- (a) Subject to the provision in subsection (b) of this section and §87.70 of this title (relating to Qualification by an Escrow Officer Residing in an Adjacent State), a person is eligible to be a notary public if the person is 18 years of age or older and a resident of Texas.
- (b) A person is not eligible to be a notary public if the person was convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or a felony and the conviction has become final, has not been set aside, and no pardon or certificate of restoration of citizenship rights has been granted.
(c) A crime involving moral turpitude includes the commission of a crime involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, deliberate violence, moral depravity, or that reflects adversely on the applicant's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a notary public, which may include, but not be limited to:
- (1) Class A and B type misdemeanors; and
- (2) felony convictions which have not been set aside, or for which no pardon or certificate of restoration of citizenship rights have been granted.
- (d) Final Class C type misdemeanor convictions shall not be considered in determining good cause.
- (e) If an applicant is not eligible, the secretary of state will reject the application.
- (f) If the secretary of state discovers, at any time, that an applicant or commissioned notary public is not eligible, the secretary of state will reject the notary application or revoke the notary commission.
Source Note:The provisions of this §87.2 adopted to be effective January 1, 2010, 34 TexReg 9395; amended to be effective February 10, 2016, 41 TexReg 957.