Pennsylvania notary education online, built to 4 Pa. Code 167

Pennsylvania requires three hours of approved basic education before a first commission and three hours of continuing education before each renewal, and both can be interactive. The Department of State approves each course of study for three years. We build the interactive version on your site so identity, time present and the certificate of education all hold up to review.

Get a quote for your courseCheck your course against DOS

What DOS requires of an online course

Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS). Summarized from the rule text, with the citation for each so you can check it yourself.

  1. 01

    Three hours, approved in advance

    57 Pa.C.S. 322(b), (c) and (d)

    New applicants complete at least three hours of approved basic education, and renewing notaries at least three hours of approved continuing education, within the six months before applying. All courses must be preapproved by the department.

  2. 02

    Interactive education counts

    57 Pa.C.S. 322(b)(2); 4 Pa. Code 167.91

    A course may be interactive or classroom. Interactive education covers live online webinars and asynchronous online courses that require the learner to be actively and reciprocally engaged with the content.

  3. 03

    Identity and time present for virtual attendees

    4 Pa. Code 167.93(a)(3) and (4)

    The course of study must contain procedures to establish the identity of a person virtually attending, and procedures to ensure that a person attending by interactive means is present for the required time.

  4. 04

    Schedule, video synopsis and every material

    4 Pa. Code 167.93(a)(5) through (7) and (b)

    The submission schedules time for breaks, each subject area, participation activities and practice tests, includes a synopsis and copy of any video, and includes handouts, workbooks, visual aids and practice tests. Evaluation time does not count toward the course.

  5. 05

    Certificate of education, valid six months

    4 Pa. Code 167.95

    The signed certificate names the provider as approved, the course and whether it is basic or continuing education, the applicant and the completion date, and states that it is valid for 6 months from issuance.

  6. 06

    Five years of attendance records

    4 Pa. Code 167.96

    Providers keep documentation of the persons who attend each session of an approved course for 5 years.

  7. 07

    Results that keep the approval

    4 Pa. Code 167.98

    The department may terminate approval for deviating from the approved course, failing to answer a request, or failing to prepare attendees when an annual combined scaled score of 60% or more is not maintained.

Would your course pass DOS today?

7 questions, one per rule above, about how you deliver the course now. You see the result right away.

Question 1 of 7

57 Pa.C.S. 322(b), (c) and (d)

Three hours, approved in advance

New applicants complete at least three hours of approved basic education, and renewing notaries at least three hours of approved continuing education, within the six months before applying. All courses must be preapproved by the department.

Does your current setup do this?

How the platform is built to it

Your course, on your site, under your name. Every requirement above is a feature, not a promise in the application.

Identity verified at enrollment and during the course

Students verify identity before the first lesson and again inside it, which is the virtual attendance procedure 167.93(a)(3) asks you to document.

Engagement built into every lesson

Questions, scenarios and practice items sit inside each section, so an asynchronous course meets the actively and reciprocally engaged standard in 167.91 rather than playing a lecture.

Time present measured, evaluation excluded

Active time is logged per section, idle time is not counted, and the course evaluation runs outside the clock, matching 167.93(a)(4) and (b).

Certificates with the six-month statement

Completion issues a signed certificate with every 167.95 field, labeled basic or continuing education, so applicants can file it inside the six-month window.

Records kept five years, results tracked

Attendance is stored for at least five years, and practice test results are reported by cohort so you can see how attendees are tracking long before an annual review.

The path to DOS approval

  1. 1

    Complete the Notary Public Education Provider Application for each course of study, basic or continuing.

  2. 2

    Send it with the $1,013 approval fee and a course of study meeting 167.93 to the Office of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation, on a tangible medium and in a searchable electronic format.

  3. 3

    Include a written transcript with any video or audio. The department reviews submissions in the order received.

  4. 4

    Offer the course only after the Certificate of Approval is issued, and file an amendment within 30 days of any change.

  5. 5

    Apply to renew up to 90 days before the three-year approval expires. The renewal fee is $525.

The terms

We are building one right now for a state-approved online school in Virginia, in English and Spanish, on the same terms.

One flat fee
Quoted per course before any work starts. No hourly billing and no surprise line items.
Final payment on approval
The last payment is due when the regulator approves the course, so the platform has to pass review before it is paid for in full.
No per-student fees
You keep what every enrollment pays. Nothing is skimmed per seat, per certificate or per month of traffic.
You own it
The platform, the code and the student records are yours outright, on your site and under your brand.

Questions schools ask

Can a Pennsylvania notary course be self-paced online?

Yes, if it is interactive. 4 Pa. Code 167.91 names asynchronous interactive online courses as an example of interactive education, as long as the learner is actively and reciprocally engaged with the content.

How long does a course approval last?

Three years from issuance under 4 Pa. Code 167.92(d). You may apply to renew up to 90 days before it expires, and the approval cannot be transferred to another provider or course.

What does approval cost?

The 4 Pa. Code 161.1 fee schedule lists $1,013 for approval of a notary public education course and $525 for renewal of approval.

Can the department watch my course?

Yes. Under 4 Pa. Code 167.97, department representatives may attend any approved course without notice and at no charge to observe, monitor, audit and investigate.

Who owns the platform?

You do, code included. We quote one flat fee per course, final payment is due when the department approves it, and there are no per-student fees. Monthly upkeep for hosting and rule changes is optional. We are building one right now for a state-approved online school in Virginia, in English and Spanish, on the same terms.

Price your DOS course

Tell us the course and how you teach it now. You get a flat price back by email, and a list of what the application will ask about the platform.

Or email [email protected]

Sources

Read from the sources above on October 17, 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current text with DOS before you apply. This page is not legal advice.

Related