205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
A digital signature is an electronic method of authenticating a document. The authentication is based on an identity certificate. These certificates come in two forms: self-generated and issued by a certificate authority. Validating the signature will provide the identity and authority behind the certificate. Self-generated signatures are more akin to hand written signatures in that, in order to accept a hand written signature, you must trust the person is who they say they are and that they actually signed the document. A certificate authority requires the signer prove who they are before the digital signature is issued.
A valid digital signature issued by a certificate authority:
In 1997, the State of Washington enacted the Electronic Authentication Act (EAA) "to facilitate commerce by means of reliable electronic messages." This landmark act, one of the first of its kind in the United States, is designed to enhance economic development and trade through the use of digital signatures in electronic commerce. http://www.sos.wa.gov/ea/ea.aspx
Kittitas County began digitally signing documents in September 2010 (Resolution 2010-093).
A digital signature of a Kittitas County employee or elected official will appear similar to this:
The signature is valid if:
Adobe Acrobat Reader maintains a list of your trusted identities. These are the digital signature certificates you have accepted as trustworthy. Washington State certificates are not in your trusted identity by default. If you have not previously added a Washington State certificate, you might see a warning the signature validity is unknown. Whether or not you choose to add Washington State certificates to your trusted identity list, a digital signature issued by Washington State or its licensee is a valid legal signature (RCW 19.34). To add a certificate to your trusted identities in Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Unless otherwise provided by law, contract, or policy, Kittitas County may accept digital signatures on electronic documents if the signature can be validated as certified by a Washington State licensed certification authority.