Pennsylvania does not let a notary decide what to charge. The maximum fee for every notarial act is fixed by the Department of State, which makes this one of the few professional services in the state with a published price ceiling.
That is good news if you know the numbers. Here they are, along with the charges that legitimately sit outside the cap.
The current fee schedule
| Notarial act | Maximum fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Taking an acknowledgment — first individual | $5.00 | Confirming you signed willingly and understood the document |
| Taking an acknowledgment — each additional name | $2.00 | Every further signer on the same document |
| Administering an oath or affirmation | $5.00 | Swearing you in |
| Taking a verification on oath or affirmation | $5.00 | Affidavits and sworn statements |
| Witnessing or attesting a signature | $5.00 | The notary watches you sign |
| Certifying or attesting a copy | $5.00 | Confirming a copy matches the original |
| Noting a protest of a negotiable instrument | $3.00 | Rare, mostly commercial |
| Electronic or remote notarization | Up to $20.00 additional | Surcharge per act, on top of the fee above |
These are ceilings, not set prices. A notary may charge less, and some waive the fee entirely for customers using another service at the same time. What none of them may do is charge more.
The detail most people miss: fees follow names
An acknowledgment is $5 for the first individual and $2 for each additional name. That is per name, not per document and not per page.
A forty-page trust signed by one person is $5. A one-page letter signed by four people is $11. The length of the document is irrelevant.
What a real appointment costs
| Situation | Notarial acts | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| One document, one signer | 1 acknowledgment | $5.00 |
| One document, two signers | 1 acknowledgment + 1 additional name | $7.00 |
| Affidavit, one signer | 1 verification on oath | $5.00 |
| Power of attorney, one grantor | 1 acknowledgment | $5.00 |
| Vehicle title, buyer and seller | Acknowledgments for both parties | $7.00 |
| Three separate documents, one signer | 3 acknowledgments | $15.00 |
| Copy certification | 1 certified copy | $5.00 |
For most people walking into our Bethlehem notary office, the notarial fee is five or seven dollars. It is genuinely one of the cheapest professional services you will buy.
The charges that sit outside the cap
Notaries may charge clerical or administrative fees for work connected to the notarial act — copying, postage, telephone calls, and travel. These are not set by the Department, so they are not capped.
Two rules apply. They must be customary and reasonable for the area and the service, and you must be told about them before the notarization takes place.
| Charge | Capped by the state? | Must be disclosed first? |
|---|---|---|
| The notarial act itself | Yes | Not required, but always shown |
| Photocopying | No | Yes |
| Postage and courier | No | Yes |
| Travel to your location | No | Yes |
| Electronic or remote surcharge | Yes — $20 maximum | Yes |
| Agent fee for PennDOT paperwork | No — a separate service | Yes |
Mobile notaries and travel
A mobile notary comes to you — a hospital, a care home, a workplace, or your kitchen table. The notarial act is still capped at $5, but the travel is a separate, uncapped charge.
Expect the travel component to be the larger number, and ask for it up front. There is nothing improper about it, but “customary and reasonable” is a real standard, and a quote that seems wildly out of line usually is.
Online notarization and the $20 surcharge
Remote online notarization has been permanently legal in Pennsylvania since Act 97 of 2020. Electronic and remote notaries may add up to $20 per notarial act.
Whether that is worth it depends entirely on the document — and on one significant exception. Vehicle titles cannot be notarized remotely, because PennDOT requires wet ink and a physical stamp. We covered that in detail in our guide to Pennsylvania’s notary requirement for car titles.
Where title transfers get more expensive
People often assume a title transfer carries a big notary bill. It does not — the notarization is $7 for two parties. The cost sits in the state fees around it.
On a $12,000 private sale you are looking at $72 for the title, $720 in sales tax, $48 for registration, plus the agent’s processing fee. The $7 notarial charge is rounding. Our full breakdown of Pennsylvania title transfer costs lays out every line.
How to spot an overcharge
- A per-page notarial fee. Page count is not a basis for charging.
- More than $5 for a standard acknowledgment, with no explanation of what the extra covers.
- Undisclosed travel or clerical charges appearing only when you pay.
- A remote surcharge above $20 per act.
- Charging for legal advice. A notary cannot give it, so it cannot be billed.
If something looks wrong, ask for the charges itemised. A notary operating properly will have no difficulty separating the capped notarial fee from any clerical costs. The current schedule is published by the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Before you come in, it is worth checking what to bring to a Pennsylvania notary appointment — the wrong identification costs more in wasted time than the fee ever will.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a notary legally charge in Pennsylvania?
The Department of State fixes the maximum per notarial act: $5 for taking an acknowledgment from the first individual and $2 for each additional name, $5 for administering an oath or affirmation, $5 for a verification on oath or affirmation, $5 for witnessing or attesting a signature, $5 for certifying a copy, and $3 for noting a protest.
Is the fee per document or per signature?
Per act, and for acknowledgments it scales by name. One document signed by one person is $5. The same document signed by two people is $7 — $5 for the first name and $2 for the second. Page count does not affect the fee.
Can a notary charge more than the schedule?
No. A notary public may not charge or receive a notary fee in excess of the fees fixed by the Department. They may charge separate clerical or administrative costs, but those are a different category and must be disclosed to you beforehand.
Are mobile notary travel fees legal in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Travel is treated as a clerical or administrative cost rather than a notarial fee, so it is not capped by the schedule. It must be customary and reasonable for the area, and you must be told about it before the notarization takes place.
Why is an online notarization more expensive?
Electronic and remote notaries may charge an additional fee of up to $20 per notarial act performed with respect to electronic records or using communication technology. That surcharge covers the platform, identity proofing, and recording requirements.
Does a car title transfer cost more to notarize?
The notarial act itself is charged at the same capped rate. What makes a title transfer more expensive is everything around it — the $72 state title fee, sales tax, registration, and the agent’s separate processing fee.
Need something notarized in Bethlehem?
Straightforward, capped pricing and no surprises. Walk in during business hours, or call ahead if you have several signers. Hablamos Español.