Is a Tank or Budget Agreement Signed in the App a Legal Contract?
An electronic signature can support a valid contract. A tap alone does not prove that every term will hold up. The federal ESIGN Act protects covered agreements from rejection just because they are electronic. Have your lawyer review your form and the signing screens before you use them. Read 15 USC 7001.
What does ESIGN establish?
Under 15 USC 7001, electronic form alone is not a reason to deny a covered contract or signature legal effect. Other legal duties still apply. Subsection (c) adds consent, disclosure and access terms when a law requires a writing for a consumer and you use an electronic record to satisfy it. Read the 2024 GPO text. Your lawyer needs to check those terms against the way your form works.
What should counsel review before we use a form?
Give your lawyer the whole agreement and each screen shown before signing. Say who owns the tank and who will sign. Explain how staff will check that person’s right to sign. Ask the provider to show what the office gets back. A picture of a signature box leaves too much of the process unseen.
What should the office be able to retrieve?
Try to find a signed form as the office would after a customer calls. Can you see the words that person accepted? Can you tie the copy to the right account? Try the customer’s way to get a copy too. Ask your lawyer which proof to keep and how long to keep it.
What should we check before launch?
Review the whole signing path with the people who will use it:
- Have counsel approve the exact agreement and identify the applicable jurisdictions.
- Confirm who has authority to sign for the customer or container owner.
- Review every disclosure and consent screen, not only the signature field.
- Rehearse access to the completed agreement from both customer and office views.
- Document who maintains form versions and what happens when an agreement changes.
Questions owners ask
Does this certify Custom Fuel App’s signing flow?
No. Ask the provider to show your exact form from start to finish. Include each notice, the consent steps and the saved copy. Your lawyer should review that flow. A general page about electronic signatures cannot establish that a specific product or form meets all the rules.
Is permission to use electronic records the same as agreeing to the plan?
Treat those as separate questions for review. Ask your lawyer where each choice belongs on the screen. Check what the customer reads and what the office keeps. One vague checkbox should not have to explain both the use of electronic records and the terms of a fuel plan.
Can we use the same form for every state?
Do not assume one form fits every state. Tell your lawyer where the tank is and what the agreement will do. Keep the approved version with that use. Staff should know which form to use without guessing from a file name or copying a form from another account.
What if a customer wants a paper copy?
Ask your lawyer which paper-copy rights and terms apply. When ESIGN section 7001(c) applies, the notice before consent must explain any paper option and how to request a paper copy later, including any fee. Have staff test that request and the copy they supply. Do not promise a paper-copy policy the office cannot carry out.
What should we bring to a demo?
Ask what the customer sees, how the person signs and how both sides get a copy. Try the steps with an approved internal example. Name an owner for any missing answer. Resolve the record and consent questions before staff ask real customers to sign the form.
Primary sources
Bring your lawyer-reviewed form to a Custom Fuel App demo. Related reading: Existing agreement-form guide, Budget-plan cancellation questions. Find more on the answer hub.
Planning guidance for the office. Check the rules for your work with the agency, your lawyer or a qualified reviewer. A product setting does not prove compliance.
Last updated: 2026-10-17
Author: The Custom Fuel App team