Free Oregon Power of Attorney Template

An Oregon power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that lets you appoint someone to make decisions for you. This person—called your agent—can manage your finances, healthcare, property, or other important affairs if you can’t.

The principal (you) must be at least 18 years old and mentally competent when creating the document.

POAs in Oregon are governed by the Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 127, which covers durable powers of attorney and healthcare decisions.

Oregon recognizes several POA types to meet different needs. The table below outlines each one and its signing requirements.

Durable vs. Non-Durable Power of Attorney

Under ORS § 127.005, all powers of attorney in Oregon are durable by default unless stated otherwise.

• A durable power of attorney remains effective even if you become incapacitated.
• A non-durable power of attorney automatically ends once you lose capacity.

If you want your POA to end upon incapacitation, include clear language making it non-durable.

Medical Power of Attorney in Oregon

An Oregon medical power of attorney, also called a health care representative form, lets you designate someone to make healthcare decisions when you’re unable to.

Your healthcare agent may:

• Consent to or refuse medical treatment
• Access medical records
• Choose or dismiss care providers
• Decide on pain management or end-of-life care

You can also use an advance directive to include instructions for medical treatment and combine it with a living will or DNR form.

Financial Power of Attorney

A financial power of attorney authorizes someone to handle your personal or business finances. Under ORS § 127.005, you can give your agent powers such as:

• Accessing and managing bank accounts
• Handling property or investments
• Paying bills and filing taxes
• Managing business or retirement accounts

You can limit your agent’s authority to specific actions or set an expiration date.

Here’s how to create a valid Oregon power of attorney:

1. Name the parties: List the full legal names and addresses of both the principal and agent. Add any successor agents if needed.
2. Grant general authority: Select which powers to give your agent, such as managing money, property, or healthcare.
3. Add specific powers: Include additional permissions if needed, such as the authority to make gifts or manage trusts.
4. Set the effective date: Under ORS § 127.005, a POA is effective once signed unless you specify a future date or event.
5. Sign and notarize: Review your document and sign it. Notarization is optional for general POAs but required or recommended for medical and real estate powers.

Notarization

While general POAs don’t require notarization under ORS § 127.005, it’s strongly recommended for validity and acceptance by financial institutions.

Certain types do require notarization or witnesses:

• Medical POA: two witnesses or a notary (ORS § 127.515)
• Real estate POA: notarization required (ORS § 93.670)

Filing

Oregon doesn’t require POAs to be filed with the state. However, if the POA involves real estate, it must be recorded with the county clerk’s office where the property is located.

Institutions like banks or hospitals may also request a copy before honoring the agent’s authority.

Revocation

You can revoke a POA at any time as outlined in ORS § 127.015. A POA automatically ends when:

• The principal dies or becomes incapacitated (if non-durable)
• The principal issues a written revocation
• The agent dies or becomes incapacitated
• The purpose of the POA is fulfilled
• The principal and agent divorce or annul their marriage

You can easily end your existing POA by creating a revocation of power of attorney and delivering it to your agent.