Free Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney Form

An Arkansas limited power of attorney gives your agent authority over a short list of subjects or one task. Your agent can’t act beyond that list. Arkansas’s Uniform Power of Attorney Act, in Chapter 68 of Title 28, sets the rules. It also offers an optional statutory form in section 28-68-301.

Arkansas asks little at signing. However, a few extra rules make the finished document easier to use.

Sign It Yourself or Direct Someone To

You must sign the document. If you can’t, another individual may sign your name while you’re consciously present and directing it (§ 28-68-105). Any document signed in Arkansas since January 1, 2012 is valid when it follows that rule (§ 28-68-106(a)).

Add a Notary for a Stronger Signature

The same section makes notarization optional. Still, once you acknowledge your signature before a notary public, the signature is presumed genuine. For that reason, the statutory form ends with a notary acknowledgment block.

Copies Carry the Same Weight

A photocopy or electronically sent copy of your original has the same effect as the original. The one exception is where another statute says otherwise (§ 28-68-106(d)). So you can send a scan to a lender and keep the original safe.

Documents From Elsewhere Can Still Work

Signed outside Arkansas? The document is still valid there if it met the governing jurisdiction’s law when signed. Likewise, one that met the federal requirements for a military power of attorney is valid (§ 28-68-106(c)).

Initial only what you need. The statutory form grants general authority subject by subject, and each one requires your initials. So an Arkansas limited power of attorney built on it simply leaves most lines blank.

• Grant of General Authority — initial only the subjects your task touches, such as Real Property. Skip the “All Preceding Subjects” line, since it grants everything at once.
• Grant of Specific Authority — seven riskier acts stay off-limits unless you initial them, such as creating a trust.
• Special Instructions — describe the task and its limits here, such as one property, one account, or an end date.

The form also sets defaults you can change in Special Instructions. For example, it takes effect immediately, your agent is entitled to reasonable compensation, and coagents don’t have to act together.

You can finish the form in one sitting. Then take these steps:

1. Name your agent, with an address and phone number.
2. Add a successor agent, and a second one if you want a backup.
3. Initial only the subjects and specific acts you’re granting.
4. Write your task, limits, and any delayed start date in Special Instructions.
5. Sign and date the form in front of a notary public.
6. Give your agent the document and its “Important Information for Agent” page.

That page also tells your agent how to sign. They write your name, then “by,” their own signature, and “as Agent.”

Arkansas’s statutory form already has a place for each item below. Your Arkansas limited power of attorney form should show:

• Names for you and your agent, plus the agent’s address and phone number
• Up to two successor agents, if you want them
• Initials beside only the subjects you’re granting
• Special Instructions that spell out the task and when it ends
• Any compensation or coagent terms that differ from the defaults
• Your signature, date, printed name, address, and phone number
• A completed notary acknowledgment

Also, the statutory form states that it doesn’t authorize healthcare decisions. So if you need medical authority, you’ll need a separate document.