US law, last updated October 15, 2026

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

Yes. In the United States, a signature can't be denied legal effect just because it's electronic. That's the federal ESIGN Act, enacted June 30, 2000, plus the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted by 49 states and Washington, D.C. New York has its own similar law, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act. EsigIt is built for the documents those laws cover, and its terms prohibit the ones they carve out.

This page explains the law in plain words and links the text. It isn't legal advice, and EsigIt isn't a law firm. For a document with real money or a real dispute behind it, ask a lawyer licensed in your state.

What does the ESIGN Act say?

EsigIt relies on one sentence in 15 U.S.C. 7001(a): a signature, contract or other record "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form." A contract can't be thrown out just because an electronic signature was used to form it, either.

The ESIGN Act is Public Law 106-229, enacted June 30, 2000. Its core rules took effect October 1, 2000, and apply to transactions in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce. Read it at Cornell's Legal Information Institute.

ESIGN doesn't force anyone to accept an e-signature. Section 7001(b) says it doesn't require any person to agree to use electronic records or signatures. Your client can still ask for paper.

What counts as an electronic signature?

EsigIt works under the federal definition in 15 U.S.C. 7006(5): "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record."

So a typed name, a signature drawn with a finger, or a click can all qualify. The deciding word is intent. On EsigIt, a signer agrees to sign electronically and types their full legal name before they draw or type the signature, and EsigIt records when.

What is UETA, and does my state follow it?

EsigIt's home state of Arizona follows UETA, like almost every state. UETA is the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, a model law the Uniform Law Commission finished in 1999. The Commission's enactment map showed 52 enactments across the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands when we checked on October 15, 2026.

New York didn't adopt UETA. It has its own Electronic Signatures and Records Act, which gives e-signatures the same force and effect as ink, per the New York ITS guideline updated April 6, 2023.

Arizona's version reads like the model. A.R.S. 44-7007 says a record or signature in electronic form "cannot be denied legal effect and enforceability" because it's electronic, and that an electronic signature "satisfies any law that requires a signature."

Does UETA apply if the other side never agreed to sign electronically?

No. EsigIt asks every signer to agree because UETA applies only between parties that have agreed to do business electronically. Arizona's text is A.R.S. 44-7005(B), and whether they agreed is judged from the context, including how they acted. A signer who opens the link, agrees, and signs has shown that.

Which documents can't be signed electronically?

EsigIt follows the 9 exclusions in 15 U.S.C. 7003, part of the 2000 law. ESIGN doesn't apply to these, so don't send them through EsigIt or any e-signature tool without a lawyer's yes:

  • Wills, codicils and testamentary trusts.
  • Adoption, divorce and other family-law matters.
  • Most of the Uniform Commercial Code. Sections 1-107 and 1-206 and Articles 2 and 2A (sales and leases of goods) are still covered.
  • Court orders, notices and official court documents, including briefs and pleadings.
  • Notices that water, heat, power or other utility service is being cut off.
  • Notices of default, acceleration, repossession, foreclosure or eviction, or the right to cure, under a loan secured by, or a rental agreement for, someone's primary home.
  • Notices cancelling health insurance or life insurance benefits (annuities aside).
  • Product recall or failure notices where health or safety is at risk.
  • Documents that must travel with hazardous materials, pesticides or other dangerous materials.

EsigIt's terms of use exclude these. EsigIt also checks each document's title and file name at send and stops wills, codicils, testamentary trusts, adoption and divorce papers. The full text is at 15 U.S.C. 7003.

Can a landlord e-sign a lease?

Yes. EsigIt can carry a residential lease, because ESIGN doesn't exclude leases of real property. What it excludes, since 2000, is the eviction or default notice on a primary home. Sign the lease electronically and serve those notices the way your state requires.

What makes an e-signature hold up if someone challenges it?

EsigIt's records answer the 3 questions that matter in a dispute: did this person sign, did they mean to, and has the document changed since. The law has asked those questions since 2000.

  • Who signed. Arizona's A.R.S. 44-7009 says a signature is attributable to a person if it was their act, and that can be shown with evidence, including a security procedure.
  • Intent. The federal definition requires a signature made "with the intent to sign the record."
  • An accurate, kept record. When a law requires you to keep a record, 15 U.S.C. 7001(d) says an electronic copy works if it "accurately reflects" the original and stays accessible for the required period.

What does EsigIt record for every signature?

EsigIt keeps 6 kinds of evidence for every signer on every document, and puts them in a completion certificate. This is what the system records as built in 2026.

  • A 6-digit code emailed to the signer. It expires in 10 minutes, 5 wrong tries lock that code, and it's stored only as a SHA-256 hash.
  • The signer's consent to sign electronically, with their typed full legal name and the time.
  • The IP address and browser of the signer on every step: opening the link, verifying the code, consenting, signing.
  • A chained event log. Each event's SHA-256 hash includes the hash of the event before it, so removing an event, or changing its type, time or details, breaks the chain.
  • The SHA-256 fingerprint of the original PDF and of the signed PDF. Change one byte and the fingerprint won't match.
  • Signing links built from 48 random characters, stored hashed, one per signer.

Keep the signed PDF and the certificate together. ESIGN's retention rule is about your copy being accurate and reachable, and that part is on you.

Is DocuSign legally binding? Is EsigIt?

Both are, for the same reason. EsigIt and DocuSign sign under the same 2000 federal law and the same state laws. ESIGN and UETA don't name vendors or set a minimum price.

A $1.99 EsigIt signature and a DocuSign signature stand on the same legal footing when the signer meant to sign and the record holds up. What differs is the evidence each tool keeps and the extra checks you can buy, like ID verification, which DocuSign sells and EsigIt doesn't.

What doesn't EsigIt verify?

EsigIt verifies inbox access, not identity. The 6-digit code shows the signer could read that email inbox when they signed. It doesn't check a photo ID, ask knowledge-based questions, or put a notary or witness in the room.

If your document needs a notary, a witness, or a verified ID, EsigIt is the wrong tool. Say so to your client before you send, not after.

Do consumer documents need extra steps?

Sometimes. EsigIt's consent step covers signing electronically, but 15 U.S.C. 7001(c), in force since 2000, adds more when a law requires you to give a consumer certain information in writing. Before the consumer consents, you owe them a clear statement of their right to paper copies, how to withdraw consent, what it covers, and the hardware and software they'll need.

Most contracts, quotes and service agreements aren't that kind of required notice. Some are. If yours might be, ask a lawyer before you use any e-signature tool for it, EsigIt included.

Short answers

Is a typed name a legal signature?
It can be. Federal law defines an electronic signature as a sound, symbol or process attached to a record and adopted by a person with the intent to sign it (15 U.S.C. 7006). A typed name counts when the person meant it as their signature.
Can I sign a will electronically?
Not under the ESIGN Act. It excludes wills, codicils and testamentary trusts (15 U.S.C. 7003). Some states have separate electronic-will laws, but EsigIt doesn't handle wills at all.
Do electronic signatures hold up in court?
The law says a court can't reject a signature only because it's electronic. Whether a particular signature holds up depends on the evidence that the right person signed and the record wasn't changed, which is why EsigIt keeps a certificate for every document.
Is an emailed code enough to prove who signed?
It proves the signer had access to that email inbox when they signed. It doesn't prove identity the way a photo ID check or a notary does. If you need that, EsigIt is the wrong tool.

Related: how signing works on EsigIt, terms of use, privacy policy, acceptable use.

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