{"data":{"id":"us-md/md.-code-state-government-18-204","jurisdiction":"us-md","citation":"Md. Code, State Government § 18–204","heading":"","body":"(a) A notarial officer who takes an acknowledgment of a record shall determine, from personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the identity of the individual in accordance with § 18–206 of this subtitle, that:\n(1) the individual appearing before the notarial officer and making the acknowledgment has the identity claimed; and\n(2) the signature on the record is the signature of the individual.\n(b) A notarial officer who takes a verification on oath or affirmation of a statement shall determine, from personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the identity of the individual in accordance with § 18–206 of this subtitle, that:\n(1) the individual appearing before the notarial officer and making the verification has the identity claimed; and\n(2) the signature on the statement verified is the signature of the individual.\n(c) A notarial officer who witnesses or attests to a signature shall determine, from personal knowledge or satisfactory evidence of the identity of the individual in accordance with § 18–206 of this subtitle, that the individual appearing before the notarial officer and signing the record has the identity claimed.\n(d) A notarial officer who certifies or attests a copy of a record or an item that was copied shall determine that the copy is a full, true, and accurate transcription or reproduction of the record or item.\n(e) (1) A notarial officer who certifies that a tangible copy of an electronic record is an accurate copy of the electronic record shall:\n(i) reasonably determine whether the electronic record is in a tamper–evident format; and\n(ii) personally print or supervise the printing of the electronic record onto paper or other tangible medium.\n(2) A notarial officer who certifies that a tangible copy of an electronic record is an accurate copy of the electronic record may not make the certification if the notarial officer has detected a change or an error in an electronic signature or other information in the electronic record.\n(f) A notarial officer who makes or notes a protest of a negotiable instrument shall make or note the protest in accordance with § 3–505(b) of the Commercial Law Article.","path":["Article - State Government"],"source_url":"https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gsg\u0026section=18-204","current_through":"2026-01-01","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T20:00:58Z","sha256":"009ff2f706724268705ac276580864d04d979dc2c022a429dde4d77d6b97606a","source_id":"us-md","stale":false,"prev":"us-md/md.-code-state-government-18-203","next":"us-md/md.-code-state-government-18-205"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}