Free, basic notary services are available during regular hours at the Main Library, Bellville, and  Madison locations, by appointment. 

Notary service is not available on Sundays.

Please call the location to make an appointment which will ensure a Notary is available and to confirm that we are able to notarize the type of documents that you plan to bring with you. 

Guidelines and Rules

• There is a limit of 3 documents per appointment. 
• Appointments can not be made later than one hour prior to closing so that we have adequate time to process the paperwork.
• The Library’s free notary service is intended for simple documents that do not require specialized expertise.
• Notaries adhere to the Ohio Revised Code: Section 147. Ohio law requires that the person signing the document to be notarized must appear in person and present identification. The document must be presented in its entirety. The document to be notarized must be filled out in its entirety and must have no blank spaces. 
• Ohio law requires that the notary and the customer seeking notarization be able to communicate directly with each other and with witnesses.  The Library is not permitted to make use of a translator to communicate with a notary service customer. At this time our Notary staff speak English only. 

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, coercion, ambiguity, or doubt.

Neither the notary nor Mansfield Richland County Public Library System are liable for mistakes made in the notarized document.

Please read below to ensure your appointment goes smoothly. 

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

A current passport from any country, written in a language the Notary can read;

A valid driver’s license from any state in the United States;

A valid non-driver’s photo identification card issued by any state in the United States; or

A United States Military identification card

NOTE: Photocopies or pictures of identification cards are not acceptable. 

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.

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.

No legal advice or assistance filling out forms is provided. Please contact an attorney for legal advice. 

We do not notarize:

I-9s for employment (this is not a notarized document)

Real estate documents (mortgages, refinances, etc)

Auto/boat titles

Statements of consent for passports 

Wills (these are not notarized in Ohio, they only need Witnesses)

Estates/Living Wills/Significant Powers of Attorney 

Copy Certifications

Other Information:

In the State of Ohio, notaries cannot certify documents.  Notaries cannot legally 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.

Due to limited resources, notary services are for individuals only. No business documents are accepted for notary service, nor will notary services be performed for any business organization.

We can not notarize individuals signing as a Power of Attorney for someone else.