Notary Public Permit Requirements in Nashville, TN

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you operate as an LLC/corporation or have employees. Sole proprietor notaries with no employees may use their SSN.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online)

   Free

   Immediate (online)

1. Tennessee Notary Public Commission (Davidson County Clerk)

   You do not apply to an election commission. The Secretary of State's notary guide sets out the sequence: obtain and complete an application from your County Clerk's office, submit it with the fee, be elected by the county legislative body of the county where you reside or maintain your principal place of business, secure a surety bond and give the County Clerk proof of it. The Clerk forwards your documents to the state, the Secretary of State issues the commission, and it comes back to the County Clerk for you to collect. You then obtain your seal. In Davidson County the Metropolitan Council does the electing, at its meeting on the first Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September and November, and the Clerk's Marriage and Notary Department (615-862-6256) handles the paperwork. The application must be notarized before you submit it, and the required bond is $10,000 written by a surety company authorized in Tennessee. A notary's term is four years, running from the date the commission is issued.

   Official government source

   $12.00 to the Davidson County Clerk for a new or renewal application, plus $2.00 to file the bond, plus the premium the surety company charges for the $10,000 bond. Moving to another Tennessee county costs $7.00.·Up to about two months. Applications must be submitted two weeks before a Metropolitan Council meeting, and the Council considers notary elections only every other month - January, March, May, July, September and November. After election you receive an approval letter, then file the bond and pay the fees in person before acting as a notary.

   $12.00 to the Davidson County Clerk for a new or renewal application, plus $2.00 to file the bond, plus the premium the surety company charges for the $10,000 bond. Moving to another Tennessee county costs $7.00.

   Up to about two months. Applications must be submitted two weeks before a Metropolitan Council meeting, and the Council considers notary elections only every other month - January, March, May, July, September and November. After election you receive an approval letter, then file the bond and pay the fees in person before acting as a notary.

2. Notary Surety Bond (Required) and E&O Insurance (Optional)

   Tennessee does not require notaries to carry errors and omissions insurance. What state law does require is a surety bond: the Secretary of State's notary guide directs applicants to secure a surety bond through a Tennessee insurance company or agency and to file proof of it with the County Clerk before the commission is released. In Davidson County the County Clerk sets the bond at $10,000 written by a surety company authorized in Tennessee, with a $2.00 fee to file the bond. The bond protects the public, not the notary - it pays claimants and the surety can seek repayment from you. E&O insurance is the optional product that protects the notary personally against liability for an unintentional mistake; it is sold by private insurers and neither the state nor the county sets its price or coverage limits.

   Official government source

   The bond is mandatory; the Davidson County Clerk charges $2.00 to file it, and the bond premium itself is set by the surety company. E&O insurance is optional and priced entirely by the private insurer - Tennessee publishes no rate.·Secure the bond before the commission is issued: the County Clerk requires proof of the bond, and in Davidson County you file the bond and pay the fees at the main office after the Metropolitan Council elects you. E&O, if you buy it, is issued by the insurer on its own schedule.

   The bond is mandatory; the Davidson County Clerk charges $2.00 to file it, and the bond premium itself is set by the surety company. E&O insurance is optional and priced entirely by the private insurer - Tennessee publishes no rate.

   Secure the bond before the commission is issued: the County Clerk requires proof of the bond, and in Davidson County you file the bond and pay the fees at the main office after the Metropolitan Council elects you. E&O, if you buy it, is issued by the insurer on its own schedule.

1. Nashville Business License (if operating a notary business)

   If you run a standalone notary business in Nashville - signing agent services, mobile notary - you generally need a business license from the Davidson County Clerk's Business Services office, not from 'the city' generically. No license is required below $3,000 in annual gross receipts, which many part-time notaries never reach; $3,000-$99,999 means a minimal activity license, and $100,000 or more means a standard business license plus Tennessee business tax. If notarization is incidental to another profession, such as an attorney or a bank teller, a separate business license is generally not required. The notary commission itself is separate and comes from the county and the Secretary of State.

   Official government source

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.·The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

   $15 flat registration fee if the business is in Davidson County outside the Nashville city limits (General Service District), or $30 if inside the city limits (Urban Service District). The fee is flat, not a percentage of gross receipts. Tennessee's separate, uncapped business tax is filed with the Department of Revenue once gross receipts reach $100,000/year.

   The Davidson County Clerk publishes no processing time; apply online, in person, or by mail at the Clerk's Business Services office. If your gross receipts require a state business tax account, the Department of Revenue states registration takes up to 10 business days.

Official Sources

• Tennessee — Notary Public Requirements
• Tennessee Secretary of State

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