What is UETA?

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act — U.S. state-level law adopted in 49 states giving electronic signatures legal validity.

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), drafted in 1999 by the Uniform Law Commission, has been adopted in 49 U.S. states plus DC, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (New York is the lone holdout but has its own equivalent — the Electronic Signatures and Records Act). UETA provides the state-level legal foundation for electronic signatures, complementing the federal ESIGN Act for intrastate transactions.

UETA's four-part test

For an eSignature to be valid under UETA, the parties must (1) agree to transact electronically, (2) the signature must be attributable to the signer, (3) the record must be retained accurately, and (4) the signature must be associated with the record. PDF Verified satisfies all four out of the box.

Why UETA matters for SaaS contracts

Most software subscription agreements and B2B contracts are intrastate or have an intrastate component. UETA — not ESIGN — governs them. The good news: UETA mirrors ESIGN closely enough that a signature valid under one is valid under the other.

Documents UETA excludes

Similar to ESIGN: wills, testamentary trusts, court documents that require special notice, and notices of utility shutoff. State-specific carve-outs may apply.