this State; authority to perform
§ 5362. Authorized notarial acts
§ 5363. Requirements for certain notarial acts
§ 5364. Personal appearance required
§ 5365. Identification of individual
§ 5366. Signature if individual unable to sign
§ 5367. Certificate of notarial act
§ 5368. Short-form certificates
§ 5372. Authority to refuse to perform notarial act
§ 5373. Validity of notarial acts
§ 5374. Notarial act in another state
§ 5375. Notarial act under authority of federally recognized Indian tribe
§ 5376. Notarial act under federal authority
§ 5377. Evidence of authenticity of notarial act performed in this State
§ 5379. Notarial act performed for remotely located individual
§ 5380. Computer technology and identity proofing providers; minimum standards