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CALIFORNIA NOTARY PUBLIC · LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Filing Day
Everything required to convert the commission into an active, working notary. One page. Bring it to the counter.
—
days until your appointment
Monday, August 10, 2026 · 1:15 PM
Norwalk · 12400 Imperial Hwy · Booking J1O1EU6EFH
21 days of buffer before the Aug 31 deadline
Commission Number
2563256
Bond Number
108406828005
Aug 1, 2026 → Jul 31, 2030 · LA County
✅ FOLDER IS COMPLETE — verified Aug 4
Certificate of Authorization · both Oath of Office forms · commission #2563256 · bond #108406828005 issued. The only item still in transit is the paper bond.
If it has not arrived by Friday Aug 7, call the surety with the bond number and have them overnight it. You have the number, so they can reissue or expedite — you are not waiting on an unknown.
And the seal can be ordered today — it does not wait on Monday. See the supplies section.
✅ THE GIG CONFLICT — solved
The original 8:30 AM slot collided head-on with your $100 Monday route. Moving to 1:15 PM keeps both: run the route, come home, sleep, then file. Nothing lost, and you show up rested instead of thirty hours awake — which matters on a day you're swearing a legal oath.
Still true: 1-hour cancellation policy, appointment-only office. Missing 1:15 doesn't cost $48 — it costs the next available slot.
Status: PENDING — not yet confirmed. The county still has to confirm and send an email. If you don't have a confirmation by Thursday Aug 6, call (800) 201-8999 — verify J1O1EU6EFH is on their calendar AND that the old 8:30 booking is fully cancelled. An unconfirmed booking is not an appointment.
The part nobody tells you: the four-year term started August 1 and runs to July 31, 2030 no matter when you file. The clock does not begin at the counter — it began on the commencement date. Every day you wait is a day of commission life you paid for and can't use.
You booked Aug 10, which banks 1,451 working days instead of the 1,430 you'd have gotten filing on the 31st. That's three extra weeks of commission life for the price of one phone call made on the right morning.
And if the 30 days lapse — the commission is void. No extension, no appeal, no hardship exception. You retake the exam, refile the application, and pay everything again.
The Sequence — where you are right now
✓
Done · Jun 13
Pass the state examScore 70. College of the Redwoods, Eureka.
✓
Done · Jul 7
Live Scan fingerprintsATI B188FIJ966. DOJ and FBI both cleared.
✓
Done · Aug 1
Commission issued#2563256. Verified on the SOS active-notary roster.
✓
Done · Aug 3
$15,000 surety bond issuedBond #108406828005. Number confirmed by phone with the surety — the bond exists on their books, only the paper is in transit.
✓
Done · Aug 4
Norwalk appointment bookedMon Aug 10,
1:15 PM. Booking J1O1EU6EFH. Moved off the original 8:30 slot to protect the $100 Monday route. Bond number was required to reserve it.
6
← YOU ARE HERE · Aug 4–9
Three things before MondayConfirm the booking left PENDING status · block Sunday night from gig work · verify the Certificate of Authorization is in the SOS envelope.
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When the bond lands
Do NOT sign the oathIt is
administered by the clerk — you raise your hand, get sworn in, then sign in their presence. Bring both copies blank. A pre-signed oath can be rejected and replaced with a fresh form.
8
Mon Aug 10, 1:15 PM
File oath + record bond$48, pay in person. You walk out commissioned with 1,451 days of term remaining.
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Today — do not wait for Monday
Order seal + journalYou have the original Certificate of Authorization, which is the only gate. Mail it tracked to an SOS-authorized manufacturer today and the seal arrives about when you're commissioned instead of a week behind.
Monday Morning — the run sheet
LA County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk
12400 Imperial Highway, Norwalk, CA 90650
Monday, Aug 10 · 1:15 PM · Booking J1O1EU6EFH
(800) 201-8999
Directions
| Time | What |
|---|
| Sun night | Gig as normal. No conflict now. |
| Sun, before bed | Pack the folder. Not Monday — you'll be too tired to think straight. |
| Mon AM | Run the $100 route. This was the whole point of moving the time. |
| ~9:00 AM | Home. |
| 9:30 AM | Sleep. Alarm at noon — set two. |
| 12:15 PM | Out the door. Midday is lighter than 8 AM, but Imperial Hwy is never empty. |
| 1:00 PM | On site. Parking and finding the right counter eats more time than you'd think. |
| 1:15 PM | Oath administered. Bond recorded. $48 in person. |
| After | Photograph the filed oath and recorded bond before you leave the parking lot. |
Two questions worth asking when you call to confirm: (1) Do they take card, or cash/check only? (2) Does the bond need to be the original with the raised seal? Counter policy varies, and a wrong answer on either is the most common reason people get turned away and have to rebook.
What Goes In The Folder
Tap to check off. Saves on this device.
✓
Original $15,000 surety bond — #108406828005Signed by you where indicated. Do NOT fold it into eighths — bring it flat in a folder. Creased bonds get rejected at recording. If it has not arrived by Fri Aug 7, call the surety and ask them to overnight it.
✓
Both Oath of Office forms — UNSIGNED✅ In hand. Two copies is normal: the county keeps one, you keep one as proof of timely filing. Do not sign, date, or fill in anything. The clerk administers the oath and directs you.
✓
Certificate of Authorization + full SOS packet✅ Certificate located. Do not leave it at the counter — you need it to order the seal afterward. Bring the whole envelope, not just the pages you think you need.
✓
Photo IDCA driver's license. Name must match the commission exactly — Jermaine Fields.
✓
$60 cash + a cardCounty quoted $48, pay in person. Bring margin on top of it.
✓
Booking confirmation emailBooking J1O1EU6EFH. The original 8:30 booking Q7TP599B57 was replaced — verify only one shows in their system. Status is PENDING; confirm it flipped.
✓
This page, on your phoneCommission number and fee breakdown, one tap away at the counter.
The Fees — straight from the county schedule
| Item | Amount |
|---|
| Registration fee | $23.00 (clerk's fee $16 + filing fee $7) |
| Bond recording — first page | $20.00 |
| Bond recording — each add'l page | $3.00 |
| County quoted you | $48.00 — pay in person, charged after the appointment |
The $48 the county quoted is $5 above the published $43 single-page figure, which means they are recording your bond as a two-page document plus change, or adding a small handling item. Not worth a phone call — just bring more than $48. Cash covers a card system that's down; a card covers a fee that came in higher.
Supplies — order after filing, not before
✅ Order the seal NOW — you do not have to wait for Monday. The only gate is the original Certificate of Authorization, and you have it. Nothing requires the oath to be filed first. Ordering today means the seal lands right around when you're commissioned instead of a week behind it.
Do not bring the certificate to Norwalk. The county wants the oath and the bond. The certificate goes to the seal manufacturer.
Ordering the seal — the four rules
| # | Rule |
|---|
| 1 | SOS-authorized manufacturer only. Their assigned vendor ID gets imprinted on your seal — an unauthorized vendor produces an invalid stamp. |
| 2 | They need the ORIGINAL certificate by mail. Not a scan, not a copy. The manufacturer must examine the original for authenticity before releasing the seal. Nothing ships until it lands on their desk. |
| 3 | Photograph both sides before you mail it, and send it tracked. If it's lost you're requesting a replacement from Sacramento and waiting on the mail twice. |
| 4 | Proof the imprint data character by character. A seal with a typo is a seal you buy twice. |
Exactly what must appear on the seal — check the proof against this:
Name: Jermaine Fields — must match the commission exactly
Commission number: 2563256
Expiration: July 31, 2030
County: Los Angeles — the county where the oath and bond are filed, which is Norwalk
Plus the State Seal, the words "Notary Public," and the manufacturer's SOS vendor ID.
Order the journal in the same cart. No certificate required for it, and you'll want both in hand the day you're commissioned. A notary with a filed oath and no journal still can't legally work.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|
| Self-inking seal | ~$17 | Trodat 4913 or equivalent. Requires Certificate of Authorization. |
| Sequential journal | ~$12 | Must be bound with numbered pages. One active journal at a time — no exceptions. |
| Inkless thumbprint pad | ~$10 | Not optional for loan work. See below. |
| E&O insurance | Hold | Not required by the state. Confirm what Snapdocs / LSS actually require before buying — most signing platforms want $25K, some want $100K. Buying the wrong tier twice is a waste. |
Why the thumbprint pad is non-negotiable for you specifically: California law requires a journal thumbprint whenever you notarize a deed, quitclaim deed, deed of trust, other document affecting real property, or a power of attorney. That is essentially every document in a loan signing package. Skipping it isn't a technicality — it's the violation that gets commissions suspended.
The Day After You File
1
Photograph everythingThe filed oath, the recorded bond, the receipt. Into Drive, same day. Paper gets lost; this is your proof of timely filing.
2
Log the expensesAll of it — bond, filing fees, seal, journal, mileage to Norwalk and back. Startup costs for the notary business, deductible. Add to the 2026 tax log.
3
Then and only then, apply to signing platformsSnapdocs, Loan Signing System, NotaryDash. They ask for the commission number, the bond, and the E&O policy. Applying before you're filed wastes the application.
4
Connect it to the MLO licenseThis is the real leverage. You are one of the few people who can originate the loan and understand every page of the package at the signing table. Most notaries are reading those documents for the first time. You aren't.
Fees and appointment policy verified against the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk fee schedule, August 2026. Thumbprint and sequential journal requirements per California Government Code §8206. Seal authorization requirement per California Secretary of State. Filing window per Government Code §8213 — 30 days from the commencement of the term.