§2586.1.  Justice of the peace; powers as ex officio notary

A.  A justice of the peace shall be an ex officio notary public within his territorial jurisdiction to the extent allowed by this Section.  A justice of the peace may exercise the functions of a notary public only to:

(1)  Administer oaths or affirmations.  

(2)  Notarize sworn statements, affidavits, and acknowledgements.  

(3)  Make protests.  

(4)  Notarize bills of sale, transfers, conveyances, exchanges, donations, chattel mortgages, and other documents or instruments affecting movable property or the title thereto, and to notarize title documents relating to movable property when such title documents are required by law, including those title documents required to be registered with the office of motor vehicles of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  

B.  A justice of the peace as ex officio notary public has no authority to:

(1)  Receive or notarize any document effecting, transferring, conveying, encumbering, or mortgaging immovable property.  

(2)  Receive or draft inventories, appraisements, or partitions.  

(3)  Receive, notarize, or draft wills or prenuptial agreements.  

(4)  Perform any other function of a notary public other than that granted by Subsection A.  

(5)  Draft any documents in the performance of his notary powers as provided in Subsection A of this Section.  

C.  This Section does not prevent a justice of the peace from qualifying to be a notary public with full authority pursuant to R.S. 35:1 et seq.  

D.  A justice of the peace acting as an ex officio notary public may charge and collect fees for the documents he executes or notarizes in accordance with the customary practice followed in the parish where his court is located.  

E.  This Section does not affect the authority of a justice of the peace to receive and execute affidavits, sworn statements, oaths, judicial bonds, or other documents, instruments, or acts that relate to or are involved in matters pending in his court or presented to him in his capacity as a justice of the peace.  

Added by Acts 1989, No. 297, §1.