The California BBS (Board of Behavioral Sciences) relaxed its practices surrounding the acceptance of digital signatures over the past few years. Here is where their practice currently stands, to the best of our knowledge.
A couple of things to note here: First, as far as we can tell, this is generally practice, and not policy. In other words, it's not set in the statutes or regulations that govern the BBS' work. That means that the kinds of digital signatures accepted by the BBS could change at any time.
Second, you're safest submitting original forms with handwritten "wet" signatures. The digital options are useful if, for whatever reason, wet signatures are not easy to obtain. Of course, you should always keep copies of any documents submitted to the board.
Applications
In October 2024, the BBS amended its applications for licensure or registration to include this instruction:
Sign the application in ink (wet signature) or electronically. An electronic signature will be accepted if completed via an electronic signature platform such as Adobe Sign or DocuSign which ensures security and authenticity.
This language currently appears on the actual applications for Associate registration and for LMFT, LPCC, or LCSW licensure. Only the applicant themselves signs these forms. See below for other BBS-required forms.
Other forms
Notably, the language above was added only to forms for applying for registration or licensure. That language does not appear on forms that the supervisor must sign, such as the Supervision Agreement, Verification of Experience, or Weekly Log of Hours of Experience.
In comments during BBS meetings, board staff have noted that for these other documents, they will accept almost any form of signature. This includes wet signatures (of course), sign-and-scan, photocopies, and signature images placed through computer software. Typed plain text signatures (the kind you can do just by adding a text box to a document on a computer) may not be accepted.
Cautionary notes
What counts as an acceptable signature for the BBS can change at any time based on relevant court rulings, changes in DCA (the Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the BBS) policy, or other reasons. Again, wet signatures are safest. But the board has been trying to assist those applicants who may have been working remotely, and thus need to get supervisor signatures in digital formats.
The BBS also can, as they see fit, seek to confirm the authenticity of any signature, whether handwritten or digital.
If you have a digital signature unexpectedly get rejected, or if you are notified of a change in BBS practice around signatures, please let us know. This page was last updated in February 2025.
