Misconduct and Fees — California Notary Public Practice Test

This California Notary Public Misconduct and Fees practice set has 75 practice questions based on the official exam materials, each with an instant explanation.

Sample questions

Three questions from the Misconduct and Fees bank with the correct answer and an explanation. The practice quiz above draws 30 questions at random from the same bank.

1. What is the maximum fee a California notary public may charge for taking an acknowledgment or proof of a deed or other instrument, including the seal and the writing of the certificate?

   • $15 for each signature taken — Correct answer
   • $15 for the entire document, no matter how many signatures are taken
   • $30 for each signature taken
   • $10 for each signature taken

   Explanation: The maximum is $15 for each signature taken, and that amount already includes the seal and the writing of the certificate (handbook fee table p22; Gov. Code §8211(a)). The cap is per signature, not per document — a common misreading. A notary public may charge less than the maximum, or nothing, at their discretion; note separately that handbook p21 lists situations where **no fee may be charged at all** (military and naval reservations, election nomination documents, pension applications, a veteran's benefit claim, and vote-by-mail materials) — there the $0 is required, not a choice.

   Handbook: Fees — Acknowledgment or Proof

2. Under Government Code section 8211(b), what is the maximum fee for administering an oath or affirmation to one person and executing the jurat, including the seal?

   • $7
   • $30
   • $15 — Correct answer
   • $10

   Explanation: Section 8211(b) sets a maximum of $15 for administering an oath or affirmation to one person and executing the jurat, seal included. The $7 amounts belong to deposition services under subdivision (c), not to an ordinary jurat.

   Handbook: Fees — Oath or Affirmation and Jurat

3. A notary public renders all services in connection with the taking of a deposition, administers the oath to the witness, and provides the certificate to the deposition. What is the maximum total that may be charged?

   • $30
   • $44 — Correct answer
   • $37
   • $60

   Explanation: Government Code §8211(c) allows $30 for all services rendered in connection with taking the deposition, and in addition $7 for administering the oath to the witness and $7 for the certificate to the deposition — $44 in total. The two $7 charges are additions to the $30, not substitutes for it.

   Handbook: Fees — Deposition Services