City Clerk > Notary Services

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Change in Notary Services

The City of Poulsbo will no longer be offering notary services to the public, effective May 1. This decision has been made due to increasing concerns about the personal liability faced by our notaries. Under Washington State law, notaries can be held personally liable for errors, omissions, or negligence in performing notarizations. This includes the potential for lawsuits related to improper notarizations, which can result in significant financial loss. As a result, the City of Poulsbo will limit notary services to only those documents generated by the City itself. Our notaries will no longer be able to notarize documents outside of this scope, including those that may be unfamiliar or outside our jurisdiction. We encourage residents to seek alternative notary services for personal or business-related documents. There are many qualified notaries available through local businesses, banks, and legal offices. You can also find a notary searching online for notary publics in Kitsap County. We appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the legal and financial responsibilities of our staff. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact the City Clerk’s office at 360-394-9880 or cityclerks@cityofpoulsbo.com.

Notary Service is offered Monday & Wednesday thru Friday by appointment, typically from 9am – 3:30pm (schedule subject to change) in the City Clerk’s Department. Effective January 19, 2022, notary services are not available Tuesdays.

CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE A NOTARY APPOINTMENT

Helpful Information:

Please note that not all notary services are performed at City Hall typically because the document lacks or does not contain a standard notary block. We cannot prepare notary documents on your behalf, nor offer legal advice. For more information, see

RCW Chapter 42.44, Notaries Public

These types of requests may not be accommodated:

• real estate transactions involving more than 4 notarized signatures;
• complex wills or estate documents involving more than 4 notarized signatures;
• documents with a notary block in a foreign language;
• I-9 Employment Eligibility Verifications; and
• blank documents, documents with blank spaces, and documents without notarial wording;
• birth certificates – only a representative of the custodian of birth records is legally able to authenticate a copy of a birth certificate;
• marriage licenses – if you need a verified copy of your marriage license you need to order a certified copy from the county clerk’s office in the county where you were married.

True & Correct Copies:

Notary services for true and correct copies will only be performed for City-related business documents. Check the Yellow Pages or search the internet for other notary locations in the area for these services.

Witness Signatures:

Customers requiring witness signatures before a notary public must provide their own witnesses at the time of notarization. In the case of witnesses for a will, the witnesses cannot be named in the will. The individual whose document is being notarized must personally know the witness and valid photo identification must be provided.

Fees:

Items required for notarization:

Government issued Picture ID
Unsigned Document with notary statement on it
Witnesses (if required)
Fees