Notary Service

Basic notary services are available at all 3 DPLS locations (Defiance Public, Sherwood Branch, & Johnson Memorial libraries) at no cost. Use the links below to make an appointment, or call the library. Walk-ins will be assisted based on staff availability.

Policy

• All persons signing the document must appear in person with a valid form of identification. Acceptable forms of identification are:

• • • 1. A current passport from any country, written in a language the Notary can read;
      2. A valid driver’s license from any state in the United States;
      3. A valid non-driver’s photo identification card issued by any state in the United States; or
      4. A United States Military identification card

• The document to be notarized must be completely filled out, leaving no blanks other than where the customer will sign. Notaries may not notarize any document with blank spaces.
• Documents must be signed in the presence of a notary to be valid (ORC Section 147). Do not sign your documents beforehand.
• The Library System’s free notary service is intended for simple documents that do not require specialized expertise.
• The Library System provides only basic Notary Public Services and is not able to notarize more than 3 documents per visit.
• Witnesses will not be provided by the library and witnesses may not be solicited from patrons using the library. To serve as a witness, the witness must personally know the person whose document is being notarized and must be in possession of a valid photo identification.
• Neither the notary nor Defiance Public Library System are liable for mistakes made in the notarized document.

Documents we will not notarize:

• Real estate transactions including mortgage and housing refinance documents, including Quit Claim Deeds.
• Employment eligibility verification, Homeland Security I-9 Forms
• Auto titles
• Electronic Documents
• Items where the notarization oath is not written in English (and no written English translation is provided) unless the Notary is fluent in that language.

Exceptions may be made at the discretion of a manager or the director.

Last Will & Testaments do not need to be notarized in Ohio. They do require two people to witness the testator’s signature.

The Library System reserves the right to refuse notarizing documents for any reason. We reserve the right to decline services in cases that raise any issue of authenticity, ambiguity, or doubt.

Please note:

• In the State of Ohio, notaries cannot certify documents. We cannot certify copies of passports, driver’s licenses, birth certificates, marriages, death certificates, divorce, or naturalization certificates. Notaries public can notarize a statement by the individual that the photocopy is indeed a copy of the original document. This is not the same thing as a certified copy.
• No legal advice or assistance filling out forms is provided. Please contact an attorney for legal advice. 

Approved by the DPLS Board of Trustees 12.15.21