NRS 240.155 Notarization of signature of person not in presence of notary public unlawful; penalty.
1. A notary public who is appointed pursuant to this chapter shall not willfully notarize the signature of a person unless the person is in the presence of the notary public and:
(a) Is known to the notary public; or
(b) If unknown to the notary public, provides a credible witness or documentary evidence of identification to the notary public.
2. A person who:
(a) Violates the provisions of subsection 1; or
(b) Aids and abets a notary public to commit a violation of subsection 1, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
NRS 240.155
NRS 240.075 Prohibited acts. A notary public shall not:
1. Influence a person to enter or not enter into a lawful transaction involving a notarial act performed by the notary public.
2. Certify an instrument containing a statement known by the notary public to be false.
3. Perform any act as a notary public with intent to deceive or defraud, including, without limitation, altering the journal that the notary public is required to keep pursuant to NRS 240.120.
4. Endorse or promote any product, service or offering if his or her appointment as a notary public is used in the endorsement or promotional statement.
5. Certify photocopies of a certificate of birth, death or marriage or a divorce decree.
6. Allow any other person to use his or her notary’s stamp.
7. Allow any other person to sign the notary’s name in a notarial capacity.
8. Perform a notarial act on a document that contains only a signature.
9. Perform a notarial act on a document, including a form that requires the signer to provide information within blank spaces, unless the document has been filled out completely and has been signed.
10. Make or note a protest of a negotiable instrument unless the notary public is employed by a depository institution and the protest is made or noted within the scope of that employment. As used in this subsection, “depository institution” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 657.037.
11. Affix his or her stamp to any document which does not contain a notarial certificate.
NRS 240.075
NRS 240.147 Unlawful destruction, defacement or concealment of notarial record.
It is unlawful for a person to knowingly destroy, deface or conceal a notarial record.
NRS 240.147
NRS 240.120 Journal of notarial acts: Duty to maintain; contents; verification based upon credible witness; copy of entry; storage; period of retention; report of loss or theft; exceptions.
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, each notary public shall keep a journal in his or her office in which the notary public shall enter for each notarial act performed, at the time the act is performed:
(a) The fees charged, if any;
(b) The title of the document;
(c) The date on which the notary public performed the act;
(d) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the name and signature of the person whose signature is being notarized;
(e) Subject to the provisions of subsection 4, a description of the evidence used by the notary public to verify the identification of the person whose signature is being notarized;
(f) An indication of whether the notary public administered an oath; and
(g) The type of certificate used to evidence the notarial act, as required pursuant to NRS 240.1655.
2. A notary public may make one entry in the journal which documents more than one notarial act if the notarial acts documented are performed:
(a) For the same person and at the same time; and
(b) On one document or on similar documents.
3. When performing a notarial act for a person, a notary public need not require the person to sign the journal if:
(a) The notary public has performed a notarial act for the person within the previous 6 months;
(b) The notary public has personal knowledge of the identity of the person; and
(c) The person is an employer or coworker of the notary public and the notarial act relates to a transaction performed in the ordinary course of the person’s business.
4. If, pursuant to subsection 3, a notary public does not require a person to sign the journal, the notary public shall enter “known personally” as the description required to be entered into the journal pursuant to paragraph (e) of subsection 1.
5. If the notary verifies the identification of the person whose signature is being notarized on the basis of a credible witness, the notary public shall:
(a) Require the witness to sign the journal in the space provided for the description of the evidence used; and
(b) Make a notation in the journal that the witness is a credible witness.
6. The journal must:
(a) Be open to public inspection.
(b) Be in a bound volume with preprinted page numbers.
7. A notary public shall, upon request and payment of the fee set forth in NRS 240.100, provide a certified copy of an entry in his or her journal.
8. A notary public shall keep his or her journal in a secure location during any period in which the notary public is not making an entry or notation in the journal pursuant to this section.
9. A notary public shall retain each journal that the notary public has kept pursuant to this section until 7 years after the date on which he or she ceases to be a notary public.
10. A notary public shall file a report with the Secretary of State and the appropriate law enforcement agency if the journal of the notary public is lost or stolen.
11. The provisions of this section do not apply to a person who is authorized to perform a notarial act pursuant to paragraph (b), (c), (d) or (e) of subsection 1 of NRS 240.1635.
NRS 240.120
NRS 240.150 Liability for misconduct or neglect; liability of employer; penalties for willful violation or neglect of duty; procedure upon revocation or suspension.
1. For misconduct or neglect in a case in which a notary public appointed pursuant to the authority of this State may act, either by the law of this State or of another state, territory or country, or by the law of nations, or by commercial usage, the notary public is liable on his or her official bond to the parties injured thereby, for all the damages sustained.
2. The employer of a notary public may be assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary of State of not more than $2,000 for each violation specified in subsection 4 committed by the notary public, and the employer is liable for any damages proximately caused by the misconduct of the notary public, if:
(a) The notary public was acting within the scope of his or her employment at the time the notary public engaged in the misconduct; and
(b) The employer of the notary public consented to the misconduct of the notary public.
3. The Secretary of State may refuse to appoint or may suspend or revoke the appointment of a notary public who fails to provide to the Secretary of State, within a reasonable time, information that the Secretary of State requests from the notary public in connection with a complaint which alleges a violation of this chapter.
4. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, for any willful violation or neglect of duty or other violation of this chapter, or upon proof that a notary public has been convicted of, or entered a plea of guilty, guilty but mentally ill or nolo contendere to, a crime described in paragraph (c) of subsection 2 of NRS 240.010:
(a) The appointment of the notary public may be suspended for a period determined by the Secretary of State, but not exceeding the time remaining on the appointment;
(b) The appointment of the notary public may be revoked after a hearing; or
(c) The notary public may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $2,000 for each violation.
5. If the Secretary of State revokes or suspends the appointment of a notary public pursuant to this section, the Secretary of State shall:
(a) Notify the notary public in writing of the revocation or suspension;
(b) Cause notice of the revocation or suspension to be published on the website of the Secretary of State; and
(c) If a county clerk has issued a certificate of permission to perform marriages to the notary public pursuant to NRS 122.064, notify the county clerk of the revocation or suspension.
6. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Secretary of State may assess the civil penalty that is authorized pursuant to this section upon a notary public whose appointment has expired if the notary public committed the violation that justifies the civil penalty before his or her appointment expired. 7. The appointment of a notary public may be suspended or revoked by the Secretary of State pending a hearing if the Secretary of State believes it is in the public interest or is necessary to protect the public.
NRS 240.150