Maine Notary Fee Limits

Maine Has No Standard Fee Cap

Most states publish a statutory fee schedule that caps what a notary can charge per signature or per act. Maine doesn't. The state allows notaries to set their own "reasonable" fees for acknowledgments, jurats, oaths, and other standard notarial acts. There's no per-signature maximum and no state-mandated rate card.

The single exception is noting a protested negotiable instrument — a banking-era holdover that caps the fee at $1.25 per protest. For every other notarial act you'll perform in modern practice, the fee is yours to determine.

The Written Disclosure Requirement

The freedom to set your own fees comes with a compliance obligation that trips up new notaries: you must disclose your fee to the signer in writing before performing the notarization, and you must obtain their express written agreement to that fee before proceeding.

This isn't optional. The Secretary of State recommends publishing a clear, printed fee schedule that you can provide to every client before the appointment begins. A one-page rate card covering your standard acts — acknowledgments, jurats, oaths, copy certifications by affidavit — satisfies the requirement and prevents disputes.

Failing to disclose fees in advance doesn't just create client friction. It can form the basis of a complaint to the Secretary of State, potentially putting your commission at risk.

What Other Maine Notaries Charge

Without a state-published rate, new notaries often have no frame of reference for pricing. Industry surveys and notary association data suggest these ranges for Maine:

• Standard acknowledgment or jurat: $5 to $15 per signature
• Oaths and affirmations: $5 to $10
• Mobile/travel notarization: $25 to $75 per appointment (travel fee plus per-signature charges)
• Loan signing packages: $75 to $200 per closing, depending on document volume and travel distance
• Remote online notarization: $25 to $50 per session (platform fees are separate overhead)

These are market rates, not legal limits. You can charge more or less depending on your market, your specialization, and the complexity of the appointment.

Setting Fees for Mobile and Signing Agent Work

Mobile notaries and loan signing agents in Maine have the widest pricing latitude. Because you're traveling to the client's location — sometimes across rural distances that Maine's geography makes unavoidable — a travel component on top of per-signature fees is standard practice.

When structuring mobile fees, separate the travel charge from the notarial fee in your written disclosure. This makes the breakdown transparent and helps clients understand what they're paying for. Title companies and signing services that contract with you may set their own fee schedules for loan closings, which you can accept or negotiate independently.

Remote Online Notarization Fees

RON sessions carry platform overhead that traditional in-person acts don't — subscription costs, per-transaction fees from your approved technology provider, and the storage costs of mandatory 10-year audio-visual recordings. Factor these into your RON pricing.

Because RON removes the geographic constraint on the signer's location, you're competing with notaries across the state and potentially across state lines (for documents that don't require Maine-specific notarization). Market your RON fees competitively while accounting for your actual platform costs.

Best Practices for Fee Transparency

The simplest compliance approach is a printed or digital fee schedule that covers every act you perform. Include it in your initial client communication, display it at your signing location, and attach it to your online booking system if you use one.

Your fee schedule should list each notarial act by name, the per-signature or per-act charge, any travel or mobile service fees, and the payment methods you accept. When a client contacts you, confirm the fee in writing — email works — before scheduling the appointment.

The Maine Notary Commission Requirements Guide includes a fee disclosure template and covers the full scope of Maine's notarial acts, helping you build a compliant rate card from day one.

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