Ohio Revised Code

Ohio Rev. Code § 147.53 (2026)

Taking an acknowledgment

✓ current as of May 2026

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Effective:

April 3, 2025

Latest Legislation:

House Bill 315 - 135th General Assembly

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(A) The person taking an acknowledgment shall certify that the person acknowledging appeared before the notary public and acknowledged executing the instrument.

(B) The words in an acknowledgment notarial certificate "acknowledged before me" mean that:

(1) The person acknowledging appeared before the person taking the acknowledgment;

(2) The person acknowledging acknowledged executing the instrument;

(3) In the case of:

(a) A natural person, the person executed the instrument for the purposes therein stated;

(b) A corporation, the officer or agent acknowledged holding the position or title set forth in the instrument and certificate, the officer or agent signed the instrument on behalf of the corporation by proper authority, and the instrument was the act of the corporation for the purpose therein stated;

(c) A limited liability company, the member, manager, or agent acknowledged signing the instrument on behalf of the limited liability company by proper authority and the member, manager, or agent executed the instrument as the act of the limited liability company for the purposes therein stated;

(d) A partnership, the partner or agent acknowledged signing the instrument on behalf of the partnership by proper authority and the partner or agent executed the instrument as the act of the partnership for the purposes therein stated;

(e) A person acknowledging as principal by an attorney in fact, the attorney in fact executed the instrument by proper authority as the act of the principal for the purposes therein stated;

(f) A person acknowledging as a public officer, trustee, administrator, guardian, or other representative, the person signed the instrument by proper authority and the person executed the instrument in the capacity and for the purposes stated.

(4) The person taking the acknowledgment either knew or had satisfactory evidence that the person acknowledging was the person named in the instrument or certificate.

Last updated February 19, 2025 at 9:38 AM

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 37 cases (6 in the last 5 years), 1981–2026 · leading case: Hardesty v. Citifinancial, Inc. (In Re Roberts), 402 B.R. 808 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009).

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Hardesty v. Citifinancial, Inc. (In Re Roberts), 402 B.R. 808 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). · cites it 12× “Ohio Revised Code § 147.53 requires that a person taking an acknowledgment actually make two certifications.”

Noland v. Burns (In Re Burns), 435 B.R. 503 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2010). · cites it 9× “6 ORC § 147.53 requires the notary public to certify that: (A) The person acknowledging appeared before him and acknowledged he executed the instrument; (B) The person acknowledging was known to the person taking the acknowledgment, or that the person taking the acknowledgment…”

Rhiel v. Huntington Nat'l Bank (In Re Phalen), 445 B.R. 830 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2011). · cites it 5× “Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 147.53. 9 . For the reasons explained below, the result would be the same if the certificate of ac-knowledgement used the phrase "acknowledged before me” and was not followed by a blank.”

Terlecky v. Chase Home Fin., LLC (In Re Sauer), 417 B.R. 523 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). · cites it 5× “Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 147.53 (West 2009). See Terlecky v.”

Drown v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. (In Re Peed), 403 B.R. 525 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). · cites it 5× “Ohio Rev.Code Ann. § 147.53 (West 2009). See Terlecky v.”

Mid-Am. Nat'l Bank & Trust Co. v. Gymnastics Internat'l, Inc., 451 N.E.2d 1243 (Ohio Ct. App. 1982). · cites it 3× “The trial court erred prejudi-cially in finding that the acknowledgment to appellee’s mortgage was valid and effective since it did not set forth the facts required by O.R.C. § 147.53, § 147.54, § 147.55 and § 5301.”

McClatchey v. GMAC Mortg., LLC (In re Lacy), 483 B.R. 126 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2012). · cites it 10× “Iacuzzo, it is difficult to see how the Certificate of Acknowledgment satisfies the certification requirement of § 147.53. As already explained, that section requires the notary public to certify two things.”

Logan v. Universal 1 Credit Union, Inc. (In Re Bozman), 365 B.R. 824 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2007). · cites it 4× “O.R.C. § 147.53. The Ohio Revised Code further provides suggestions of what language would be sufficient to qualify as an acknowledgment under Ohio law.”

State v. Miller, 2023 Ohio 3448 (Ohio 2023). “” R.C. 147.53(A) and (B). The “key difference” between the two actions is that “an acknowledgment is not made under oath.”

State v. Curry, 2019 Ohio 5338 (Ohio Ct. App. 2019). “Significantly, however, the statement does not contain an acknowledgment from the notary that Jackson signed the statement in the notary’s presence at the time of notarization.”

Hazlett v. Chase Home Fin., LLC (In Re Nowak), 414 B.R. 269 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). · cites it 3× “In particular, § 147.53 requires the “person taking an acknowledgment” to certify that “[t]he person acknowledging appeared before him.”

State v. Clay, 2018 Ohio 985 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018). “3d 60 , ¶ 44, citing R.C. 147.53 (the person taking an acknowledgment shall certify that the person acknowledging appeared before him and acknowledged he executed the instrument and the person acknowledging was known to the person taking the acknowledgment, or that the person…”

Show all 37 citing cases →

— Ohio Rev. Code § 147.53(A) — 6 cases

Hardesty v. Citifinancial, Inc. (In Re Roberts), 402 B.R. 808 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). “Ohio Revised Code § 147.53 requires that a person taking an acknowledgment actually make two certifications.”

State v. Miller, 2023 Ohio 3448 (Ohio 2023). “” R.C. 147.53(A) and (B). The “key difference” between the two actions is that “an acknowledgment is not made under oath.”

Hazlett v. Chase Home Fin., LLC (In Re Nowak), 414 B.R. 269 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). “In particular, § 147.53 requires the “person taking an acknowledgment” to certify that “[t]he person acknowledging appeared before him.”

McClatchey v. GMAC Mortg., LLC (In re Lacy), 483 B.R. 126 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2012). “Iacuzzo, it is difficult to see how the Certificate of Acknowledgment satisfies the certification requirement of § 147.53. As already explained, that section requires the notary public to certify two things.”

Grinder v. Schaaf, 2025 Ohio 4723 (Ohio Ct. App. 2025).

— Ohio Rev. Code § 147.53(B) — 2 cases

Hardesty v. Citifinancial, Inc. (In Re Roberts), 402 B.R. 808 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2009). “Ohio Revised Code § 147.53 requires that a person taking an acknowledgment actually make two certifications.”

McClatchey v. GMAC Mortg., LLC (In re Lacy), 483 B.R. 126 (Bankr. S.D. Ohio 2012). “Iacuzzo, it is difficult to see how the Certificate of Acknowledgment satisfies the certification requirement of § 147.53. As already explained, that section requires the notary public to certify two things.”

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