Government Code § 8213.
(a) No later than 30 days after the beginning of the term prescribed
in the commission, every person appointed a notary public shall file an
official bond, and an oath of office in the office of the county clerk
of the county within which the person maintains a principal place of
business as shown in the application submitted to the Secretary of
State, and the commission shall not take effect unless this is done
within the 30-day period. A person appointed to be a notary public shall
take and subscribe the oath of office either in the office of that
county clerk or before another notary public in that county. If the oath
of office is taken and subscribed before a notary public, the oath and
bond may be filed with the county clerk by certified mail. Upon the
filing of the oath and bond, the county clerk shall immediately transmit
to the Secretary of State a certificate setting forth the fact of the
filing and containing a copy of the official oath, personally signed by
the notary public in the form set forth in the commission and shall
immediately deliver the bond to the county recorder for recording. The
county clerk shall retain the oath of office for one year following the
expiration of the term of the commission for which the oath was taken,
after which the oath may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of. The copy
of the oath, personally signed by the notary public, on file with the
Secretary of State may at any time be read in evidence with like effect
as the original oath, without further proof.
(b) If a notary public transfers the principal place of business from
one county to another, the notary public may file a new oath of office
and bond, or a duplicate of the original bond with the county clerk to
which the principal place of business was transferred. If the notary
public elects to make a new filing, the notary public shall, within 30
days of the filing, obtain an official seal which shall include the name
of the county to which the notary public has transferred. In a case
where the notary public elects to make a new filing, the same filing and
recording fees are applicable as in the case of the original filing and
recording of the bond.
(c) If a notary public submits an application for a name change to
the Secretary of State, the notary public shall, within 30 days from the
date an amended commission is issued, file a new oath of office and an
amendment to the bond with the county clerk in which the principal place
of business is located. The amended commission with the name change
shall not take effect unless the filing is completed within the 30-day
period. The amended commission with the name change takes effect the
date the oath and amendment to the bond is filed with the county clerk.
If the principal place of business address was changed in the
application for name change, either a new or duplicate of the original
bond shall be filed with the county clerk with the amendment to the
bond. The notary public shall, within 30 days of the filing, obtain an
official seal that includes the name of the notary public and the name
of the county to which the notary public has transferred, if applicable.
(d) The recording fee specified in