PA notary stamp lost, damaged, or expired: what to do next

Quick answer

Stop notarizing until you know which of three situations you’re in, because each has a different response:

• Stamp damaged or illegible: stop using the old stamp, destroy or deface it, and order a replacement from a stamp vendor with the identical commission name, ID number, county, and expiration date. No DOS notification is required.
• Stamp lost or stolen: notify the Department of State in writing within 15 days of discovery per 4 Pa. Code § 167.22(e) and 57 Pa.C.S. § 318(b), then order a replacement.
• Commission expired: stop all notarizations at 11:59 PM on the expiration date. A new stamp is useless until you are reappointed — which, under 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(a)(1), requires the Pearson VUE exam again if the commission has already lapsed.

In none of these scenarios do you need to file a new $25,000 bond for the stamp replacement itself. The bond follows the commission, not the equipment.

Scenario A: stamp is damaged or illegible

A rubber stamp wears out. The inkpad flattens, a corner cracks, the raised text fills in, or the impression ghosts. When the stamp stops producing a clean, photographically reproducible image, it no longer meets 4 Pa. Code § 167.21 and 57 Pa.C.S. § 315(b)(1).

PA law requires three steps:

1. Stop using the damaged stamp immediately. The DOS equipment page is explicit: the impression must be “suitable for photographic reproduction.” A faded or cracked stamp gets rejected at the recorder of deeds and, in volume, becomes a § 323 discipline concern.
2. Order a replacement using the identical data: commissioned name (as on the certificate), 7-digit commission ID, county of your office, full commission expiration date, and the six required elements in order.
3. Destroy the damaged stamp under 57 Pa.C.S. § 318(a)(2). Permanently deface the rubber die so it cannot be used.

No DOS notification is required for a damaged-and-replaced stamp — the commission, bond, and public record have not changed.

If you notice damage mid-act — the impression came out ghosted on a document you have already signed — the act is not automatically void. Under 57 Pa.C.S. § 326, technical defects in the certificate “do not invalidate” the notarial act, but a recorder or court may reject it. The safer path is to redo the certificate with a clean stamp before the document leaves your desk. See what to do if a notary made a mistake.

Scenario B: stamp lost or stolen

A lost or stolen stamping device is a different animal because someone unknown can now produce impressions that look authentic. PA law treats it accordingly.

The rule, under 57 Pa.C.S. § 318(b) and 4 Pa. Code § 167.22(e):

Notification of loss or theft under § 318(b) shall be made in writing or by email to the Department within 15 days after the notary public or the notary public’s representative discovers the loss or theft.

“Loss” includes misplaced, destroyed, or made unavailable for any reason. “Theft” includes any compromised security, regardless of whether you can prove a specific act of taking. A stamp left in a rental car, taken from a drawer in an employer’s office, or carried off by a former employee all qualify.

Your response:

1. Stop notarizing immediately. Every minute a compromised stamp is out of your control is a window for fraud in your name.
2. Notify the Department of State in writing within 15 days of discovery. Email to ra-notaries@pa.gov is acceptable. Include the date of discovery, confirmation that the stamp is not in your possession, and the circumstances. DOS maintains a report form linked from the Notary Public Equipment page.
3. File a police report if there is any indication of theft. Not statutorily required, but universally recommended by counsel because it supports your position if a forged notarial act surfaces later.
4. Retain the DOS acknowledgment in your permanent file — it is evidence you met the 15-day window.
5. Order a replacement stamp using the same commission details. The commission is still valid; only the device needs to be replaced.

The 15-day rule is a hard deadline. Late notification is itself a § 323 ground for discipline. If your journal is lost or stolen along with the stamp, the same 15-day rule applies under 4 Pa. Code § 167.35(b) and 57 Pa.C.S. § 319(d) — treat them as separate notifications.

Scenario C: commission expired

This is the scenario notaries most consistently mishandle, because the stamp itself still looks fine.

A PA notary commission runs for four years under 57 Pa.C.S. § 321(e). The expiration date is printed on your stamp. At 11:59 PM on that date, your authority to perform notarial acts ends. The stamp that worked yesterday is now a rubber die with no legal force behind it. A notarial act performed by an uncommissioned person is not voidable under § 326 — it is void, and depending on how it’s used, the person performing it has violated 18 Pa.C.S. § 4913 (unauthorized use of an official stamp).

What you cannot do:

• Use the existing stamp “for a few days” after expiration while the reappointment is pending.
• Order a new stamp with a future expiration date and start using it before DOS has issued the new commission.
• Backdate a notarial act to a date when the commission was still valid. Post- or pre-dating is explicitly listed on the DOS March 2026 disciplinary grounds and is a criminal-adjacent offense.

The PA courts have repeatedly declined to save post-expiration notarial acts on a “good faith” theory. Even when the notary honestly believed the commission was renewed, an act performed after the expiration date is void. Treat the expiration date as the end of a cliff.

The correct sequence when a commission is approaching or past expiration:

1. 60–120 days before expiration: complete the 3-hour continuing-education requirement under 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(c), submit the reappointment application, pay the $42 fee, and, if reappointed on or after March 28, 2026, arrange the new $25,000 bond.
2. On the day the new commission is issued: order a new stamp with the new 7-digit commission ID and the new expiration date. The old stamp with the old expiration date goes into disposal per § 318(a)(2) — destroy or deface it; do not keep a working duplicate.
3. If the commission has already expired and you did not file the reappointment in time: under 57 Pa.C.S. § 322(a)(1), a lapsed applicant “does not hold a current commission” and must pass the Pearson VUE examination again regardless of prior passage. A lapsed commission is effectively a fresh application with a retest.

The commission reminder tool sends emails 120, 60, and 30 days before expiration. Free, opt-in, and specifically built to prevent this scenario.

What about the bond?

Stamp replacement — under any of the three scenarios above — does not require a new surety bond. The $25,000 bond (post-March 2026) is attached to the commission term, not to any specific stamp. Replacing equipment does not disturb the filing.

A new bond is required only for (a) new appointments on or after March 28, 2026, (b) reappointments on or after the same date, or (c) reapplication after resignation or revocation. Notaries commissioned before that date may retain their existing $10,000 bond until the current four-year term expires, then step up to $25,000 at reappointment. See PA notary bond jumped to $25,000 in 2026 for the transition detail.

What to keep in your records

Whether the stamp was damaged, lost, stolen, or retired at commission expiration, the file you want on hand includes: the original DOS commission certificate and the most recent reappointment; a dated photograph of the retired stamp impression before disposal; the DOS notification email and response (for lost/stolen cases); the police report (for theft cases); the vendor invoice for the replacement stamp; and a journal entry noting the date the old stamp was retired and the new stamp entered service.

Records live longer than commissions in PA. Under 57 Pa.C.S. § 319, journal retention obligations survive the commission — journals transfer to the recorder of deeds within 30 days of expiration, resignation, or revocation. Keep your own copies regardless.

Further reading

• PA notary stamp requirements (2026 rule)
• What to do if a notary made a mistake
• PA notary bond jumped to $25,000 in 2026
• Commission reminder tool — 120/60/30-day email alerts before expiration
• Glossary: stamp and commission ID

Sources

• 57 Pa.C.S. Chapter 3 (RULONA)
• 56 Pa.B. 1672 — Final RULONA regulations, March 28, 2026
• PA DOS — Notary Public Equipment
• PA DOS — Notary Regulations Changes (2026)
• PA DOS — Apply to Be a Notary