Government Code §8206(a) requires a California notary to keep one and only one sequential journal at any given time. A notary who opens a second journal before completing the first violates this rule — even with good intentions, such as keeping a separate journal for mobile notarizations or for a second employer.
The single-journal rule exists to maintain a reliable, unbroken chronological chain of all notarial acts. Simultaneous journals would make it impossible to verify the true sequence of entries or determine whether records had been altered or selectively maintained.
A new journal may only be opened when the current journal is completely full, or when the prior journal has been surrendered to the county clerk following commission termination. Each new commission period begins with a fresh journal.
Exam Tip: Exam questions sometimes present a notary who works at two different offices and wants a journal at each location. That is not permitted. One journal at a time, always. A follow-up question often tests whether a notary can use a journal from a prior commission period for a new commission — the answer is no; each commission requires its own journal.
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