California e-signature and notarization law

California's electronic signature law: the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1633.1 to 1633.17). Electronic signatures are also valid under the federal ESIGN Act for most transactions. Some documents are excluded, such as wills, divorce and adoption documents, court orders and certain official notices.

The fuller federal list is in our guide to e-signing in the United States.

What California's e-signature law does not cover

Civil Code Section 1633.3 lists what California's Act does not reach:

• The rules for creating and executing a will, a codicil or a testamentary trust.
• Division 1 of the Uniform Commercial Code, except Sections 1206 and 1306.
• Divisions 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 11 of the Uniform Commercial Code.
• A law requiring specifically identifiable text or disclosures in a record to be separately signed, including initialed.
• Specific transactions described in a long list of other code sections, starting with Section 17511.5 of the Business and Professions Code.
• An electronic record may not be substituted for a notice that must be sent under Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

Because the transaction list in Section 1633.3(c) is long, read it in full before relying on the Act for a particular deal.

Remote online notarization in California

Remote online notarization: not yet available in California, as of November 2, 2026. It starts once the Secretary of State's system is ready, by January 1, 2030.

SB 696 (Stats. 2023, ch. 291) added online notarization provisions to the Government Code, effective January 1, 2024. Even so, a notary may not provide online notarization before registering with the Secretary of State, or before the Secretary of State's technology project is complete.

The statute says the Secretary of State shall complete that project no later than January 1, 2030, unless the Secretary informs the Legislature and the Governor in writing on or before January 1, 2029.

The Secretary of State's notary FAQ says California law does not provide California notaries with the authority to perform a remote online notarization. It adds that the new law takes effect when the Secretary of State certifies the technology project is complete, or on January 1, 2030, whichever comes first.

SignAndGo doesn't notarize documents. A commissioned notary does that, using a remote notarization platform where the state allows it.

Where to read California's law

• Electronic signatures: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1633.1 to 1633.17, exclusions at § 1633.3.
• Online notarization: Cal. Gov. Code § 8231 et seq., added by Stats. 2023, ch. 291 (SB 696).

Checked against California's published law on November 2, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.