This article explores the specifics of legal regulation of notarial activities in Ukrainian law XVIII - І part of the XІX century. Analyzing the provisions of Ukrainian law codification of this period, which regulate certain aspects of notarial activities. The law, which cause considerable interest discovers the formation and development of notaries in Ukraine, was contained in these sources in Ukrainian law XVIII - І part of the XІX century. As the instruction of Hetman Danylo Apostol courts from July 13, 1730, «The process of short clerks» 1734. «The court and the massacre of rights in Ruthenia» in 1750, «Rights, which have Ruthenia in the court» in 1743, «Extract of edicts, regulations and institutions» in 1786, «Collected rights of Ruthenia» in 1807, set local laws of western provinces in 1837. The order form and regulations, structure and competence of that notarial acts committed with their compilation and certification within the XVII - end early XIX century suffered evolution, as sources of notary law largely remained previously regulatory requirements. All rights monuments of this period, which give an idea of the current laws in Ukraine on the order concluding civil contracts in this part is almost entirely based on the position of the Lithuanian Statutes. Revealed that Part II in the book «Extract of edicts, regulations and institutions in 1786» «About the middle and lower Ruthenians previously and now existing courts and their posts» for the first time in the history of Ukraine we find mention of notaries public office, introduced by the organ of the provincial council. Because of political circumstances, the notary’s beginning in the XIX century in Ukraine was far from European tendencies, but was connected with the history of Russian notary, which because of low economic development, the rules of serfdom, the combination of judicial and administrative authorities grew much slower than in Ukraine and generally in Europe.