Notary Services

Richland Library offers notary services to the general public for free. Library cards are not required to access notary services.

These services are available at all Richland Library locations; however, customers will need to call a library location ahead in order to ensure that a notary is available prior to visiting. Notary services are not available in the sixty (60) minutes prior to the time of closing.

Richland Library reserves the right to limit the number of notarizations library notaries perform for each customer. Staff availability may limit the number of documents that can be signed or the amount of time Richland Library notaries can spend with customers.

What You Need to Bring

  • The person(s) who need to sign the document. All signers must be present.
  • Completed, but unsigned, original documents to be notarized.
  • Valid, government-issued state or federal photo identification. We cannot accept a picture or a copy of an ID, or an ID that is out of date.
  • Any witnesses required. It is ideal that witnesses be personally known to the individual whose documents are being notarized. All witnesses must bring a valid photo ID as described above. Customers are not allowed to ask other library customers or staff to serve as their witnesses.

Documents the Library Cannot Notarize

  • Real estate closings.
  • Documents that are not in English.
  • Any documents that are blank or incomplete.
  • Photographs or photocopies of official documents. However, the holder of the document can sign an affidavit certifying authenticity, which a notary can then notarize.
  • Post- or pre-dated documents.
  • Documents signed with a signature other than the one on their valid, government issued state or federal ID. The signature on the document must match the name on the ID exactly.
  • Copies of birth, death, or marriage certificates.

Library Notary Guidelines

Richland Library will abide by all policies and procedures outlined in the Notary Public Manual for South Carolina.

Notaries public are public officers whose main purpose is to prevent fraud in the execution of documents. The duties and acts performed by notaries public in the state of South Carolina are defined in Title 26, Chapter 1 of S.C. Code of Laws.

Notaries public must refuse to notarize documents for anyone they feel is under duress, lacking understanding of what they are signing, intoxicated, or otherwise unable to make informed decisions for themselves.

Notaries public cannot offer legal advice. Richland Library notaries cannot give advice about a document a customer needs, recommend the type of notarization required, nor offer an opinion about the legality or effect of a document.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What do notaries do? Notaries public are public officers whose main purpose is to prevent fraud in the execution of documents. Notaries witness the signing of important documents and verify the identity of the signer(s), their willingness to sign the documents, and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction. Notarizing a document is not a way to enforce documents, make them more official, or state that anything in them is true.
  • Why do I have to complete the document, but not sign the document before I get the library? Notaries are public officers whose main purpose is to prevent fraud in the execution of documents. Notaries public cannot notarize documents that are blank or incomplete and they must watch you sign the document in front of them. Everyone who is to sign the document (principals and witnesses) must meet with the notary in person. Customers cannot sign for somebody who is absent or deceased.
  • Why do I need to bring a valid state or federal ID when I get a document notarized? The notary must have satisfactory evidence of the identity of those (principals and witnesses) signing the document. A current identification document (state ID, driver’s license, or passport) issued by a federal or state agency provides this evidence. We cannot accept a picture or photocopy of an ID, or an ID that is out of date. The signature on the document must match the name on the ID exactly.
  • Why do I need to bring my own witnesses? Ideally, witnesses should be personally known to the individual whose documents are being notarized. If a judge ever needs to speak to witnesses, library staff will not be able to answer questions about that individual. Customers are not allowed to ask other library customers to serve as their witnesses. All witnesses must provide a current valid photo ID.
  • Do you perform marriages? Yes, Richland Library notaries may perform marriages although our spaces cannot be used for social gatherings. You must have already obtained a South Carolina marriage license to be married by a notary. The marriage license has three copies and an envelope; you will bring all three with you and all three will be signed by both parties and notarized. The notary will send two of the copies in the envelope back for filing. Both parties getting married must be present at the same time. The Richland Library Meeting Room Policy and Code of Conduct apply.
  • Can you notarize school residency forms? Local school districts require the parents or guardians of students to register children for school every year. If a parent or guardian’s name is not on a mortgage or lease, there are residency forms that must be notarized. They need to be signed both by the parents or guardian and by somebody whose name does appear on the mortgage or lease of the residence. These are two separate forms and do not need to be notarized at the same time, but to complete these forms both a parent or guardian and an owner or lessee will have to appear in person before a notary. This paperwork cannot be completed by a parent alone.
  • Can you notarize a loan modification? Yes, we can notarize a loan modification since it does not fall under the attorney requirement.