Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/WVCODE/Code.cfm?chap=39&art=4
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:19:09+00:00

Document:
ARTICLE 1. AUTHENTICATION AND RECORD OF WRITINGS.
ARTICLE 1A. UNIFORM RECOGNITION OF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACT.
ARTICLE 2. GENERAL INDEX AND PRESERVATION OF RECORDS.
ARTICLE 3. RECONSTRUCTION OF LOST RECORDS AND PAPERS.
§39-4-3. Applicability; operative date of enactment; effect on existing law.
§39-4-4. Authority to perform notarial act.
§39-4-5. Requirements for certain notarial acts.
§39-4-8. Authority to refuse to perform notarial act.
§39-4-9. Signature if individual is unable to sign.
§39-4-10. Notarial act in this state.
§39-4-11. Notarial act in another state.
§39-4-12. Notarial act under authority of federally recognized Indian tribe.
§39-4-13. Notarial act under federal authority.
§39-4-15. Certificate of notarial act.
§39-4-19. Notification regarding performance of notarial act on electronic record, selection of technology.
§39-4-22. Database of notaries public.
§39-4-24. Validity of notarial acts.
§39-4-26. Notary public commission and commissioner appointment in effect.
§39-4-28. Uniformity of application and construction.
§39-4-29. Relation to Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act.
§39-4-32. Liability of notary and of an employer of notary.
§39-4-34. Action for injunction; unauthorized practice of law.
§39-4-35. Administrative complaints and investigations.
§39-4-36. Secretary of State record retention.
ARTICLE 5. ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES AUTHORIZATION ACT.
ARTICLE 6. UNIFORM ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL ACT.
This article may be cited as the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts.
(1) "Acknowledgment" means a declaration by an individual before a notarial officer that the individual has signed a record for the purpose stated in the record and, if the record is signed in a representative capacity, that the individual signed the record with proper authority and signed it as the act of the individual or entity identified in the record.
(2) "Electronic" means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic or similar capabilities.
(3) "Electronic signature" means an electronic symbol, sound or process attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by an individual with the intent to sign the record.
(5) "Notarial act" means an act, whether performed with respect to a tangible or electronic record, that a notarial officer may perform under the law of this state. The term includes taking an acknowledgment, administering an oath or affirmation, taking a verification on oath or affirmation, witnessing or attesting a signature, certifying or attesting a copy, and noting a protest of a negotiable instrument.
(6) "Notarial officer" means a notary public or other individual authorized to perform a notarial act.
(7) "Notary public" means an individual commissioned to perform a notarial act by the West Virginia Secretary of State.
(8) "Official stamp" means a physical image affixed to or embossed on a tangible record or an electronic image attached to or logically associated with an electronic record.
(9) "Person" means an individual, corporation, business trust, statutory trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity.
(10) "Record" means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form.
(B) An electronic device or process capable of attaching to or logically associating with an electronic record an official stamp.
(14) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
(15) "Verification on oath or affirmation" means a declaration, made by an individual on oath or affirmation before a notarial officer, that a statement in a record is true.
(a) This article applies to a notarial act performed on or after July 1, 2014.
(b) The repeal of chapter twenty-nine-c of this code and the repeal of articles four, chapter twenty-nine and one-a, chapter thirty-nine of this code and the amendment and reenactment of section two, article one, chapter fifty-nine of this code, pursuant to the provisions of Enrolled House Bill No. 4012, as enacted by the Legislature during the regular session, 2014, are operative on June 30, 2014. The prior enactments of chapter twenty-nine-c; articles four, chapter twenty-nine and one-a, chapter thirty-nine; and section two, article one, chapter fifty-nine of this code, whether amended and reenacted or repealed by the passage of Enrolled House Bill No. 4012, have full force and effect until the provisions of Enrolled House Bill No. 4012, are operative on June 30, 2014, unless after the effective date of Enrolled House Bill No. 4012, and prior to the operative date of June 30, 2014, the provisions of Enrolled House Bill No. 4012, are otherwise repealed or amended and reenacted.
(a) A notarial officer may perform a notarial act authorized by this article or by law of this state other than this article.
(b) A notarial officer may not perform a notarial act with respect to a record to which the officer or the officer's spouse is a party, or in which either of them has a direct beneficial interest, financial or otherwise. A notarial act performed in violation of this subsection is voidable.
(d) A notarial officer who certifies or attests a copy of a record or an item that was copied shall determine that the copy is a full, true and accurate transcription or reproduction of the record or item.
(e) A notarial officer who makes or notes a protest of a negotiable instrument shall determine the matters set forth in subsection (b), section five hundred five, article three, chapter forty-six of this code.
If a notarial act relates to a statement made in or a signature executed on a record, the individual making the statement or executing the signature shall appear personally before the notarial officer. An individual making the statement or executing the signature does not appear personally if the appearance is by video or audio technology, even if the video is synchronous.
(2) By a verification on oath or affirmation of a credible witness personally appearing before the officer and known to the officer or whom the officer can identify on the basis of a passport, driver's license or government issued nondriver identification card, which is current or expired not more than three years before performance of the notarial act.
(b) A notarial officer may refuse to perform a notarial act unless refusal is prohibited by law other than this article.
If an individual is physically unable to sign a record, the individual may direct an individual other than the notarial officer to sign the individual's name on the record. The notarial officer shall insert "Signature affixed by (name of other individual) at the direction of (name of individual)" or words of similar import.
(3) Any other individual authorized to perform the specific act by the law of this state.
(b) The signature and title of an individual performing a notarial act in this state are prima facie evidence that the signature is genuine and that the individual holds the designated title.
(c) The signature and title of a notarial officer described in subdivision (1) or (2), subsection (a) of this section, conclusively establish the authority of the officer to perform the notarial act.
(b) The signature and title of an individual performing a notarial act in another state are prima facie evidence that the signature is genuine and that the individual holds the designated title.
(b) The signature and title of an individual performing a notarial act under the authority of and in the jurisdiction of a federally recognized Indian tribe are prima facie evidence that the signature is genuine and that the individual holds the designated title.
(b) The signature and title of an individual acting under federal authority and performing a notarial act are prima facie evidence that the signature is genuine and that the individual holds the designated title.
(c) The signature and title of an officer described in subdivision (1), (2) or (3), subsection (a) of this section, conclusively establish the authority of the officer to perform the notarial act.
(a) In this section, "foreign state" means a government other than the United States, a state or a federally recognized Indian tribe.
(b) If a notarial act is performed under authority and in the jurisdiction of a foreign state or constituent unit of the foreign state or is performed under the authority of a multinational or international governmental organization, the act has the same effect under the law of this state as if performed by a notarial officer of this state.
(c) If the title of office and indication of authority to perform notarial acts in a foreign state appears in a digest of foreign law or in a list customarily used as a source for that information, the authority of an officer with that title to perform notarial acts is conclusively established.
(d) The signature and official stamp of an individual holding an office described in subsection (c) of this section are prima facie evidence that the signature is genuine and the individual holds the designated title.
(e) An apostille in the form prescribed by the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, and issued by a foreign state party to the Convention conclusively establishes that the signature of the notarial officer is genuine and that the officer holds the indicated office.
(f) A consular authentication issued by an individual designated by the United States Department of State as a notarizing officer for performing notarial acts overseas and attached to the record with respect to which the notarial act is performed conclusively establishes that the signature of the notarial officer is genuine and that the officer holds the indicated office.
(5) If the notarial officer is a notary public, indicate the date of expiration, if any, of the officer's commission.
(b) If a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed by a notary public, an official stamp must be affixed to the certificate. If a notarial act is performed regarding a tangible record by a notarial officer other than a notary public and the certificate contains the information specified in subdivisions (2), (3) and (4), subsection (a) of this section, an official stamp may be affixed to the certificate. If a notarial act regarding an electronic record is performed by a notarial officer and the certificate contains the information specified in said subdivisions, an official stamp may be attached to or logically associated with the certificate.
(4) Sets forth the actions of the notarial officer and the actions are sufficient to meet the requirements of the notarial act as provided in sections five, six and seven of this article or law of this state other than this article.
(d) By executing a certificate of a notarial act, a notarial officer certifies that the officer has complied with the requirements and made the determinations specified in sections four, five and six of this article.
(e) A notarial officer may not affix the officer's signature to, or logically associate it with, a certificate until the notarial act has been performed.
(f) If a notarial act is performed regarding a tangible record, a certificate must be part of, or securely attached to, the record. If a notarial act is performed regarding an electronic record, the certificate must be affixed to or logically associated with, the electronic record. If the Secretary of State has established standards pursuant to section twenty-five of this article, for attaching, affixing, or logically associating the certificate, the process must conform to the standards.
This record was acknowledged before me on .............. [Date] by ....................................................... [Name(s) of individual(s)] as ............................ [Type of authority, such as officer or trustee] of .......................... [Name of party on behalf of whom record was executed].
(a) A notary public is responsible for the security of the notary public's stamping device and may not allow another individual to use the device to perform a notarial act. On resignation from, or the revocation or expiration of, the notary public's commission, or on the expiration of the date set forth in the stamping device, the notary public shall disable the stamping device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use in a manner that renders it unusable. On the death or adjudication of incompetency of a notary public, the notary public's personal representative or guardian or any other person knowingly in possession of the stamping device shall render it unusable by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use in a manner that renders it unusable.
(b) If a notary public's stamping device is lost or stolen, the notary public or the notary public's personal representative or guardian shall notify promptly the Secretary of State on discovering that the device is lost or stolen.
(a) A notary public may select one or more tamper-evident technologies to perform notarial acts with respect to electronic records. A person may not require a notary public to perform a notarial act with respect to an electronic record with a technology that the notary public has not selected.
(b) Before a notary public performs the notary public's initial notarial act with respect to an electronic record, a notary public shall notify the Secretary of State that the notary public will be performing notarial acts with respect to electronic records and identify the technology the notary public intends to use. If the Secretary of State has established standards for approval of technology pursuant to section twenty-five of this article, the technology must conform to the standards. If the technology conforms to the standards, the Secretary of State shall approve the use of the technology.
(2) Which indicates whether a notary public has notified the Secretary of State that the notary public will be performing notarial acts on electronic records.
(2) Changes his or her name, the notary public shall notify the Secretary of State of the address or name change.
(b) A notary public may not engage in false or deceptive advertising.
(c) A notary public, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, may not use the term "notario" or "notario publico".
(d) A notary public, other than an attorney licensed to practice law in this state, may not advertise or represent that the notary public may assist persons in drafting legal records, give legal advice, or otherwise practice law. If a notary public who is not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state in any manner advertises or represents that the notary public offers notarial services, whether orally or in a record, including broadcast media, print media and the internet, the notary public shall include the following statement, or an alternate statement authorized or required by the Secretary of State, in the advertisement or representation, prominently and in each language used in the advertisement or representation: "I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities". If the form of advertisement or representation is not broadcast media, print media or the internet and does not permit inclusion of the statement required by this subsection because of size, it must be displayed prominently or provided at the place of performance of the notarial act before the notarial act is performed.
(e) Except as otherwise allowed by law, a notary public may not withhold access to or possession of an original record provided by a person that seeks performance of a notarial act by the notary public.
Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), section four of this article, the failure of a notarial officer to perform a duty or meet a requirement specified in this article does not invalidate a notarial act performed by the notarial officer. The validity of a notarial act under this article does not prevent an aggrieved person from seeking to invalidate the record or transaction that is the subject of the notarial act or from seeking other remedies based on law of this state other than this article or law of the United States. This section does not validate a purported notarial act performed by an individual who does not have the authority to perform notarial acts.
(7) Establish fees, with legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code. Fees collected by the Secretary of State pursuant to section two, article one, chapter fifty-nine of this code shall be deposited by the Secretary of State as follows: One-half shall be deposited in the state general revenue fund and one-half shall be deposited in the service fees and collections account established by section two, article one, chapter fifty-nine of this code for the operation of the office of the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall dedicate sufficient resources from that fund or other funds to provide the services required by the provisions of article four, chapter thirty-nine of this code.
(3) The views of governmental officials and entities and other interested persons.
(a) A commission as a notary public in effect on June 30, 2014, continues until its date of expiration. A notary public who applies for a commission as a notary public on or after July 1, 2014, is subject to and shall comply with this article. A notary public, in performing notarial acts on or after July 1, 2014, shall comply with this article.
(b) An appointment as commissioner under the repealed provisions of article four, chapter twenty-nine of this code, in effect on June 30, 2014, continues until its date of expiration. A commissioner, in performing notarial acts on or after July 1, 2014, shall comply with this article: Provided, That a person holding a commission pursuant to the provisions of article four, chapter twenty-nine of this code, on June 30, 2014, is not required to obtain or use a stamp required by section seventeen of this article, prior to the expiration of that commission.
This article does not affect the validity or effect of a notarial act performed before July 1, 2014.
This article modifies, limits, and supersedes the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U. S. C. Section 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede Section 101(c) of that act, 15 U. S. C. Section 7001(c), or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in Section 103(b) of that act, 15 U. S. C. Section 7003(b).
(a) The maximum fee in this state for notarization of each signature and the proper recordation thereof in the journal of notarial acts is $5.00 for each signature notarized.
(b) The maximum fee in this state for certification of a facsimile of a document, retaining a facsimile in the notary's file, and the proper recordation thereof in the journal of notarial acts is $5.00 for each eight and one-half by eleven inch page retained in the notary's file.
(c) The maximum fee in this state is $5.00 for any other notarial act performed.
(a) State and local government employees may be commissioned as government notaries public to act for and in behalf of their respective state and local government offices.
(b) A state or local government employee commissioned under this section shall meet the requirements for qualification and appointment prescribed in this article except that the head of the state or local government office where the applicant is employed, or his or her designee, shall execute a certificate that the application is made for the purposes of the office and in the public interest and submit it to the Secretary of State together with the application for appointment as a notary public.
(c) The costs of application and all notary supplies for a commissioned state or local government employee shall be paid from funds available to the office in which he or she is employed.
(d) All fees received for notarial services by a government notary public appointed for and in behalf of a state or local government office shall be remitted by him or her to the state or local government office in which he or she is employed.
(e) A government notary public must comply with all provisions of this article in the performance of notarial acts.
(f) A government notary public may acknowledge any document required to be acknowledged by a notary public: Provided, That a government notary public may not operate privately.
(a) A notary public is liable to the persons involved for all damages proximately caused by the notary's official misconduct.
(2) The employer consented to the notary public's official misconduct.
(c) It is not essential to a recovery of damages that a notary's official misconduct be the only proximate cause of the damages.
(2) Is prohibited by section twenty-three of this article.
(a) A notary public who knowingly and willfully commits any official misconduct is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or confined in jail not more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(b) A notary public who recklessly or negligently commits any official misconduct is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $1,000.
(c) Any person who acts as, or otherwise willfully impersonates, a notary public while not lawfully appointed and commissioned to perform notarial acts is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or confined in jail not more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(d) Any person who unlawfully possesses a notary's official seal or any papers or copies relating to notarial acts, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $1,000.
Upon his or her own information or upon complaint of any person, the Attorney General, or his or her designee, may maintain an action for injunctive relief in circuit court against any notary public who renders, offers to render or holds himself or herself out as rendering any service constituting the unauthorized practice of the law. Any organized bar association in this state may intervene in the action, at any stage of the proceeding, for good cause shown. The action may also be maintained by an organized bar association in this state or by the Secretary of State.
(1) Investigate, upon complaint or on his or her own initiative, any alleged violations or irregularities of this article.
(2) Administer oaths and affirmations, issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses, issue subpoenas duces tecum to compel the production of books, papers, records and all other evidence necessary to any investigation.
(3) Involve the aid of any circuit court in the execution of its subpoena power.
(4) Report any alleged violations of this article to the appropriate prosecuting attorney having jurisdiction, which prosecuting attorney shall present to the grand jury the alleged violations, together with all evidence relating thereto, no later than the next term of court after receiving the report.
(b) The Attorney General shall, when requested, provide legal and investigative assistance to the Secretary of State.
(a) The provisions of subsection (c), section three, article two, chapter five of this code notwithstanding, the Secretary of State may destroy original records of appointment under this article after expiration of the term of a notary public: Provided, That the Secretary of State maintains an electronic copy of the appointment for a minimum of ten years after the expiration of the term of the notary public.
(b) The Secretary of State may destroy any original journals of notarial acts in his or her possession: Provided, That an electronic copy is maintained in accordance with the retention rules of the Department of Administration.

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