The most useful thing a notary can tell you is often what they are not allowed to do. The limits are written into Washington law, and they are narrower than most people expect.
We cannot draft your document or advise you on it
Washington’s prohibited-acts statute is direct about it. A notary public may not assist a person in drafting legal records, give legal advice, or otherwise practice law. A notary who is not an attorney also may not accept compensation for doing any of those things.
So when you ask which form you need, whether your lease covers a situation, or how to word a clause, we are not permitted to answer, and guessing would not help you. Those are questions for an attorney.
We cannot choose your certificate
This one catches people out because it seems so small. The statute prohibits a notary from assisting another person in selecting the appropriate certificate. An acknowledgment and a jurat are not interchangeable, one confirms you acknowledged signing, the other that you swore the contents were true, and picking between them is a legal decision.
If your document already contains notarial wording, we complete it. If it contains none, ask the drafter or the receiving party which one they require. We can explain the difference between the two, but we cannot choose for you.
Required disclosure: “I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in this state. I am not allowed to draft legal records, give advice on legal matters, including immigration, or charge a fee for those activities.”
We cannot notarize a signature we did not witness
If the document arrives already signed, in most cases the signer needs to sign again in front of us. This is not bureaucracy for its own sake, the entire value of the notarial act is that an impartial person watched it happen. Do not sign in advance unless the receiving party has specifically told you to.
We cannot notarize for a signer who is not present, or not willing
Every signer appears before the notary, in person or in a compliant remote session. A spouse cannot sign for a spouse. A daughter cannot sign for a father, however sensible the arrangement is, unless she holds a power of attorney and signs in that capacity.
And if a signer appears to be under pressure, or cannot say what they are signing, we stop. Checking that is part of the job.
We cannot keep your original, or copies of it
A notary may not withhold access to or possession of an original record you provided. Nor may a notary keep copies of your notarized documents, unless they are an attorney or limited license legal technician holding them for client work. Your paperwork leaves with you.
What we are for
We verify identity against acceptable ID, confirm the signer is aware and willing, witness the signature, administer oaths where needed, complete the certificate correctly, and record the act in our journal. We turn up where and when we said we would, at a fee published in advance.
It is a narrow job, and doing it properly is the whole value of it.