HomeMy WebLinkAboutDigital SignaturesDIGITAL SIGNATURE FOR DESIGN PROFESSIONALS (ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS)
Design professionals, such as Architects and Engineers, whose “wet” signature is required for submittal
of hard copy plans will be required to obtain a “digital signature” key for signature of electronically
submitted plans.
A “Digital Signature” is required when strong authentication is necessary because it contains encrypted
information that is unique to the signer and can be easily verified. Digital technology requires each
signer to have a token, smart card or other physical device issued by a trusted organization (usually a
company certified by a government) that verifies the signer’s identity before issuing the token. With this
technology, every document must be opened and signed one at a time – signatures cannot be applied
en masse.
For a complete list of approved digital signature certificate authorities, please visit the
California Secretary of State website at:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/technology/digital-
signatures/approved-certification-authorities/
You may contact individual certificate authorities for their requirements to create a digital signature.
For more information regarding California State Law requirements regarding digital signatures, please
visit the California Secretary of State’s website below:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/regulations/current-regulations/technology/digital-
signatures/government-code-16-5/
ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-DESIGN PROFESSIONALS
Non-design professionals shall sign plans via electronic signature.
An “Electronic Signature” can be set up by anyone using common programs such as Adobe and Outlook
without an independent vetting process or electronic key, and most include a stamp of the date and
time the signature was applied. Electronic signatures are accepted and used worldwide for many
business transactions including e-mail signature blocks.
For more information on how to create an Electronic Signature with Digital ID, please visit the following
website:
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/digital-ids.html
You may download free Adobe Reader software by clicking on the link below:
https://get.adobe.com/reader/