Online Waiver Form With a Signature: Build It Free and Keep a PDF of Every Signed Copy

Open the waiver templateDownload the waiver setup checklist (PDF)

What an online waiver needs to do

A paper waiver has three parts: the release text, a statement that the person agrees, and their signature. An online waiver needs the same three, plus one thing paper does badly: you must be able to find a specific signed copy months later, quickly, if something goes wrong.

On the legal side, US federal law gives electronic signatures the same standing as ink in most commercial dealings. Section 101 of the ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001, says a signature or record "may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form." That settles the format question. It does not settle whether a particular waiver protects you; that depends on its wording and on your state's rules on liability releases, which is why the wording should come from a lawyer, not from a template. This guide is not legal advice.

Three templates for three situations

The builder's "Waivers & consent" group has three templates, all with a drawn signature, which people make with a finger on a phone or tablet or with a mouse:

• Liability waiver: name, date of birth, email, phone, emergency contact name and phone, a "Release of liability" heading and paragraph, a required "I have read and agree to the waiver above" tick box, and the signature. The paragraph is placeholder text; replace it with your own approved wording.
• Photo & video release: name, email, an explanation of where images are used, a clear choice between "Yes, you may use photos and videos that include me" and "No, please don't use images of me", and a signature.
• Parent / guardian consent: the child's name and date of birth, the parent or guardian's details, medical conditions or allergies, a consent tick box and the signature. Use one per child.

Gyms, climbing walls, yoga studios, tour operators, workshops and rental businesses usually need the first; anyone posting client photos needs the second; anyone working with children needs the third.

Step by step: build it and set up signing

1. Open the Liability waiver template

Open the free form builder with the waiver template (the button at the top of this post does this).

2. Replace the release text

Click the paragraph block on the canvas and paste your approved wording. Keep the heading short. If the release is long, a page break before it lets people read it on its own page.

3. Keep the tick box and signature required

The consent tick box is always required, and its text can link to your full terms. Leave the signature required too. If you need the person's age for your release, keep date of birth required as well.

4. Publish and set up signing

Publish with your email. From the Share tab, print the QR code for the front desk, and add the form's link to booking confirmations so most people sign at home. For walk-ins, open the full-page link on a tablet at the counter. The embedding guide covers the link and QR options.

5. Find and print a signed copy

This is the step that matters on the day something goes wrong, and it is what the video above shows. Open the form's Results tab and search for the name: every answer is a row, and the search covers all answers. Click the row to open the answer panel, which shows every answer and the drawn signature as an image. The panel's PDF button downloads that one signed waiver; Print opens a printable page. The CSV export marks the signature column "(signed)" for each row, which is handy for a quick check of who has and has not signed.

Habits that make a waiver useful

• Check before the session, not after. Have staff search Results for each name on the day's list. Someone without a signed waiver signs on the tablet before they start.
• Run a retrieval drill. Once a month, pick a name from months ago and time how long it takes to open the signed PDF. The checklist with this post has a log for it.
• Do not let people change a signed waiver. Leave "Let them edit their answers afterwards" off for waiver forms, so the signed record stays as signed.
• Mind the limits on the free plan. It allows 100 completed answers a month across your forms, which suits a small studio. A busier front desk will outgrow it; paid plans have no limit.

For a waiver that also collects health details, read the privacy notes in our client intake form guide first.

Questions to take to your lawyer

A template gives you the structure; the words need a professional who knows your state and your activity. Going in with specific questions makes that conversation shorter and cheaper:

• Does our release need to name the specific activities and risks, or is a general description enough here?
• Can a release cover injuries caused by our own negligence in this state, or only the inherent risks of the activity? (The template's placeholder text does not release claims caused by the business's own negligence; yours may need to say something different.)
• What do we need for participants under 18, and does a parent's signature bind the child?
• How long should we keep signed waivers, and in what form?
• Should the waiver be signed before every visit, once a year, or once?

Once you have the answers, the form is the easy part: paste the wording, keep the tick box and signature required, and you have a waiver that is signed before people arrive and can be found in seconds afterwards.

Questions people also ask

Sources

• Cornell Law School LII — 15 U.S. Code § 7001 (ESIGN Act)
• US House Office of the Law Revision Counsel — 15 USC 7001