Documents excluded from online notarization, by state
Document classes the jurisdiction places outside its remote online notarization provisions — most often wills and other estate-planning instruments.
Researched from primary sources for 44 of 51 jurisdictions and last reviewed 2026-08-31. Each value links the statute, rule, or Secretary of State page it came from, and is reported as that source states it. This describes what the law says; it is not legal advice.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Document exclusions |
|---|---|---|
| AlaskaAKReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act - HB 124's notary sections (AS 44.50.060-.078, .145, .200) name no excluded document types Enrolled HB 124 (2020), Secs. 1-16 (AS 44.50.060-.078, .145, .200) |
| ArizonaAZReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act A.R.S. §41-263; A.R.S. §41-273 |
| ArkansasARReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301–314 (Electronic Notary Public Act) as read — no wills, trusts, or real-property carve-out found in the online-notarization sections Ark. Code Ann. §§ 21-14-301–314 (Electronic Notary Public Act) |
| ColoradoCOReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Records relating to the electoral process, and wills, codicils or acknowledgments under C.R.S. § 15-11-502 or § 15-11-504 (narrow electronic-wills carve-out); real estate deeds are not excluded C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5(2)(b)(summary) |
| DelawareDEReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — RULONA defines "notarial act" and "record" generically and does not carve out wills, codicils, trusts, real property, or depositions 29 Del. C. § 4316(5), (10); reviewed alongside §§ 4317, 4318, 4320, 4340 |
| District of ColumbiaDCReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act — § 1-1231.13a lists no excluded document types; 17 DCMR § 2429 ("Prohibited Acts") governs unauthorized practice of law, not document classes 17 DCMR § 2429 (Prohibited Acts); permitted remote acts at 17 DCMR § 2416.2 |
| FloridaFLReviewed 2026-08-23 | RON authorized | Solemnizing the rites of matrimony — the one act part II carves out; wills and similar documents instead get added witnessing safeguards under § 117.285 Fla. Stat. § 117.209(1) |
| HawaiiHIReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in HRS ch. 456 pt. II itself (read in full, no carve-out); but wills, codicils, and testamentary trusts fall outside Hawaii's electronic transactions law, HRS §489E-3(b)(1), which governs electronic/RON records HRS §489E-3(b)(1)(summary) |
| IdahoIDReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act S.B. 1111 (2019) full text; IDAPA 34.07.01 full text |
| IllinoisILReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — Cook County residential deeds carry an extra notarial-record requirement, not an exclusion 5 ILCS 312/6A-103(c); cf. 5 ILCS 312/3-102 |
| IowaIAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act Reviewed Iowa Code ch. 9B in full, §§9B.1–9B.31 (no document-type carve-out found); §9B.14A(11) expressly addresses real-property instruments notarized remotely |
| KansasKSReviewed 2026-08-23 | RON authorized | None named in the act — it applies to notarial acts performed on or after January 1, 2022, with no subject-matter carve-out K.S.A. 53-5a03(a) |
| KentuckyKYReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — KRS 423.310(1) lists permitted notarial acts (including depositions) with no carve-out for wills, trusts, or real property; KRS 423.435 affirmatively covers electronic real-property records KRS 423.310(1); KRS 423.435; full KRS 423.300–423.455 section list |
| LouisianaLAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Testaments/codicils; trust instruments or acknowledgments; donations inter vivos; matrimonial agreements or acknowledgments; acts modifying/waiving/extinguishing final spousal support obligations R.S. 35:623 |
| MaineMEReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | No wills/trusts/real-property carve-out found. Barred instead: absentee ballots, candidate/petition oaths, election petitions, and remote marriage solemnization. 4 M.R.S. § 1915(16)-(17) |
| MarylandMDReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act Md. Code, State Gov't § 18-214 (full section); COMAR 01.02.08.07 |
| MassachusettsMAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Records related to the electoral process, and wills or codicils; residential real-property closings must be handled by an attorney or under attorney supervision M.G.L. c. 222, § 28(summary) |
| MichiganMIReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — the prohibitions cover self-dealing and certifying originals or true copies, not document types MCL 55.286b; MCL 55.291 |
| MinnesotaMNReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in § 358.645 (read Subd. 1-14 in full; no carve-out for wills, trusts, real property, or depositions appears in the remote online notarization section) Minn. Stat. § 358.645, Subd. 1-14 (entire section) |
| MissouriMOReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | No wills/trusts/real-property/deposition carve-out found; instead the act limits ALL remote online notarial acts to only an acknowledgment or a jurat, by no other method RSMo 486.1140(summary) |
| MontanaMTReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act — §§1-5-602 (definitions), 1-5-603 (identification), and 1-5-610 (short forms), MCA, define notarial acts and records generically with no carve-out read for wills, trusts, real property, or other document classes. §§ 1-5-602, 1-5-603, 1-5-610, MCA |
| NebraskaNEReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Laws governing the creation and execution of wills, codicils, or testamentary trusts; and Uniform Commercial Code matters other than UCC Article 2 (sales) and Article 2A (leases) still require physical presence. Neb. Rev. Stat. § 64-418(2)(a)-(b) |
| NevadaNVReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act NRS 240.198(1)-(4) (read in full; no document-class carve-out appears anywhere in NRS 240.181-240.206) |
| New HampshireNHReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | Wills and estate-planning trusts fall outside the standard remote process, and may be remotely executed only where the notary is a New Hampshire-licensed attorney or a justice of the peace acting under the separate estate-document provision. RSA 456-B:2, VII(summary) |
| New JerseyNJReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Wills and codicils (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(b)); the electronic-transactions law separately keeps wills, codicils and testamentary trusts off electronic signatures N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10(b) [P.L.2021, c.179, §19.b]; also N.J.S.A. 12A:12-3(b) (UETA carve-out for wills, codicils, testamentary trusts) |
| New MexicoNMReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act NMSA 1978 § 14-14A-5 |
| New YorkNYReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None in § 135-c itself, but the record must be one that may lawfully carry an electronic signature — State Technology Law § 307 excludes wills, trusts, health-care directives and powers of attorney (with narrow exceptions) N.Y. Exec. Law § 135-c(4)(a)(i), (10); N.Y. State Technology Law § 307(1)(summary) |
| North CarolinaNCReviewed 2026-08-24 | Out-of-state notary path | RON (not live) bars self-proved wills, trusts (except certs), codicils, parental-rights docs, absentee ballots (G.S. 10B-134.3(c)). EVN bars only absentee ballots (G.S. 10B-25(a)). G.S. 10B-134.3(c); G.S. 10B-25(a)(summary) |
| North DakotaNDReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act — N.D.C.C. ch. 44-06.1 and §44-06.1-13.1 apply generally to all notarial acts, with no carve-out for wills, trusts, real property, or depositions N.D.C.C. ch. 44-06.1 (full chapter reviewed, including § 44-06.1-13.1) |
| OhioOHReviewed 2026-08-23 | RON authorized | Depositions — an online notary may not take or certify a deposition as an online notarization R.C. 147.64(A)(3) |
| OklahomaOKReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in 49 O.S. §§ 201-214; the Act separately bars notaries from performing shorthand-reporter functions (testimony, transcripts), not any document type 49 O.S. § 201(B) |
| OregonORReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act ORS 194.205 to 194.440, reviewed in full (194.225, 194.277, 194.300, 194.350, 194.400 in particular) — no document-class carve-out found |
| PennsylvaniaPAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — Chapter 3 applies to every notarial act performed after its effective date 57 Pa.C.S. § 303 (Applicability); Chapter 3 generally |
| Rhode IslandRIReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act — the remote-notarization section and the Prohibited Acts section list no wills/trusts/real-property/deposition carve-outs R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42-30.1-12.1(b), 42-30.1-18 |
| South CarolinaSCReviewed 2026-08-23 | Restricted | Wills and trusts (the chapter does not apply to them), and the separate S.C. requirement that a licensed attorney supervise a real-estate closing is left untouched S.C. Code Ann. §§ 26-2-200, 26-2-210 |
| TennesseeTNReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the Online Notary Public Act (TCA 8-16-301 to 313) or its rules (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. ch. 1360-07-03) - no document-type carve-outs found T.C.A. §§ 8-16-301 to 8-16-313 (entire part reviewed); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. ch. 1360-07-03 (entire chapter reviewed) |
| TexasTXReviewed 2026-08-23 | RON authorized | None named in ch. 406 itself — other Texas law adds formalities for some documents (an attested will, for example, involves witnesses signing in the testator's presence under Estates Code § 251.051) Tex. Est. Code § 251.051 |
| UtahUTReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act Utah Code § 46-1-6 (Powers and limitations); §§ 46-1-2, 46-1-3.5 to 46-1-3.7, 46-1-13 to 46-1-16 read in full |
| VermontVTReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act. § 5379 (remote notarization) and § 5305 (exemptions) contain no carve-out for wills, trusts, real property, or other document types 26 V.S.A. § 5379; § 5305 |
| VirginiaVAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — the Powers and Prohibitions sections restrict conduct, not document types Va. Code §§ 47.1-12, 47.1-15 |
| WashingtonWAReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | None named in the act — the only bar is the notary's own conflict of interest RCW ch. 42.45 (full chapter, read in full 2026-08-24); RCW 42.45.020(2)(a)-(b) |
| West VirginiaWVReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act W. Va. Code §39-4-37 and §39-4-38, full text reviewed |
| WisconsinWIReviewed 2026-08-24 | RON authorized | Wills/codicils/testamentary trusts; living trusts/trust amendments for personal use; powers of attorney (except a limited financial POA for a real estate transaction); marital property agreements; health-care POAs, living wills, and health-information-use authorizations — these instead require the separate attorney-supervised procedure in § 140.147 Wis. Stat. § 140.145(10)(summary) |
| WyomingWYReviewed 2026-08-31 | RON authorized | None named in the act — the act permits remote online notarization for any notarial act (W.S. 32-3-111(k)) W.S. 32-3-111(k) |
Not researched for this requirement
We have not established this value from a primary source for the following. That is a gap in our research, not a finding that the jurisdiction has no rule.
Compare another requirement
- In force sinceThe date the jurisdiction's remote online notarization provisions took effect, and the act that produced them.
- Identity verificationHow a remotely located signer's identity must be established: personal knowledge, credible witness, or credential analysis plus knowledge-based authentication.
- Signer locationWhere the signer may physically be during the session, including the conditions most states attach to signing from outside the United States.
- Notary fee capThe maximum a notary may charge per remote notarial act, where the jurisdiction sets one. This is the notary's statutory fee, not a platform price.
- Record retentionHow long the audio-visual recording and the notary's journal must be kept, and by whom.
All requirements side by side on the full comparison table, or download the CSV and JSON.