Notary Public
A Notary Public is a public official whose powers and duties are defined by statute. A Notary has the power to administer oaths, take depositions, qualify parties to bills in chancery, and take affidavits. A notary is authorized to take acknowledgments, and to certify the probate or acknowledgment of a deed or other instrument to the county clerk. A notary is also authorized to do formal protests of negotiable instruments. It is a relatively simple matter to become a notary public, you can pick up an application form at any of the Knox County Clerk's locations, or click on the link below to download.
How to Apply to Become a Notary Public
Application forms can be obtained at any Knox County Clerk location , downloaded or we can fax you a copy. You can then submit the application and the $19.00 fee, payable in cash or local check at any of the Clerk's Office locations. Your application must be notarized before it is returned to our office or we can notarize your signature while you are in our office. There is no fee for this service to Knox County residents. Your application must be received by the 15th of the month in order to be approved during that month’s Commission meeting. Deadline: 3rd Thursday of the month to be approved by the County Commission.
Steps to Become a Notary Public
- After approval the Clerk's office forwards the list of applications to the Secretary of State's Office in Nashville where commission dates are assigned and Notary Certificates are printed for each applicant and returned to the Clerk's office.
- After the 15th of the following month, you may call the Clerk's office at (865) 215-2383 to receive your commission date. You must then call any insurance company and purchase a $10,000 Surety Bond. After receiving your Bond, you can contact the Clerk's office at the above number, where you can select a Clerk's Office location you wish to have your Certificate forwarded to, take the oath of office and have your Surety Bond added to the register.
Notary Certifications
The Knox County Clerk’s Office also certifies Notaries Public for apostilles, applications for adoption, court action and various other purposes. There is a $5.00 fee for Notary Certifications. This service is available at all Knox County Clerk locations.
Phone: 865.215.2383
Fax: 865.215.2620
Email: notary.public@knoxcounty.org
The Knox County Clerk’s Office now accepts Visa and MasterCard Credit & Debit card
payments for most services.*Convenience fees do apply. See Clerk for details.
