Privacy policy

Who I am

This site is run by Christopher J Abt, a notary public commissioned in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Commission #1470081). ChesCo Notary is a registered fictitious name of ZigZag Aerial LLC. When this policy says "I" or "me", it means me, operating ChesCo Notary. You can reach me at info@chesconotary.com or (484) 389-2420.

What I collect, and why

When you send a request through a form

The booking form and the readiness checklist ask for your name, phone, email, the service you need, a preferred date, your town, and any details you choose to type in. The checklist also sends the answers you gave it. I use this to reply to you, quote travel, and schedule the appointment. Please don't put ID numbers, Social Security numbers, or the contents of your documents in the form. I don't need them to book, and I'll ask for what I do need in person.

When you call, text, or email

I keep the messages and your contact details so I can follow up on your request and refer back to what we agreed, such as the travel fee I quoted.

At the appointment

Pennsylvania law requires me to identify every signer and to record each notarial act in my notary journal. A journal entry includes things like the date, the type of act and document, your name and address, and how I identified you. I don't record full Social Security or driver's license numbers. I look at your ID; I don't keep a copy of it for marketing or any other purpose. For payment, I record the fees charged and give you an itemized receipt.

When you browse the site

I use Google Analytics and Cloudflare Web Analytics to see which pages people visit, roughly where they come from, and what device they use. Google Analytics sets cookies to tell repeat visits from new ones; Cloudflare Web Analytics does not use cookies. My hosting provider, Cloudflare, also processes your IP address and basic request details to deliver the site and protect it from abuse. I use this to understand which pages are useful, not to identify you.

Who else handles your information

I don't sell or rent your information, and I don't share it for anyone else's advertising. A few service providers process it on my behalf:

• Formspree receives form submissions and forwards them to my email.
• Google (Analytics) and Cloudflare (hosting and analytics).
• My email and phone providers carry the messages you send me.
• Square processes card payments. I never see or store your full card number.

Each has its own privacy policy covering what it does with the data it handles. Beyond that, I disclose information only when the law requires it, for example a valid subpoena or court order, a lawful request to inspect or copy a journal entry, or a review by the Pennsylvania Department of State.

How long I keep it

• Notary journal: at least ten years after the last act recorded in it, as Pennsylvania law requires.
• Receipts and payment records: as long as tax and accounting rules require.
• Inquiries that never became an appointment: deleted when they're no longer useful, generally within a year.
• Analytics: under the retention settings of Google and Cloudflare.

How I protect it

Client records and the journal are stored encrypted and are not shared with anyone helping me with the website or marketing. The site is served only over HTTPS. No system is perfectly secure, but I keep what I hold to the minimum, which is the best protection there is.

Your choices

• You can ask what I hold about you, ask me to correct it, or ask me to delete it. I'll do it unless the law requires me to keep it, which is the case for journal entries.
• You can block or delete cookies in your browser, or use Google's Analytics opt-out add-on. The site works the same either way.
• I don't send marketing email. If I ever text you after an appointment to ask for a review, just reply and I won't do it again.

Children

This site is meant for adults. I don't knowingly collect information from children under 13 through it.

Changes

If I change how I handle information, I'll update this page and the effective date above.

Questions

Email info@chesconotary.com or call or text (484) 389-2420. See also the terms of use.