What Can a Wisconsin Notary Do — and What Can't They Do?

A notary has a specific, limited responsibility

A notary public plays an important role in document signing, but notarization should not be confused with legal review. In Wisconsin, a notary can perform authorized notarial acts using the procedures required by state law.

Those acts may include taking acknowledgments, administering oaths and affirmations, witnessing or attesting signatures, and certain copy certifications when permitted. The particular document and certificate wording determine which act is involved.

What a Wisconsin notary checks

The notary must follow the requirements for the notarial act requested. Depending on the act, this commonly includes properly identifying the signer, confirming personal appearance, performing the required ceremony, and completing the notarial certificate with the correct seal and signature.

A notary should also pay attention to incomplete documents, suspicious circumstances or situations where the signer does not appear willing to proceed. The notary may need to decline if the legal requirements cannot be satisfied.

What a non-attorney notary cannot do

• Choose legal forms or draft a will, deed, contract or power of attorney for you.
• Advise you about the legal meaning or consequences of signing a document.
• Tell you which type of notarial act best meets your legal objective.
• Certify copies of vital records such as birth, death or marriage certificates.
• Notarize their own signature or ignore conflicts of interest prohibited by Wisconsin law.
• Promise that notarization alone makes a document legally valid or acceptable to every recipient.

Wisconsin DFI explains these boundaries in its official notary tutorial. When the document's purpose or wording is unclear, the correct resource is the person or organization that provided the document, or a qualified Wisconsin attorney.

What a mobile notary adds

A mobile service brings an authorized notary to an agreed location so you do not have to travel to an office. In Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin, that might be a home, business, hospital, senior living residence or another suitable meeting place.

The convenience does not change the requirements: the signer still needs to appear appropriately, identity must be established, and the correct notarial procedure must be followed.

Questions before your visit?

Ask Gariann about appointment timing, travel arrangements, identification preparation and how the visit works. For questions about which legal document to use, the rights it creates or what should be written in it, consult the document recipient or an attorney.

Knowing the distinction up front helps everyone prepare and makes for a more comfortable appointment.