§ 1 Definitions
§ 1A Appointment and jurisdiction of justices of the peace and notaries public
§ 3 Appointment of commissioners to administer oaths of office; returns; fees
§ 4 Appointment of commissioners; term
§ 5 Oath; seal
§ 6 Powers and duties
§ 7 Instructions to commissioner
§ 8 Acknowledgment of instrument; printed or typed name; expiration date; official notarial seal or stamp
§ 9 Acting as justice or notary after expiration of commission; penalty
§ 10 Destruction of notary’s records; penalty
§ 11 Acknowledgments by persons in armed forces or their dependents
§ 12 Exemptions from maintaining journal of notary transactions
§ 13 Qualifications; grounds for denial of application for appointment
§ 14 Term of commission
§ 15 Notarial acts; forms of acknowledgment or certification; when alternate forms may be used
§ 16 Notarial acts that should not be performed; prohibited actions by notary public
§ 17 Notaries public not licensed to practice law; prohibition from offering legal advice or advertisement as legal specialist; immigration matters; real estate closings
§ 18 Violations of chapter; penalties; civil cause of action and remedies; unfair or deceptive act or practice
§ 19 Duty to perform notarial act upon payment of fee; exceptions
§ 20 Lawfulness, accuracy or truthfulness of document or transition involving notarial act; effect of documents not containing acknowledgement or certification; rules of land court relating to filing of documents
§ 21 Advertisements for notarial services in language other than English
§ 22 Chronological official journal of notarial acts; contents; exceptions from duty to maintain; examination; safeguarding
§ 23 Fees not to be charged for certain notarial acts
§ 24 Destruction of notary seals and stamps upon expiration, resignation or revocation of commission; retention of journal and records
§ 25 Change of name or address; notice to state secretary
§ 26 Revocation of commission
§ 27 Tamper-evident technologies to perform notarial acts; recording of documents
§ 28 Communication technology for remotely-located principal in a notarial act; limitations and requirements
§ 29 Use of personal information obtained under Sec. 28
lawyer at desk

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws > Chapter 222 - Justices of the Peace, Notaries Public and Commissioners

  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
  • Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Codicil: An addition, change, or supplement to a will executed with the same formalities required for the will itself.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
  • Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.