Written by Acorn Sales Company, manufacturing stamps and seals since 1964 · Reviewed by Molly, VP Marketing at Acorn Sales, against part 5 of article 21 of title 24 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, 8 CCR 1505-11 and the Secretary of State’s Notary Handbook on 20 September 2026 · Updated 20 September 2026
Colorado requires a notary stamp on every notarial certificate, and it must be rectangular with a visible border, carrying only five things: your name as commissioned, your notary ID number, your expiration date, “state of Colorado” and “notary public”. The word only is in the statute, so no logo and no state outline. Two Colorado rules run against the grain: there is no size limit and no ink color rule at all, and a notary may not even own an embosser.
Colorado notary stamp requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Colorado rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp required | Yes | C.R.S. § 24-21-515(2) |
| Required wording | Your name, as it appears on your certificate of commission; Your notary identification number; Your commission expiration date; The words “state of Colorado”; The words “notary public” | C.R.S. § 24-21-517(1)(a) |
| Size and shape | Rectangular, with a visible outline or border, and no size at all. | C.R.S. § 24-21-517(1)(a), (1)(b) |
| Ink color | Not addressed, and unusually, expressly so. | C.R.S. §§ 24-21-515, 517, 518 and 8 CCR 1505-11 (all silent) |
| Embosser | Prohibited outright, and this is the Colorado rule to know. | C.R.S. § 24-21-517(2) |
| Commission term | Terms run four years and you may renew up to 90 days early. | C.R.S. §§ 24-21-521(4), 24-21-530 |
| Name or address change | Notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a change of name, business address or residential address. | C.R.S. §§ 24-21-521(4), 24-21-530 |
| Lost or stolen stamp | Notify the Secretary of State in writing within 30 days after discovering the loss, and the same 30 days applies to a lost journal. | C.R.S. §§ 24-21-518(1), (2), 24-21-533 |
| Commissioning authority | The Colorado Secretary of State | part 5 of article 21 of title 24 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, 8 CCR 1505-11 |
Rules for other states are on notary stamp requirements by state.
Is a notary stamp required in Colorado?
Yes, on every notarial certificate for a paper record, and the duty is in the certificate section rather than the section describing the stamp: “If a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed by a notary public, an official stamp must be affixed to the certificate.” The Secretary of State restates it plainly, that your official stamp must be clearly applied under or near your official signature on every notary certificate.
The governing text is C.R.S. § 24-21-515(2); § 24-21-517.
What must appear on a Colorado notary stamp?
- Your name, as it appears on your certificate of commission
- Your notary identification number
- Your commission expiration date
- The words “state of Colorado”
- The words “notary public”
Read that list as closed, because the statute says the stamp shall contain only the outline of the seal and the information listed. No logo, no state outline, no decorative line. The official handbook warns that manufacturers add unauthorized elements and that “It is the notary’s responsibility to have any mistakes corrected before using the stamp.” The stamp must also be capable of being copied together with the record.
What size and shape must a Colorado notary stamp be?
Rectangular, with a visible outline or border, and no size at all. The Secretary of State puts it beyond doubt: Colorado law requires a rectangular shape but “does not have any size or color-of-ink restrictions.” Be careful with sources that describe a Colorado stamp as needing to be photographically reproducible. That phrase appears nowhere in the Colorado act, rules, handbook or FAQ. The statutory standard is that the stamp be capable of being copied together with the record.
Notary public stamps are made to these conventions, and we check your lines against the statutory wording before we make the stamp.
What ink color is required for a Colorado notary stamp?
Not addressed, and unusually, expressly so. The words ink, black and color do not appear anywhere in the Notary Program Rules, and the official handbook states that Colorado “does not have any size or color-of-ink restrictions.” We also read the county recording statute, which sets margins and nothing else. Colorado is one of the few states where you can say with confidence that no ink rule reaches the notary stamp from any source. Choose a color that copies cleanly and you are done.
More on the trade-off in stamp ink color rules.
Is a notary embosser required or optional in Colorado?
Prohibited outright, and this is the Colorado rule to know. Not discouraged, not limited to a supplement: “A notary public shall not provide, keep, or use a seal embosser.” The handbook repeats that it is illegal for a notary to provide, keep or use one, and that every certificate must carry the seal “rubber-stamped, not embossed.” Mere possession violates the statute. If you are moving to Colorado from a state where you used an embosser, retire it.
Notary embossing seal kits and inked stamp kits cover both formats. See also notary stamp vs. embosser.
Colorado bans the embosser outright, and means “only”
Two Colorado rules are stricter than almost anywhere else, and both are easy to breach by accident.
You may not even own an embosser. The statute says a notary “shall not provide, keep, or use a seal embosser”. Most states treat an embosser as optional decoration. Colorado makes possession itself unlawful, so a crimper kept in a drawer from a previous state is a problem rather than a keepsake.
And the element list is closed. Colorado says the stamp shall contain only the outline of the seal and the five listed items. A state outline, a logo, a flourish, an extra line of text: all of them make the stamp non-compliant, and the handbook puts the responsibility for catching a manufacturer’s additions on you rather than on the manufacturer. We build Colorado stamps to the five elements and nothing else.
One relaxation to balance those. The handbook notes that the law “is not specific about placement, nor does it require that a stamp be right side up.” A sideways impression is not a defect in Colorado.
Do I need a new stamp when my commission is renewed or my name changes?
Terms run four years and you may renew up to 90 days early. A new stamp is required at every renewal, and the reason is structural rather than a rule about stamps: your commission expiration date is a mandatory element, so a renewed commission makes the old die non-compliant. The handbook warns against the specific shortcut notaries reach for, namely notaries who “manufacture their own commission expiration dates by adding four years.” Order from the date on your new commission, not from arithmetic.
Notify the Secretary of State within 30 days of a change of name, business address or residential address. A name change must include a sample of your handwritten official signature, and it forces a new stamp, because the stamp must carry your name as it appears on your certificate of commission.
What do I do if my Colorado notary stamp is lost or stolen?
Notify the Secretary of State in writing within 30 days after discovering the loss, and the same 30 days applies to a lost journal. Report it through your online account. Using another notary’s stamp is a petty offense in Colorado.
How do I dispose of an expired Colorado notary stamp?
Disable the device by destroying, defacing, damaging, erasing or securing it against use, on expiration, revocation, resignation or death. One useful change worth knowing if you last renewed some years ago: the handbook confirms that a notary is “no longer required to send the stamp to the Secretary of State for disposal.” You handle it yourself now.
More on retiring an old device in how to dispose of an expired notary stamp.
Can I notarize electronically or remotely in Colorado?
Both are authorized. For electronic records you notify the Secretary of State before your first act and identify the technology. Remote notarization needs separate approval, available only to a currently commissioned active notary, with training and an exam, and it renews every four years or with the underlying commission, whichever comes first. The remote seal rule is strict about appearance: it “must affix to an electronic record a seal that in both appearance and content matches the manually applied official stamp”. Your journal is kept ten years after the last act, and audio-video recordings are kept for ten years too. Remote fees are capped at $25.
If you need your seal as an image file for electronic work, see electronic notary seal images.
Related Colorado guides
Next step
Have your commission details in front of you before you order, because they go on the stamp and a wrong line means a reorder. Then browse notary public stamps, or call 804-359-0505 and we will check your wording against the statute before we make it.
Frequently asked questions about Colorado notary seals
Is a notary stamp required in Colorado?
Yes. The duty sits in the certificate section rather than the seal section: if a notarial act regarding a tangible record is performed by a notary public, an official stamp must be affixed to the certificate. The Secretary of State puts it as applying the stamp under or near your signature on every notary certificate.
What has to appear on a Colorado notary stamp?
Five things and nothing else: your name as it appears on your certificate of commission, your notary identification number, your commission expiration date, the words “state of Colorado” and the words “notary public”. The statute says the stamp shall contain only the outline of the seal and that information.
Can I use an embosser in Colorado?
No, and this goes further than most people expect. The statute says a notary “shall not provide, keep, or use a seal embosser.” Possession alone is unlawful, so an embosser kept from a previous state is a problem. Colorado is the strictest state in the country on this point.
What size must a Colorado notary stamp be?
There is no size requirement. Colorado specifies a rectangular shape with an outline or border, and the official handbook states that Colorado law “does not have any size or color-of-ink restrictions.”
What ink color does Colorado require?
None. Colorado is one of the few states where you can say that with confidence: the words ink, black and color appear nowhere in the notary rules, the handbook expressly disclaims any color restriction, and the county recording statute sets margins only. Pick a color that copies cleanly.
Does a Colorado stamp have to be photographically reproducible?
No, and that claim is worth correcting because it is widely repeated. The phrase “photographically reproducible” appears nowhere in Colorado's act, rules, handbook or FAQ. The statutory standard is that the stamp be capable of being copied together with the record. Arkansas and the District of Columbia use the stricter phrasing; Colorado does not.
Do I need a new stamp when my Colorado commission is renewed?
Yes, because your commission expiration date is a required element. Order from the date on your new commission rather than adding four years to the old one: the handbook specifically warns about notaries who manufacture their own expiration dates that way.
Does my Colorado stamp have to be right side up?
No. The handbook notes that the law is not specific about placement “nor does it require that a stamp be right side up.” A sideways impression is not a defect in Colorado.
