Who requires it
Louisiana Secretary of State — Notary Division
License & permit · Louisiana
Louisiana Notary Public Bond
Louisiana non-attorney notaries must maintain a $50,000 surety bond or personal surety. Act 258 of the 2025 Regular Session (HB 259) raised the amount from $10,000 and removed errors-and-omissions insurance as a substitute, effective February 1, 2026. Filings go to the Secretary of State’s Notary Division; licensed attorneys who act as notaries do not file this bond.
Common bond amount
$50,000
Fixed amount effective February 1, 2026; E&O no longer substitutes; attorneys do not file a notary bond.
How you file
Company surety or personal surety filed with the Secretary of State
Renewal
Company sureties typically every 5 years; maintain continuous $50,000 coverage
Who requires it
Non-attorney commissioned notaries and ex-officio notaries subject to the bond requirement. Louisiana attorneys commissioned as notaries are exempt from filing a notary bond per Secretary of State guidance.
How much is required
Secretary of State notary filing instructions implement the February 1, 2026 law change at a fixed $50,000 amount for company surety bonds and for personal sureties. Older $10,000 bonds and E&O policies are not accepted after that effective date. Company surety bonds are typically renewed every five years; personal sureties follow the surety’s life or cancellation.
How to get and file it
Order a $50,000 notary surety from a company authorized in Louisiana, or arrange a personal surety recorded as the parish rules require. File an original or copy with the Secretary of State Notary Division (online upload or mail) with the current bond filing fee, together with any other commissioning documents your status requires. Keep $50,000 coverage on file. Company sureties generally refile every five years. After February 1, 2026, company sureties file with the Secretary of State without parish clerk approval; personal sureties still involve parish recording. Failure to meet the updated amount can suspend the commission—confirm status on the Secretary of State notary tools if you have not updated since the law change.
Cost note
Fifty thousand dollars is the required bond or personal-surety amount, not the premium you pay. See bond amount vs premium. Bond amount vs premium →
Requirement checklist
- Required amount
- $50,000 surety or personal surety
- Effective change
- February 1, 2026 (Act 258 / HB 259); prior $10,000 / E&O paths ended
- Filing
- Secretary of State Notary Division; $20 bond filing fee (per SOS FAQs)
- Exemption
- Attorneys do not file a notary bond
Official sources
Related resources
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use errors and omissions insurance instead of a bond?
No. Secretary of State guidance implementing the February 1, 2026 law change states that E&O policies are no longer accepted in place of the notary bond or personal surety.
Do Louisiana notary commissions expire with the bond?
Notary commissions themselves are not annual licenses, but the surety must stay current. Company sureties are commonly renewed every five years; a lapsed or under-amount bond can lead to suspension even though the commission document does not carry a yearly expiration date.
Related Louisiana bond guides
Public Adjuster Bond
$50,000
Louisiana public adjusters must show $50,000 of financial responsibility before the Department of Insurance issues the license. R.S. 22:1701 accepts either a surety bond from an authorized insurer or an irrevocable letter of credit from a qualified Louisiana financial institution. The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) will not issue the license until the original bond form is on file.
Motor Vehicle Dealer Bond
$10,000 / $20,000 / $50,000
Louisiana uses two statewide dealer commissions with different bond amounts. The Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission requires a $20,000 bond before issuing a motor vehicle or recreational products dealer license under R.S. 32:1254. The Louisiana Used Motor Vehicle Commission requires a continuing $50,000 surety bond under R.S. 32:791 for used motor vehicle dealer licenses. Used-dealer licenses issued under the LMVC Chapter instead of LUMVC follow a separate $10,000-per-location schedule in R.S. 32:1254(F).
Mortgage Lender Bond
$25,000 or $50,000
Louisiana residential mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers, and mortgage loan originators license through the Office of Financial Institutions on NMLS. R.S. 6:1088 requires a surety bond naming OFI. The amount is $25,000 when prior-calendar-year Louisiana residential loan volume is under $100,000,000, and $50,000 when that volume is $100,000,000 or greater.
Surety basics (not repeated here)
Universal surety concepts explained once—linked here instead of repeated on every state or bond page.
Continue with a Louisiana application
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Last verified 2026-08-11. This guide is based on verified educational content and official sources.
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