To destroy a notary stamp, pull the rubber die out of an ink stamp and cut it into unreadable pieces, or hammer the metal die plate of an embosser flat until no text or design remains. Then dispose of the pieces, delete any electronic seal files, and notify your commissioning authority if your state requires it. The whole job takes about five minutes and closes off the fraud and disciplinary exposure that an intact but expired stamp leaves behind.
When You Need to Destroy It
Commission expiration is the most common trigger. Once your term ends without renewal, the stamp no longer authorizes anything, but it can still produce an impression that looks legitimate. Destruction closes that gap.
Other situations that call for destroying the stamp:
- You resign your commission before it expires.
- Your commissioning authority revokes your commission.
- Your legal name changes and you receive a new stamp bearing the new name.
- The stamp is worn or damaged and no longer produces a clear impression.
- You renew your commission and receive a new seal device, even if the old one still works.
If your stamp is lost or stolen, you can’t destroy what you don’t have. Notify your commissioning authority immediately and request a replacement. If the missing stamp later turns up, destroy it at that point.
How to Destroy an Ink Stamp
Ink stamps come apart easily because the working surface is soft rubber. Pry or pull the rubber die away from the stamp body. On most self-inking models, the rubber piece snaps or slides out of a plastic housing. Once it’s detached, cut it into small pieces with scissors or a utility knife. No fragment should carry enough of your name, commission number, or state to be recognizable on its own.
The pieces can go in your regular trash. If the stamp has an ink pad or cartridge, remove and discard that separately so nobody can re-ink a reconstructed die.
One thing people overlook: any protective case, practice impression sheet, or card stock showing your commission details should also be shredded or cut up. These items won’t authenticate a document, but they hand a would-be forger everything needed to order a fraudulent replacement stamp from an online vendor.
How to Destroy an Embossing Seal
Embossers are metal, so scissors won’t do the job. The raised-impression die plate is usually held in the embosser body by a screw or press fit. Remove it if you can. Lay the plate on a hard surface and strike it repeatedly with a hammer until the engraved text and design are flattened beyond recognition. A metal file works too if you prefer grinding to smashing.
If the plate won’t come out, deface it in place. Clamp the embosser shut so the two halves press together, then hammer the outside of the assembly to warp the plates. Press it onto paper to test. If you can read anything, keep going.
Wear safety glasses and work gloves. Metal fragments and sharp edges are a real hazard, and small die plates tend to skitter off the work surface when struck.
How to Destroy an Electronic Seal
If you hold a commission for remote online notarization, your seal is likely an image file tied to a digital certificate or a platform account, not a physical device. Destroying it means something different.
Delete the electronic seal image from every device and backup where it’s stored. If your state issued a digital certificate or cryptographic key for electronic notarizations, follow your commissioning authority’s instructions to revoke or surrender it. Contact your remote notarization platform to deactivate your account or remove your seal credentials from the system.
The principle matches the physical version: after your commission ends, nobody should be able to use your seal to produce something that looks like a valid notarization.
Reporting the Destruction to Your State
Many states require you to notify your commissioning authority, usually the Secretary of State, once you destroy your seal. The process varies. Some states accept a simple written statement, others provide a designated form, and a few allow online reporting. Your state’s notary handbook or the commissioning authority’s website will spell out what to submit.
If the stamp was lost or stolen, expect additional steps. Most states require prompt notice, and some set deadlines in the range of ten to fifteen days from when you discover the loss. A police report is a smart move and may be required in your jurisdiction. Keep the report number, because some states want it included with your notification.
Even where your state does not require a report after routine destruction, keep a brief written record of the date, the method, and your commission details. It gives you something concrete to point to if anyone later questions a notarization that appears to bear your seal after your commission ended.
Don’t Destroy Your Journal Yet
Your notary journal is not part of this task. The journal records every notarization you performed, and its retention obligations outlast your commission.
Requirements vary widely. Some states require you to keep journals for a set number of years after your last entry, with seven to ten years being common. Others require you to surrender the journal to your commissioning authority or county clerk within a set window, sometimes as short as 30 days after your commission ends. A few require your employer to retain the journal if you notarized as part of your job.
Because notarized documents like mortgages and powers of attorney can remain legally significant for decades, holding onto your journal for at least ten years from the last entry is a reasonable default even where your state sets a shorter minimum. Store it securely, since it contains sensitive personal information about your signers. When you’re finally permitted to dispose of it, shred it rather than tossing it in the trash.
What Happens If You Skip Destruction
Two distinct risks come with leaving a stamp intact. The first is disciplinary. If your state requires destruction and you don’t comply, you could face fines, denial of a future commission, or other administrative penalties. The second is practical and more dangerous. An intact stamp sitting in a drawer, a storage unit, or someone else’s hands can be used to forge notarizations. If a fraudulent document surfaces bearing your seal, you’ll spend considerable time and money proving you weren’t involved.
Using a notary stamp after your commission expires is a serious offense in every state. Depending on the circumstances, it can lead to criminal charges for fraud or forgery, civil lawsuits from anyone harmed by the invalid notarization, and personal financial liability. Your notary bond, if you still have one, may not cover acts performed outside your commission period. Five minutes with a pair of scissors or a hammer is cheap insurance against all of that.