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SB 139UTAHSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Utah enacts mandatory notary journal requirements and criminal penalties for unauthorized tampering

Original title: Notary Amendments

Last action · March 17, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Cal Musselman and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Utah requires notaries who receive commissions on or after May 6, 2026, to maintain physical or electronic journals of all notarial acts, establishes a 10-year retention rule, and makes unauthorized interference with notary supplies a class B misdemeanor.

Why it matters

New notaries must purchase and maintain secure bound or electronic journals, retain them for a decade after the final entry, and immediately report lost items or unlawful tampering to law enforcement and the lieutenant governor.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Notaries public

Must maintain detailed bound or electronic journals, retain records for 10 years, and report lost supplies or unlawful interference.

Directly affected

Attorneys and law firms

Exempt from keeping notary journals for staff notaries, and retain ownership of employment-related notarial records.

Directly affected

Title agencies

Exempt from journal requirements for staff notaries, and maintain ownership of notarial records created during employment.

Directly affected

Office of the Lieutenant Governor

Receives notifications regarding lost, stolen, or damaged notary supplies and retains inspection authority over journals.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is required to keep a journal under the new law?
Any notary who receives a commission or a new commission on or after May 6, 2026, must keep a physical journal for in-person acts and a secure electronic journal for remote notarizations.
How long must notaries keep their journals?
Notaries must retain their journals and electronic recordings for 10 years after the day on which the last notarial act is recorded.
Are attorneys and title agencies required to keep these journals?
No, notaries employed by attorneys, law firms, or title agencies are exempt from the journal requirements for acts performed within the scope of their employment.
What are the penalties for tampering with a notary seal or journal?
A person who knowingly uses, forges, takes, accesses, or damages a notary's signature, seal, journal, or electronic recording without authority is guilty of a class B misdemeanor.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

46 actions
  1. Mar 17, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolled
    Governor Signed
  2. Mar 13, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to Governor
  3. Mar 13, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
  4. Mar 11, 2026Senate
    Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
  5. Mar 11, 2026Senate Secretary
    Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
  6. Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 40 earlier actions
  1. Mar 6, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
  2. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
  3. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  4. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  5. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
  6. Mar 5, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  7. Mar 5, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  8. Feb 26, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  9. Feb 26, 2026House
    House/ committee report favorable
  10. Feb 25, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  11. Feb 24, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  12. Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  13. Feb 23, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  14. Feb 23, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  15. Feb 23, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 3rd reading
  16. Feb 23, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 3rd reading
  17. Feb 23, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0139S02
  18. Feb 20, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 2nd reading
  19. Feb 20, 2026Senate
    Senate/ substituted
  20. Feb 20, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd reading
  21. Feb 19, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0139S02
  22. Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0139S02
  23. Feb 17, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0139S02
  24. Feb 6, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0139S01
  25. Feb 4, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0139S01
  26. Feb 4, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  27. Feb 4, 2026Senate
    Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted
  28. Feb 3, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  29. Feb 3, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
  30. Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0139S01
  31. Feb 2, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0139S01
  32. Jan 28, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  33. Jan 20, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  34. Jan 19, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0139
  35. Jan 19, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0139
  36. Jan 15, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research
  37. Jan 14, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0139
  38. Jan 14, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0139
  39. Jan 14, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  40. Jan 14, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Cal MusselmanSenate · District 4RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Jake SawyerHouse · District 9RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift98% confidence

Mandatory Journal Transition

The state shifts from permissive journal maintenance to mandatory physical and electronic journal requirements for all notaries commissioned after May 6, 2026.

Office of the Lieutenant Governor

Connected Entities

Lieutenant Governor, Office of the Lieutenant Governor
PersonLieutenant Governor“Authorized to inspect journals and receive notices regarding lost or stolen item”Map →
OrganizationOffice of the Lieutenant Governor“Maintains the Notary Department and oversees notary commissions.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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