AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

County recorders in Utah currently accept documents that have been signed and verified through traditional notarization, but this bill would create a pathway for counties to also accept "digitally authenticated records" — electronic documents verified using tamper-evident technology that detects any unauthorized changes after the document is authenticated. Before a county could accept these digital records, it would have to submit a detailed proposal to the State Archives describing its technology, security measures, training plans, and record-keeping procedures, and would have to consult with groups like the Title and Escrow Commission and the County Recorder Standards Board; the state archivist would then have 45 days to approve or deny the proposal, with approvals valid for three years before renewal is required and denials requiring specific reasons and recommendations for improvement. The bill also directs the state archivist, working with the Division of Technology Services, to set statewide technical, security, and preservation standards that any digital authentication system must meet, including requirements for verifying a person's identity that match or exceed those used for remote online notarization. Counties that adopt an approved system would need to keep accepting traditional notarized documents alongside digital ones, publicly disclose what types of digital authentication they accept, and maintain records verifying the authenticity and integrity of digital documents over time.