Who owns a notary's seal and journal if the journal contains public records?

• A. The employer
• B. The notary public
• C. The notary public, regardless of who paid for the commission
• D. The state

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that the notary’s seal and journal belong to the notary themselves. In Arizona, the notary public is the official custodian of their own seal and of their notarial journal. Even if the journal contains public records of notarial acts, ownership of the seal and the journal does not transfer to an employer or to the state. The state licenses and oversees notaries, but it does not own the tools or the official records created by the notary. An employer might fund the commission or provide work, but the notary remains the owner of the seal and the journal, and is responsible for maintaining and securing them. That’s why the correct answer is that the notary public owns them, regardless of who paid for the commission.