Free Pennsylvania Limited Power of Attorney Form

A Pennsylvania limited power of attorney grants an agent authority over specific matters you choose. Chapter 56 of Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes governs it, and section 5601 sets the signing rules. The legislature amended those rules in Act 103 of 2016, so older templates may be out of date.

Pennsylvania’s requirements stack up. Moreover, they don’t shrink for a limited document.

A Notary Who Isn’t Your Agent

First, you acknowledge your signature before a notary public or other authorized official, and that official can’t be your agent (20 Pa.C.S. § 5601(b)(3)(i)). Alternatively, a member of the Pennsylvania bar may take the acknowledgment, as long as that attorney doesn’t also serve as one of the two witnesses.

Two Adult Witnesses

Next, two individuals, each 18 or older, witness your signature. However, neither may be the agent, the notary, or anyone who signed on your behalf (§ 5601(b)(3)(ii)).

A Notice at the Beginning

In addition, every power of attorney must include the statutory notice, in capital letters, at the beginning (§ 5601(c)). The notice explains that the law lets you grant broad authority. That can include the ability to give away all your property while you’re alive, so the notice itself shows why narrow drafting matters.

Your Agent’s Signed Acknowledgment

Finally, your agent has no authority to act until they sign and attach an acknowledgment in substantially the statutory form (§ 5601(d)). So the document isn’t usable the moment you finish signing; it becomes usable once your agent completes this step.

A few, and they’re specific. Section 5601(e.1) lists powers that don’t need the notary-and-witness rule, the notice, or the agent acknowledgment. Two of them are:

• A power given to a vehicle dealer for a sale, purchase, or transfer of a vehicle under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1119
• A power created on a form a Commonwealth agency, political subdivision, or authority prescribes

Exempt powers don’t need to be dated. However, any exempt power recorded with the recorder of deeds must be acknowledged before recording (§ 5601(e.1)(2)-(3)).

A Pennsylvania limited power of attorney you draft yourself isn’t on that list, so the full rules apply. Likewise, the health care exception in § 5601(e.2) covers only documents that exclusively address health care decisions, not financial ones.

Because four people must take part, schedule them together: you, two witnesses, and a notary. Your agent can sign their acknowledgment later, but must do so before acting. Then follow this order:

1. Put the statutory notice, in capital letters, at the start of the document.
2. Sign the notice and date the document.
3. Sign in front of two adult witnesses who aren’t your agent.
4. Acknowledge your signature before a notary who isn’t your agent.
5. Have your agent sign and attach the acknowledgment before acting.
6. Hand the finished original to your agent once their acknowledgment is attached.

Your Pennsylvania limited power of attorney should carry every required part. Include:

• The capital-letter notice, signed by you
• The principal’s name and the agent’s name
• The specific authority, with the property or account named
• A date, and a clear ending date or event
• Signatures of two adult witnesses, plus the notary’s certificate
• The agent’s signed acknowledgment

If your task is a vehicle transfer or uses a government agency’s own form, check whether that form fits instead. Otherwise, draft to the full standard, since a missing element can leave your agent without authority.