Knowledge base
State signing rules
Ohio signing requirements
How your will and revocable living trust must be executed in Ohio.
Will and revocable living trust
- Minimum age to make a will
- 18 years
- Witnesses required for a will
- 2
- Witnesses should be disinterested
- Yes — use non-beneficiaries
- Notary required for the will
- No, but recommended for the affidavit
- Self-proving affidavit
- Available — included in your will
- Witnesses for the trust instrument
- 0
- Notarization of the trust
- Strongly recommended
- Community property state
- No
- Handwritten (holographic) wills
- Not recognized
- Electronic signature for a will
- Not recognized — sign on paper
- Trust must be in writing
- Yes
- Electronic signature for the trust
- Recognized
- Will statute
- ORC 2107.03, ,.15
- Trust statute
- ORC 5804.02
Healthcare power of attorney and advance directive
- Age required to sign
- 18 years
- Witnesses required
- 2
- Notarization
- Required
- Who may not witness
- Statutory exclusions apply — avoid your agent, relatives, heirs and treating providers
- Mental-health treatment decisions
- Covered by the healthcare directive
- Advance directive statute
- ORC 2133.01 - 2133.15
- Healthcare POA statute
- ORC 1337.11 - 1337.17
- Rules last verified
- 2026
Living will and advance directive details
- Statutory form published
- Yes — your document tracks it
- Pregnancy restriction
- Yes — your directive addresses pregnancy expressly
- Physicians who must certify the condition
- 2
- Notary instead of witnesses
- Permitted
- Living will and healthcare POA combined
- Permitted
- Agent may work for your facility
- Not unless related to you
- Authority may begin immediately
- Yes, if you choose
- Mental-health treatment declaration
- Not used in this state
HIPAA authorization
- Categories needing express authorization
- mental health and psychiatric records, substance use disorder treatment records (42 C.F.R. Part 2), HIV/AIDS testing and treatment records, genetic testing results
Final disposition instructions
- Written disposition directive
- Recognized by statute
- Witnesses required
- 2
- Notarization
- Required
- Disposition agent
- Must be designated separately from your healthcare agent
- Disposition statute
- Ohio Rev. Code 2108.70
Ohio requires either two witnesses or a notary acknowledgment on both the Living Will Declaration and the Health Care Power of Attorney. Witnesses may not be related to you by blood, marriage or adoption, your attending physician or the administrator of your nursing home. Ohio recognises a written declaration of the right of disposition of remains.
Ohio does not use a self-proving affidavit. Two competent witnesses must see the testator sign or hear the testator acknowledge the signature.
Signing day in Ohio, step by step
Bring: final documents printed single-sided and unstapled; blue or black ink pens; government photo identification for you and every witness. You will also need the number of adult, disinterested witnesses your state requires and a commissioned notary public (bank, shipping store, title company or mobile notary).
Before signing day
- 1Confirm you may sign. You must be at least 18 to make a will and 18 to sign healthcare documents in Ohio, and you must be of sound mind and signing voluntarily.
- 2Arrange witnesses. Arrange 2 witnesses for your will. Ohio expects disinterested witnesses, so use adults who receive nothing under your plan.
- 3Book a notary. Notarization of the trust is strongly recommended in Ohio, and the notary also completes the self-proving affidavit for your will, and your healthcare documents must be notarized. Bring photo ID for everyone.
- 4Print the final set. Print every document single-sided on paper. Ohio does not recognize an electronic signature on a will, so it must be signed on paper.
Will and revocable living trust
- 1Sign the revocable living trust. Sign the trust as grantor and as trustee in front of the notary. Governing statute: ORC 5804.02.
- 2Declare and sign the will. State aloud that the document is your will and that you are asking the witnesses to witness it, then sign at the end in their presence.
- 3Witnesses sign. Your 2 witnesses sign in your presence and in each other's presence and print their names and addresses. Governing statute: ORC 2107.03, ,.15.
- 4Complete the self-proving affidavit. Immediately afterward, you and the witnesses swear to the affidavit before the notary, who signs and seals it. This lets the court accept the will without calling your witnesses.
Healthcare, HIPAA and disposition documents
- 1Sign the healthcare power of attorney and living will. Sign in front of 2 witnesses and have the documents notarized. A notary acknowledgment may be used in place of witnesses. Your agent, relatives by blood or marriage, heirs and employees of your treating provider may not serve as witnesses. Statute: ORC 1337.11 - 1337.17.
- 2Sign the HIPAA authorization. Sign and date the HIPAA authorization; no witnesses are required under federal law. Ohio requires express authorization for mental health and psychiatric records, substance use disorder treatment records (42 C.F.R. Part 2), HIV/AIDS testing and treatment records, genetic testing results records, which your form includes.
- 3Sign the final disposition instructions. Sign in front of 2 witnesses and have it notarized. Your disposition agent must be named separately from your healthcare agent. Statute: Ohio Rev. Code 2108.70.
- 4Sign the durable financial power of attorney. Have the financial power of attorney notarized even if the statute is silent; banks and county recorders will insist on it.
After signing
- 1Store originals and distribute copies. Keep the signed originals somewhere safe and accessible, tell your successor trustee where they are, and give copies to your healthcare agent, physician and hospital.
- 2Fund the trust. Retitle real estate, accounts and business interests into the trust and update beneficiary designations.
ETrustPlan is a self-help document assembly service, not a law firm, and this information is not legal advice. Signing requirements change; confirm them with a licensed attorney in your state before you sign.
Ohio signing questions
Quick answers drawn from the Ohio rules above.
Guidance used for Ohio
Rules last reviewed August 26, 2026
- Pour-over will execution:ORC 2107.03, ,.15(reviewed August 24, 2026; statutes read 2026)
- Revocable trust:ORC 5804.02(reviewed August 24, 2026; statutes read 2026)
- Living will / advance directive:ORC 2133.01 - 2133.15(reviewed August 26, 2026; statutes read 2026)
- Healthcare power of attorney:ORC 1337.11 - 1337.17(reviewed August 26, 2026; statutes read 2026)
- Final disposition instructions:Ohio Rev. Code 2108.70(reviewed August 26, 2026; statutes read 2026)
- Ohio does not use a self-proving affidavit. Two competent witnesses must see the testator sign or hear the testator acknowledge the signature.
- Ohio requires either two witnesses or a notary acknowledgment on both the Living Will Declaration and the Health Care Power of Attorney. Witnesses may not be related to you by blood, marriage or adoption, your attending physician or the administrator of your nursing home. Ohio recognises a written declaration of the right of disposition of remains.