A jail or a detention center

If the signer is in a jail or a detention center, I come there. The signer cannot meet me in the parking lot. This is not a house call with a different address. The building controls the door, the time, and who is allowed inside.

Tell me the facility when you book. Before we set the time, ask that facility what it requires for a notary visit: which entrance, which hours, what identification I must show, what I may carry in, and whether the document has to be approved ahead of time. I do not control those rules, and I cannot promise that a particular jail will let me in on a particular day. If you have a contact at the facility, give me that name.

The signer has to appear before me. Government Code § 406.0091 requires that appearance. A relative cannot sign for the person who is inside. The signer needs a current government photo ID if the facility allows it to be presented. If the facility's own identification is all that can be shown, I still have to be satisfied that the person in front of me is the signer. If I am not satisfied, I do not perform the act. The document has to be complete, except for the signatures that happen in front of me. I do not draft it, and I do not fill in a blank. If the page has witness lines, those witnesses have to be allowed in and present. I do not bring a witness.

The location fee is $50. It is separate from the notarial act and from the travel. The act is the fee in Government Code § 406.024. Mileage is a round trip from 3517 78th Drive. The first 10 miles are $10, and each mile after that is $1. Waiting at the facility is $10 for the first 15 minutes and $10 for each additional 15-minute period. An evening or a weekend adds the posted time-of-day amount. I do not take appointments outside weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., or weekend hours of 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The facility may allow even less.

If the facility turns me away, the signer will not appear, or the act cannot be completed, there is no charge. Travel, waiting, and the location fee are billed only when the act is performed. There is no deposit. Payment for a completed act is due when you receive the invoice. I release the notarized documents only after that payment is received, and only in the way the facility allows those papers to leave.

I do not give advice about a criminal case, a bond, or what a document will do in court. That is legal advice. I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, and I may not give legal advice or accept a fee for legal advice.