AI-generated summary. We recommend consulting the bill text for important decisions.

County recorders in Utah are currently required to accept traditionally notarized paper documents, but this bill creates a pathway for counties to also accept digitally authenticated records — electronic documents verified using tamper-evident technology that detects any unauthorized changes after signing. Before a county can begin accepting these digital records, it must submit a detailed proposal to the State Archives describing the technology it plans to use, its security measures, training plans, and record-keeping procedures, and must consult with industry groups like the Title and Escrow Commission and the County Recorder Standards Board; the State Archives then has 45 days to approve or deny the proposal, and any approval lasts three years before renewal is required. The bill also directs the state archivist, working with the Division of Technology Services, to establish statewide technical and security standards that all digital authentication systems must meet. Utahns who buy, sell, or transfer property could eventually be able to submit required documents to their county recorder electronically rather than in person with a notary, though only in counties that have gone through and passed the state approval process.