Mich. Comp. Laws » Michigan Compiled Laws / Chapter 55 / Act 238 of 2003
Michigan Compiled Laws

Mich. Comp. Laws § 55.287 (2026)

Signature of notary public; statements; stamp, seal, or electronic process; effect of illegible statement.

✓ current as of July 2026
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MICHIGAN LAW ON NOTARIAL ACTS


Act 238 of 2003


55.287 Signature of notary public; statements; stamp, seal, or electronic process; effect of illegible statement.

Sec. 27.

    (1) A notary public shall place his or her signature on every record upon which he or she performs a notarial act. The notary public shall sign his or her name exactly as his or her name appears on his or her application for commission as a notary public.

    (2) On each record that a notary public performs a notarial act and immediately near the notary public's signature, as is practical, the notary public shall print, type, stamp, or otherwise imprint mechanically or electronically sufficiently clear and legible to be read by the secretary and in a manner capable of photographic reproduction all of the following in this format or in a similar format that conveys all of the same information:

    (a) The name of the notary public exactly as it appears on his or her application for commission as a notary public.

    (b) The statement: "Notary public, State of Michigan, County of __________.".

    (c) The statement: "My commission expires __________.".

    (d) If performing a notarial act in a county other than the county of commission, the statement: "Acting in the County of __________.".

    (e) The date the notarial act was performed.

    (f) If applicable, whether the notarial act was performed using an electronic notarization system under section 26a or performed using a remote electronic notarization platform under section 26b.

    (3) A notary public may use a stamp, seal, or electronic process that contains all of the information required under subsection (2). However, the notary public shall not use the stamp, seal, or electronic process in a manner that renders anything illegible on the record being notarized. A notary public shall not use an embosser alone or use any other method that cannot be reproduced.

    (4) The illegibility of the statements required under subsection (2) does not affect the validity of the transaction or record that was notarized.

History: 2003, Act 238, Eff. Apr. 1, 2004 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 155, Imd. Eff. May 26, 2006 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 330, Eff. Sept. 30, 2018 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 360, Eff. Mar. 12, 2019

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 2015–2024 · leading case: T P Nykoriak v. Benny Napoleon (Mich. Ct. App. 2020).
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T P Nykoriak v. Benny Napoleon (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 5× “2 MCL 55.287, relating to the signature and statement requirements, provides: (1) A notary public shall place his or her signature on every record upon which he or she performs a notarial act.”
Detroit Land Bank Auth. v. 10043 Aurora Detroit Mi 48204 (Mich. Ct. App. 2024). · cites it 2× “Indeed, such a position is contrary to MCL55.287(2), which simply permits a notary to use a stamp—it is not required.”
Williams v. Brose Jefferson, Inc. (E.D. Mich. 2024). · cites it 2× “Plaintiff’s Affidavit Defendant argues that the form of Plaintiff’s affidavit is improper under Mich. Comp. Laws § 55.287 , so it should be stricken in its entirety.”
Paula Sova v. Advisacare Healthcare Solutions Inc (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “” -8- This omission was not fatal. The Michigan notary public act requires notaries to include “[t]he date the notarial act was performed” when notarizing a document.”
in Re I a Paul Minor (Mich. Ct. App. 2015). “2 We note that this affidavit is highly dubious on its face, beyond the ordinary skepticism with which we treat supposed recantations.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 55.287(1) — 1 case
T P Nykoriak v. Benny Napoleon (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). “2 MCL 55.287, relating to the signature and statement requirements, provides: (1) A notary public shall place his or her signature on every record upon which he or she performs a notarial act.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 55.287(2) — 1 case
Detroit Land Bank Auth. v. 10043 Aurora Detroit Mi 48204 (Mich. Ct. App. 2024). “Indeed, such a position is contrary to MCL55.287(2), which simply permits a notary to use a stamp—it is not required.”
— Mich. Comp. Laws § 55.287(2)(e) — 2 cases
T P Nykoriak v. Benny Napoleon (Mich. Ct. App. 2020). “2 MCL 55.287, relating to the signature and statement requirements, provides: (1) A notary public shall place his or her signature on every record upon which he or she performs a notarial act.”
Paula Sova v. Advisacare Healthcare Solutions Inc (Mich. Ct. App. 2021). “” -8- This omission was not fatal. The Michigan notary public act requires notaries to include “[t]he date the notarial act was performed” when notarizing a document.”
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