Notary Public Services Guidelines
The Foxborough Town Clerk’s Office is pleased to offer Notary Public Services as a courtesy service to the public; even though this is not a service that is required by local government. In providing this service, there are a number of limits and guidelines that have been established so that everyone understands how this service will be provided. We appreciate your attention to these limits and guidelines prior to requesting this service from the Town Clerk’s Office.
LEGAL LIMITS:
A Notary Public does not provide legal advice to a requestor of this service; nor can the Notary attest to the requestor’s state of mind.
SERVICE LIMITS:
Notary Public services are normally available during regular business hours of Town Hall; or by appointment. However, during certain times of the year, it is more difficult to offer this service due to competing demands in the Town Clerk’s Office. To assure that the Office can accommodate your service needs, we recommend that you contact the Office ahead of time by calling 508-543-1208 to confirm the availability of Notary Public services.
As it is the case with any service offered to the public, there are several limits as to what a Notary Public can provide. The following is a list of documents that a Notary Public is NOT able to notarize:
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copies of vital records
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passports
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drivers licenses
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tax documents
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diplomas/professional certificates
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titles to vehicles or trailers
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I-9 forms (employee verification forms)
Additionally, because of recent changes in State Regulations regarding notary services, this Office does not notarize legal documents such as wills/trusts/estate documents, deeds and mortgage closing packages (it is recommended that an attorney be consulted in these situations).
SERVICE REQUIREMENTS:
In order to provide valid Notary Public Service(s), requestors are responsible for the following:
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Any signatory(s) to a document(s) presented for notary service must provide a valid, government-issued photo identification.
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The document presented for notary service cannot be pre-signed or dated.
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All signers to the document presented for notary service must be present to sign so that the Notary can witness the signature during the notarization process.
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The document presented for notary service must contain the appropriate Notarial Statements (Clauses). In accordance with State Notary Public Procedures, there are no exceptions to this requirement.
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Signatory(s) to the document presented for notary service will need to bring witnesses with them for any documents requiring witness signatures. Such witnesses will also need to present proper identification (see above) to the Notary at the time of signature.
RESERVATION TO PROVIDE NOTARY SERVICES:
In accordance with Massachusetts Notarial practice, the Town Clerk’s Office reserves the right to deny notarial services, in their sole discretion, if:
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the above mentioned limits and guidelines are not followed
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documents are incomplete or are in questionable format
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documents do not include a proper notarial clause/statement
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documents are printed in any language other than English
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the request for Notary service(s) gives rise to any issue of authenticity, ambiguity, doubt or uncertainty
Questions:
If anyone has any questions regarding this service or would like to make an appointment for Notary Public services, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-543-1208 or e-mail [email protected]
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!