Legal status
Electronic bills of lading in the United States
In the United States, electronic bills of lading derive legal effect from state law: the 2003 revision of Uniform Commercial Code Article 7, enacted state by state, recognises electronic documents of title and uses 'control' of the electronic record in place of possession of paper.
- Status
- In force
- Instrument
- Uniform Commercial Code Article 7 (Documents of Title), 2003 revision, as enacted by the states
- MLETR-based
- No
- Enacted
- —
- In force since
- —
- Scope
- Revised UCC Article 7, enacted state by state, covers documents of title, including bills of lading and warehouse receipts, in paper or electronic form; section 7-106 sets the test for 'control' of an electronic document of title, which takes the place of possession of a paper document. The federal bills of lading statute (49 U.S.C. chapter 801, sections 80101 et seq.) defines a holder by possession and does not mention electronic records or control.
In more detail
State codes such as those of Nebraska, Ohio and Vermont set out the control test in section 7-106. There is no statute based on the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records, and the federal bills of lading statute (49 U.S.C. chapter 801) defines a holder by possession and does not address electronic records.
What remains unclear
Revised Article 7 was adopted state by state, so there is no single enactment or in-force date, and a state-by-state list of adoptions has not yet been compiled from primary sources. Several states have since amended section 7-106 (Nebraska Laws 2024, LB94; Vermont Act No. 17 of 2025, effective 1 July 2025; Ohio House Bill 195, effective 6 October 2026), and the effect of these amendments has not yet been reviewed. How federal law on interstate and export bills of lading (49 U.S.C. chapter 801) and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act apply to electronic bills of lading is not settled by the statutes reviewed.
Sources
- Uniform Commercial Code — Article 7, Documents of Title; 2022 AmendmentsUniform Law Commission · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: status, instrument, MLETR basis, scope, summary
- 9A V.S.A. § 7-106. Control of electronic document of titleVermont General Assembly · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: status, scope, summary
- 49 U.S.C. § 80101 Definitions (Bills of Lading)U.S. Government Publishing Office · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: scope, summary
- Status: UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (2017)UNCITRAL · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: MLETR basis, summary
- Nebraska UCC 7-106. Control of electronic document of titleNebraska Legislature · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: status
- Ohio Revised Code § 1307.106 Control of electronic document of titleOhio Legislative Service Commission · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: status
- UCC Article 7, Documents of TitleUniform Law Commission · accessed 16 Oct 2026supports: instrument