Child and Family Support Noncompliance (Family Code §17520)

Family Code §17520 authorizes state licensing authorities — including the Secretary of State — to take action against the professional license or commission of any person certified by the local child support agency as noncompliant with a court-ordered child or family support obligation.

For notary applicants, noncompliance may result in denial of the application or issuance of a temporary or conditional commission. For current notaries, the Secretary of State may suspend the commission until compliance is demonstrated. The commission may be reinstated once the notary resolves the support obligation.

This ground for action operates entirely outside of Government Code §8214.1. It is not based on any notarial error or misconduct — a notary may have a spotless professional record and still face commission issues solely because of a personal support delinquency.

Exam Tip: There are two separate and independent bases for commission action in California: §8214.1 (notary misconduct grounds) and Family Code §17520 (child/family support noncompliance). Both can independently affect a commission without the other being involved. The handbook lists this as an additional ground the Secretary of State may use to deny an application or suspend a commission.