Pennsylvania e-signature and notarization law

Pennsylvania's electronic signature law: the Electronic Transactions Act (Act of Dec. 16, 1999, P.L. 971, No. 69). 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 Pennsylvania's e-signature law does not cover

Under the Act, chapters 1, 3 and 5 may be cited as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Section 104 says the Act does not apply to a transaction to the extent it is governed by:

• Laws on making and executing wills, codicils and testamentary trusts.
• 13 Pa.C.S., the Commercial Code, other than the parts the section names, which include Division 2 (sales) and Division 2A (leases).

How Pennsylvania's law treats electronic records

Section 303 of the Act carries the writing rule: if a law requires a record to be in writing, an electronic record satisfies the law.

Pennsylvania's Act also has a consumer chapter. A paper consumer contract may not authorize electronic dealings unless the consumer agrees by a separate and express acknowledgment, and agreement is not inferred just because the consumer paid an account or registered a purchase or warranty electronically. The parties to a consumer contract cannot vary that chapter by agreement.

Remote online notarization in Pennsylvania

Remote online notarization: allowed in Pennsylvania since October 29, 2020.

57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1 says a notary public located in Pennsylvania may perform a notarial act facilitated by communication technology for a remotely located individual, meaning someone not in the physical presence of the notary.

In Pennsylvania the regulator is the Department of State. A notary must tell the department that the notary will be performing notarial acts facilitated by communication technology, and identify the technology. That notice takes the place of a separate commission.

The section was added by Act 97 of 2020 (October 29, 2020, P.L. 1030, No. 97) and took effect immediately.

A notary may identify the signer by at least two different types of identity proofing processes or services. The audio-visual recording must include all interactions between the notary and the signer, and it is kept for at least 10 years after it is created unless regulations set another period.

The Department of State's regulations set the standards for identity, and section 306.1 says those include credential analysis, dynamic knowledge-based authentication, biometrics and other means of identification.

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

Where to read Pennsylvania's law

• Electronic signatures: Act of Dec. 16, 1999, P.L. 971, No. 69, exclusions at § 104.
• Remote notarization: 57 Pa.C.S. § 306.1, added by Act 97 of 2020.

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