The Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act is a model act drafted and approved by the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) to create standards for authenticating and preserving digital legal documents, such as official statutes, codes, regulations and decisions. The model act was approved by the ULC in July 2011.
The act requires that if electronic legal records are to be designated official records by a state government, they must be: able to be authenticated preserved in print or electronic form (which requires backup and disaster recovery and continued usability of the records) and "reasonably available for use by the public on a permanent basis"
It also provides that authenticated electronic legal records from other states are presumed to be true and accurate, and that the state should use consider recent standards, the needs of users and government entities, and the standards used by other jurisdictions in its efforts to preserve, authenticate, and publish electronic legal records.
Twenty-four states plus DC and the US Virgin Islands have since passed legislation based on the model act:
Jurisdiction Year Bill number Arkansas 2025 HB 1739/HB 1748 Montana 2025 HB 111 Indiana 2022 SB 131 US Virgin Islands 2021 34-0034 Iowa 2019 HF 743 Michigan 2019 HB 4779 Texas 2019 HB 402 Ohio 2018 SB 139 Utah 2018 SB 121 District of Columbia 2017 21-0890 Maryland 2017 SB137/HB165 Washington 2017 SB 5039 West Virginia 2017 SB 214 Arizona 2016 SB 1414 Delaware 2014 HB 403 Idaho 2014 SB 1356 Illinois 2014 SB 1941 Pennsylvania 2014 SB 601 Connecticut 2013 SB 235 Hawaii 2013 SB 32 Minnesota 2013 HF 278 Nevada 2013 SB 105 North Dakota 2013 HB 1129 Oregon 2013 HB 2944 California 2012 SB 1075 Colorado 2012 HB 1209
As of 2025, the only UELMA jurisdictions that have designated their digital statutes/codes official are: Ohio Minnesota Iowa Hawaii District of Columbia US Virgin Islands
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