Trust Signing Notary — Sacramento

Mobile execution of California revocable living trusts, A/B trusts, irrevocable trusts, trust amendments, and the funding documents that make them actually work. We coordinate with your estate-planning attorney, bring the witnesses you need, and handle the recording of any real-property transfers.

Types of trust documents we sign

Revocable Living Trust

The estate planning workhorse. A revocable living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and distributes them at death without probate. In California, where the probate process is notoriously slow and expensive, the living trust is the single most important reason most middle- and upper-middle-class families avoid 18-month probate proceedings. The trust itself is signed by you (as trustor) and accepted by you (as trustee). Notarization is not strictly required for the trust to be valid, but is universally done because the recorded funding deed must be notarized.

A/B Trust (Marital + Bypass)

A two-share trust structure for married couples. On the first spouse's death, assets split into a Marital Share (Trust A) and a Bypass/Credit Shelter Share (Trust B). Historically used to maximize federal estate-tax exemption when the exemption was lower; with the current $13M+ exemption, A/B trusts are less common but still used for blended families, asset protection, and state estate-tax planning (California has no state estate tax, but the cross-border planning matters).

Trust Amendment / Restatement

Adds, removes, or modifies provisions of an existing trust. Amendments cover small changes (changing a successor trustee, adding a beneficiary). Restatements replace the entire trust document while keeping the original trust's effective date (preserves funding without re-deeding everything). Both require notarization for clean execution.

Pour-Over Will

The companion will to a living trust. It "pours over" any assets you forgot to transfer to your trust during your lifetime, sending them into the trust at death. The pour-over will is a will, so it requires two adult witnesses (California Probate Code §6110), NOT notarization. We bring the witnesses or coordinate with you to have them present.

Funding Deeds (Grant Deeds into Trust)

The most-overlooked piece of trust execution. Your trust doesn't actually OWN your house, your car, or your brokerage account until you formally transfer each asset into it. For real property, this means a recorded grant deed from you (individually) to you (as trustee of the trust). We notarize the deed and can deliver it to the County Recorder same-day. An unfunded trust is just paper — assets not in the trust still go through probate.

Certificate of Trust

A short summary of the trust (used to prove the trust's existence and the trustee's authority to a bank, brokerage, or title company without revealing the trust's full terms). California Probate Code §18100.5 provides the statutory framework. The Certificate is signed by the trustee, notarized, and presented to third parties.

The typical California trust signing flow

1. Trust document. Signed by the trustors (you and your spouse), notarized. No witnesses required for the trust itself.
2. Pour-over will. Signed by each testator, witnessed by two adult disinterested witnesses (not beneficiaries). We coordinate witnesses. Not notarized, but California allows a notarized "self-proving affidavit" to be attached for easier admission to probate.
3. Advance Health Care Directive. Sometimes signed at the same appointment. Notary or witnesses (your choice). See healthcare directives.
4. Durable Power of Attorney. Often included in the estate-planning package. Notarized. See power of attorney.
5. Grant deed into trust (for each real property). Signed by you individually (as grantor), notarized, and recorded at the appropriate County Recorder.
6. Certificate of Trust. Signed by the trustee, notarized, kept on hand for presenting to banks and brokerages.
7. Asset-transfer letters. Cover letters to banks, brokerages, and other custodians directing them to re-title the account in the trust's name. Not notarized.

A complete trust execution typically involves 6–10 separate documents and 12–25 notarized signatures. We charge per signature ($15 max each) plus travel; most full trust packages total $90–$140 for the notarization portion. Funding deed recording fees are additional and paid to the County.

Attorney-coordinated vs DIY trusts

Many Sacramento estate-planning attorneys use mobile notaries for trust execution because it lets the client sign at home, evenings, or weekends. We work with Lakin Spears, Eldredge Lutge, Davis & Gilbert, and many sole practitioners across the 916. If your attorney is using a different signing service, we still handle the funding-deed notarization and recording separately at your convenience.

For DIY trusts (LegalZoom, Trust & Will, NoloPress), we can notarize but cannot answer "is this trust right for me" questions — those are attorney questions. We can notarize a trust prepared in any format as long as the underlying document is properly drafted.

Common questions