Colorado Notarial Certificates: Acknowledgments, Jurats, and Signature Witnessing

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Every notarial act in Colorado requires a certificate that documents what the notary did. The certificate wording is set by state law under the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts (RULONA), adopted as Colorado’s notary statute. Getting the certificate right matters because errors can invalidate the notarization and expose you to liability.

Types of Notarial Acts in Colorado

Colorado recognizes five notarial acts that require a certificate:

1. Acknowledgment
2. Jurat
3. Oath or affirmation
4. Copy certification
5. Signature witnessing

Each has its own certificate wording and legal requirements. Each works differently.

Acknowledgment

An acknowledgment confirms that the signer appeared before you, was identified, and acknowledged signing the document voluntarily. The signer does not need to sign in your presence for an acknowledgment. They can sign the document earlier and then bring it to you to acknowledge.

Colorado’s short-form acknowledgment certificate (CRS 24-21-516) reads:

State of Colorado
County of ________

This record was acknowledged before me on ________ (date) by ________ (name(s) of individual(s)).

__________________________
Signature of notarial officer
________ (Seal, if any)
My commission expires: ________

If the signer is signing in a representative capacity (such as a corporate officer or attorney-in-fact), Colorado provides a different short-form certificate that includes the representative capacity.

Jurat

A jurat requires the signer to swear or affirm that the contents of the document are true. Unlike an acknowledgment, the signer must sign the document in your presence. You then administer an oath or affirmation.

Colorado’s short-form jurat certificate (CRS 24-21-516) reads:

State of Colorado
County of ________

Subscribed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ________ (date) by ________ (name(s) of individual(s) making statement).

__________________________
Signature of notarial officer
________ (Seal, if any)
My commission expires: ________

A jurat has two extra steps an acknowledgment skips:, you watched the person sign and you gave them an oath. For an acknowledgment, you are simply confirming they acknowledged their earlier signature.

Oath or Affirmation

An oath or affirmation does not always require a written certificate. When you administer an oath for a court proceeding or a deposition, the record of the oath is typically part of the proceeding transcript. For verbal oaths where no document is involved, a certificate may not be needed.

When a written certificate is required, Colorado provides a short-form certificate under CRS 24-21-516:

State of Colorado
County of ________

Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ________ (date) by ________ (name of individual making statement).

__________________________
Signature of notarial officer
________ (Seal, if any)
My commission expires: ________

Copy Certification

A copy certification means you are attesting that a copy of a document is a complete and accurate reproduction of the original. Not all documents can be copy-certified. Vital records (birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses) generally cannot be copy-certified by a notary; those must come from the issuing agency.

Colorado’s short-form copy certification certificate reads:

State of Colorado
County of ________

I certify that this is a true and correct copy of a record in the possession of ________ (name of individual).

__________________________
Signature of notarial officer
________ (Seal, if any)
My commission expires: ________

Signature Witnessing

Signature witnessing is a notarial act that Colorado added when it adopted RULONA through Senate Bill 18-132 in 2018. It is simpler than an acknowledgment or jurat. You watch the person sign the document, verify their identity, and complete the certificate. No oath is required.

Colorado’s short-form signature witnessing certificate reads:

State of Colorado
County of ________

Signed (or attested) before me on ________ (date) by ________ (name of individual).

__________________________
Signature of notarial officer
________ (Seal, if any)
My commission expires: ________

Signature witnessing is useful for documents that do not require an oath but do require proof that the signer appeared before a notary. Some banks and financial institutions request signature witnessing for their internal forms.

Completing the Certificate Correctly

Regardless of which type of certificate you are completing, these rules apply in Colorado:

• Fill in every blank. Do not leave spaces. Date, name, county, and venue must all be completed.
• Use the signer’s full legal name. Match the name on their identification. If the document has a middle initial but their ID has the full middle name, use the version on the ID.
• Apply your seal. Colorado requires notaries to affix their official seal on every notarial certificate. The seal must be photographically reproducible.
• Sign your name exactly as commissioned. If your commission says “Jane A. Smith,” sign “Jane A. Smith,” not “Jane Smith” or “J. Smith.”
• Record the act in your journal. Colorado requires notaries to keep a journal of all notarial acts. Record the date, type of act, signer’s name, and the document description.

Loose Certificates

Sometimes a document comes to you without notarial certificate wording, or with the wrong type. You can attach a loose certificate (a separate page with the correct wording) to the document. Write or stamp the page number and document description on the loose certificate so it cannot be detached and attached to a different document later.

Never send a signed and sealed loose certificate without attaching it to the document it corresponds to. A loose certificate floating around with your seal on it can come back to bite you.

Common Certificate Mistakes

1. Wrong venue. The county on the certificate should be the county where the notarization took place, not where the document will be filed or where the property is located.
2. Missing seal. Every certificate needs your official seal. A notarization without a seal is invalid in Colorado.
3. Wrong date. The date should be the date of the notarization, not the date the document was signed or dated by the signer.
4. Name mismatch. Your signature on the certificate must match your commissioned name.
5. Wrong act type. Using a jurat certificate when an acknowledgment was requested (or vice versa) is a common error. Always confirm with the signer or requesting party which type of notarization is needed.

Common Questions

Can I write my own certificate wording?

Colorado’s short-form certificates in CRS 24-21-516 are sufficient for most situations. If a document requires different wording for a specific legal purpose, you can use that wording as long as it substantially complies with the statutory requirements. Use the statutory form if you are unsure.

What if the document already has certificate wording printed on it?

Use what is printed on the document as long as it substantially complies with Colorado’s requirements. Do not add a second certificate. If the printed wording is for the wrong type of act (say it says acknowledgment but the signer needs a jurat), cross it out, write in the correct wording, initial the change, and complete the correct certificate.

Does signature witnessing replace acknowledgments in Colorado?

No. Signature witnessing is a separate notarial act. Some situations still require an acknowledgment (real estate deeds, for example). Signature witnessing is used when the receiving party simply needs proof that the signer appeared before a notary and was identified.

Do I need to use a stamp for the venue?

No. You can write or type the venue information. Some notaries use a stamp for consistency, but Colorado does not require it.

Can I notarize a document with a pre-printed certificate from another state?

Yes, as long as you are performing the notarization in Colorado and you apply Colorado law. The certificate must substantially comply with Colorado’s requirements. If it does not, attach a Colorado loose certificate instead.