pretty_name: >-
Will execution requirements by state: witnesses, notarization, holographic and
electronic wills
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license_name: source-terms-cited
license_link: https://referencesource.org/will-execution-requirements-by-state/
language:
- en
tags:
- reference-data
- provenance
- referencesource-org
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path: data/records.jsonl
Will execution requirements by state: witnesses, notarization, holographic and electronic wills
Canonical, always-current version: https://referencesource.org/will-execution-requirements-by-state/ Machine-readable: https://referencesource.org/will-execution-requirements-by-state/data.json — this mirror is a point-in-time copy.
- Last verified: 2026-08-18
- Stale after: 2028-02-09 (past this date, prefer the canonical copy — it re-verifies on a cadence this snapshot does not)
- Records: 50
What each US state's probate/estates code requires for a will to be validly executed: how many witnesses, whether they must sign in the testator's presence, whether notarization can substitute for witnesses, whether holographic (handwritten, unwitnessed) wills are valid, whether electronic wills are authorized, and whether a self-proving affidavit is available. Each record is one state, from that state's statute. Answers 'how many witnesses does a will need in [state]', 'is a handwritten will valid in [state]', and 'does a will need to be notarized in [state]'. The general answer (two witnesses, no notary) is right in most states and wrong in the ones that matter: holographic wills are valid in roughly half of states and void in the rest, Colorado and North Dakota allow notarization instead of witnesses, Louisiana requires a notary plus two witnesses, and a growing list (Nevada, Florida, Arizona, Indiana...) authorizes electronic wills. People executing DIY wills hit exactly these edges. Existing charts are will-vendor marketing (Gentreo, estate-bee) with no statute citations.
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Licence position
Facts from state probate statutes; statutory requirements are not copyrightable
Facts are not copyrightable; what this dataset takes from each source is a fact plus a short attributed quote linking back to the page that states it.
Sources
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ak/title-13-decedents-estates-guardianships-transfers-trusts-and-health-care-decisions/ak-st-sect-13-12-502/
- https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/02502.htm
- https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/02503.htm
- https://www.azleg.gov/viewdocument/?docName=https://www.azleg.gov/ars/14/02518.htm
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-28-wills-estates-and-fiduciary-relationships/ar-code-sect-28-25-103/
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB§ionNum=6110
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB§ionNum=6111
- https://codes.findlaw.com/co/title-15-probate-trusts-and-fiduciaries/co-rev-st-sect-15-11-502/
- https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_802a.htm
- https://delcode.delaware.gov/title12/c002/sc01/index.html
- https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/18-103
- http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0732/Sections/0732.502.html
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ga/title-53-wills-trusts-and-administration-of-estates/ga-code-sect-53-4-20/
- https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol12_Ch0501-0588/HRS0560/HRS_0560-0002-0502.htm
- https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH2/SECT15-2-502/
- https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title15/T15CH2/SECT15-2-503/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/il/chapter-755-estates/il-st-sect-755-5-4-3/
- https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=075500050K4-3
- https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-29-probate/in-code-sect-29-1-5-3/
- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/633.279.pdf
- https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch59/059_006_0006.html
- https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36237
- https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=36262
- https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=108901
- https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=108900
- https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/18-C/title18-Csec2-502.html
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=get§ion=4-102&enactments=false
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ma/part-ii-real-and-personal-property-and-domestic-relations-ch-183-210/ma-gen-laws-ch-190b-sect-2-502/
- https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-700-2502
- https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/524.2-502
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-91-trusts-and-estates/ms-code-sect-91-5-1/
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=474.320
- https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0720/chapter_0020/part_0050/section_0220/0720-0020-0050-0220.html
- https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=30-2327
- https://nebraskalegislature.gov/laws/statutes.php?statute=30-2328
- https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-133.html
- https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/LVI/551/551-2.htm
- https://codes.findlaw.com/nj/title-3b-administration-of-estates-decedents-and-others/nj-st-sect-3b-3-4/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/nm/chapter-45-uniform-probate-code/nm-st-sect-45-2-502/
- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EPT/3-2.1
- https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_31/GS_31-3.3.html
- https://codes.findlaw.com/nd/title-30-1-uniform-probate-code/nd-cent-code-sect-30-1-08-02/
- https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-2107.03
- https://oksenate.gov/sites/default/files/2019-12/os84.pdf
- https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors112.html
- https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-20-pacsa-decedents-estates-and-fiduciaries/pa-csa-sect-20-2502/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-20-pacsa-decedents-estates-and-fiduciaries/pa-csa-sect-20-3132-1/
- https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE33/33-5/33-5-5.htm
- https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t62c002.php
- https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/29A-2-502.html
- https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Statutes/29A-2-504.html
- https://codes.findlaw.com/tn/title-32-wills/tn-code-sect-32-1-104/
- https://tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/ES/htm/ES.251.htm
- https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title75/Chapter2/C75-2-S502_1800010118000101.xml
- https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/14/001/00005
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title64.2/section64.2-403/
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=11.12.020
- https://code.wvlegislature.gov/41-1-3/
- https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/853.03
- https://codes.findlaw.com/wy/title-2-wills-decedents-estates-and-probate-code/wy-st-sect-2-6-112/
Fields
See any record in data/records.jsonl — field names are self-describing,
and the canonical page for each record renders them with labels:
https://referencesource.org/will-execution-requirements-by-state/