SignWren shows a warning when a document you upload or a template you pick looks like a kind of document that US e-sign laws don’t cover, such as a will or an eviction notice. The warning names what it spotted, links to a longer explanation, and lets you carry on. It never blocks you, and your signers never see it.

Which documents can’t rely on e-sign laws?

The federal ESIGN Act lists exceptions in 15 U.S.C. § 7003. They include wills, codicils and testamentary trusts; adoption, divorce and other family-law matters; most of the Uniform Commercial Code, such as negotiable promissory notes; court orders and filings; and some notices, including utility shutoffs, eviction or foreclosure notices for someone’s home, health or life insurance cancellations, product recalls, and papers that travel with hazardous materials. States have similar lists in their own laws.

“Not covered” doesn’t always mean “not allowed”. It means the e-sign law doesn’t do the work for you, and some other rule decides how the document has to be signed or delivered. Our guide on documents you can’t sign electronically goes through each one.

SignWren also warns when a document mentions a notary, because SignWren can’t notarize anything and notary rules vary by state.

How does SignWren decide to warn?

It looks for words and phrases typical of those documents, like “last will and testament”, “notice to quit” or “in the circuit court”, and a few of our templates are flagged by name. It’s a simple check, so it can miss things and it can warn about a document that’s fine. A lease that mentions eviction in a clause, for example, might trigger it. That’s why it warns and doesn’t block.

What do I do when I see the warning?

Read it, and if it’s right, stop and check how that document has to be signed where you are. If it’s a false alarm, press I understand, continue. Your acknowledgement is recorded, and if you skipped the warning it shows again on the review screen before you send.

Does the warning mean SignWren checked my document?

No. SignWren is software, not a lawyer, and the warning isn’t a legal finding. No warning doesn’t mean a document is valid either.