False Certificate of Acknowledgment — $10,000 Civil Penalty

Government Code §8214.1 establishes a $10,000 maximum civil penalty for executing or certifying a notarial certificate containing statements known by the notary to be false. This penalty sits in the second-highest tier of the civil penalty structure — below the $75,000 residential real property fraud penalty and above the $2,500 journal inspection refusal penalty.

A false certificate might include: stating that a signer personally appeared when they did not; entering the wrong signer's name; falsely certifying that an oath was administered; or recording a false date. The knowledge element is critical — this penalty applies when the notary knows the statements are false, not when they made an honest clerical mistake.

This civil penalty is independent of criminal liability. Executing a false certificate may also constitute a violation of Penal Code §118 (perjury) or Penal Code §115 (filing a false instrument), with simultaneous criminal prosecution possible.

Exam Tip: Place this in the full tier sequence: $750 (negligent) → $1,500 (willful general) → $2,500 (journal/thumbprint refusal) → $10,000 (false certificate, knowingly) → $75,000 (residential fraud, with intent). The false certificate penalty requires knowing falsity — it is not triggered by carelessness.