GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1983 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 427

SENATE BILL 49

 

AN ACT RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF NOTARIES PUBLIC.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  Chapter 10 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section following G.S. 10-1 to read:

"Sec. 10-1.1. Requirements for appointment.-(a) To be eligible for appointment as a notary public a person shall:

(1)       Apply for appointment on a form to be provided by the Secretary of State to be made available at the office of the Register of Deeds of each county.

(2)       Be 18 years of age or older and registered to vote in the State of North Carolina.

(3)       Possess a high school diploma or its equivalent.

(4)       Obtain a recommendation as to character and fitness from one publicly elected official in North Carolina.

(5)       Satisfactorily complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State which shall consist of not less than three hours nor more than six hours of classroom instruction; except that practicing attorneys at law shall be exempt from this requirement. Local bar associations shall be qualified to teach or conduct a course of instruction upon authorization by the Secretary of State.

(6)       Purchase a manual approved by the Secretary of State that describes the duties, authority and ethical responsibilities of notaries public.

(b)       The Secretary of State may waive the requirements in subdivisions (a)(3), (a)(4), (a)(5), and (a)(6) of this section when a person applies for a second or subsequent commission."

Sec. 2.  G.S. 10-1 is amended by inserting between the second and third sentences of the second paragraph thereof the following sentence: "The Secretary of State may revoke the commission of a notary who in the performance of his duties fails to comply with the laws of the State."

Sec. 3.  This act shall become effective October 1, 1983.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 3rd day of June, 1983.