Glossary
What is UETA?
Short answer
UETA, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, is the 1999 model law that most US states have passed to make electronic signatures and records legally valid. Every state except New York has adopted it; New York relies on its own Electronic Signatures and Records Act. UETA applies only where the parties have agreed to deal electronically, which can be shown from their conduct.
Updated 25 October 2026
- UETA
- The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) is a model law approved by the Uniform Law Commission in 1999 and adopted by 49 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It gives electronic records and signatures the same legal effect as paper.
What UETA says
Section 7 is the heart of it: a record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form, a contract may not be denied effect because an electronic record was used to form it, and an electronic record or signature satisfies any law requiring a writing or a signature.
Section 2(8) defines an electronic signature as an electronic sound, symbol or process attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record, wording the ESIGN Act later mirrored.
Agreement to transact electronically
Under section 5(b), UETA applies only to transactions between parties who have each agreed to conduct the transaction by electronic means. That agreement does not have to be written. It is decided from the context and surrounding circumstances, including the parties' conduct.
Someone who opens an emailed signing link, confirms a code and signs has usually shown that agreement by doing so. Recording a separate consent step makes it explicit.
Attribution, errors and notarisation
Section 9 says an electronic signature is attributable to a person if it was their act, and that this may be shown in any manner, including the efficacy of any security procedure applied. That is where audit trails and email verification come in.
Section 10 deals with errors, and section 11 allows a notarisation requirement to be met by the electronic signature of the notary together with the other required information. UETA excludes wills, codicils and testamentary trusts, and most of the Uniform Commercial Code, from its scope under section 3.
UETA and Sign PDF
Sign PDF documents are signed by people who receive an email link, confirm a six-digit code and agree to sign electronically before they sign. Those steps, with the timestamps and device details in our certificate of completion, are the kind of evidence section 9 contemplates. Check your own state's version, since some states added changes when adopting UETA. This is not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Which states have not adopted UETA?
New York. It has its own Electronic Signatures and Records Act, which also recognises electronic signatures. The federal ESIGN Act applies there too.
What is the difference between UETA and the ESIGN Act?
UETA is a state law model adopted state by state; ESIGN is federal. They say much the same thing. ESIGN adds specific consumer consent rules and lets a state's UETA take precedence where it was adopted as the Uniform Law Commission approved it.
Does UETA cover real estate contracts?
Purchase agreements and leases are generally covered. Recording deeds with a county office may depend on separate rules, such as the Uniform Real Property Electronic Recording Act where adopted, and some documents still need a notary.
Do both parties have to agree to sign electronically?
Yes, under section 5(b) each party must agree to conduct the transaction electronically, but that agreement can be shown by conduct.
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