Washington
Washington Power of Attorney Laws: Durable, Medical, and Financial POA (2026)
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 18, 2026). · Reviewed by the RecordingLaw editorial team. · Law checked current as of August 18, 2026. How we verify our legal content
Washington adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act (UPOAA) in 2016, codified at RCW 11.125, which took effect January 1, 2017. Unlike the standard UPOAA model, Washington's version requires the principal to include explicit durability language for a power of attorney to survive incapacity. Without that language, the authority ends when the principal becomes incapacitated. Execution requires the principal's signature plus either notarization or two qualified witnesses. Financial and health care authority can both be granted within a single POA document under RCW 11.125, and Washington's Natural Death Act (RCW 70.122) provides a separate directive instrument for end-of-life treatment decisions.
What a Power of Attorney Does in Washington
A power of attorney is a written document in which a principal grants authority to an agent (also called an attorney-in-fact) to act on the principal's behalf in legal, financial, or medical matters. The scope of that authority is defined entirely by what the document says.
Under Washington's UPOAA, a POA is effective immediately when executed unless the document provides that it becomes effective at a later date or upon a specified event (). A principal may create a springing POA that activates only upon incapacity, but doing so requires affirmative language; the default is immediate effectiveness.
An agent who accepts appointment acts as a fiduciary. That duty runs to the principal and requires the agent to act in good faith, within the scope of granted authority, and in accordance with the principal's reasonable expectations. A POA cannot grant authority that exceeds what the principal possesses, and it ends at the principal's death. After death, the estate's personal representative takes over and the agent's authority ceases.
Washington law allows institutions such as financial firms, along with individuals, to serve as agents when authorized by the document.
Durable Power of Attorney in Washington
Under RCW 11.125.040, a power of attorney terminates when the principal becomes incapacitated unless the document contains language showing the principal's intent that the authority continue. Acceptable language includes phrases such as: "This power of attorney shall not be affected by disability of the principal" or "This power of attorney shall become effective upon the disability of the principal," or any words of similar import.
This is a departure from the model UPOAA, which makes POAs durable by default. Washington's legislature retained the requirement that durability be affirmatively expressed. If a principal wants the agent to be able to act during periods of incapacity, the point in time when a POA is most needed, the document must include that language.
A durable POA created before January 1, 2017 that contained proper durability language continues to be valid under , which expressly applies the rule to instruments created before and after that date.
A springing durable POA, one that is dormant until the principal becomes incapacitated and then activates, is also permitted. Under , if no person is authorized in the document to determine incapacity, it is established by a written determination from a physician or licensed psychologist who has personally examined the principal and is unrelated to the principal or agent by blood or marriage, or by a judge or appropriate governmental official.
How to Create a Valid Washington Power of Attorney
RCW 11.125.050 sets out the execution requirements. A Washington POA must be signed and dated by the principal, and the signature must be authenticated by one of two methods:
Notarization. The principal's signature is acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.
Two witnesses. The signature is attested by two or more competent witnesses who subscribe their names while present with the principal and at the principal's direction or request.
A principal who cannot sign physically may execute the document by mark under , or, if unable to make a mark, through the method provided in .
Disqualified Witnesses
Not everyone may serve as a witness. disqualifies individuals who are:
- Home care providers for the principal.
- Care providers at an adult family home or long-term care facility where the principal resides.
- Related to the principal or the named agent by blood, marriage, or state registered domestic partnership.
The named agent is therefore doubly disqualified: the relationship-to-agent exclusion bars anyone related to the agent by blood, marriage, or domestic partnership from serving as a witness, and a conflict-of-interest concern applies to the agent directly. Choosing disinterested witnesses with no family connection to either the principal or the agent, and no stake in the principal's care arrangement, is the safer practice.
(3) provides that a signature on an acknowledged POA is presumed genuine, which makes notarization the more reliable option for third-party acceptance. separately allows a good-faith third party relying on an acknowledged POA to treat the document as valid without further investigation, even if the POA is later found to be void or has been terminated. Financial institutions and title companies may request a notarized document before accepting an agent's authority.
What a Washington Agent Can and Cannot Do
Agent Duties
An agent who accepts appointment under a Washington POA takes on fiduciary obligations under RCW 11.125.140. Unless the POA provides otherwise, the agent must:
- Act only within the scope of granted authority.
- Act in good faith and in accordance with the principal's reasonable expectations.
- Act loyally for the principal's benefit and avoid conflicts of interest.
- Exercise the care, competence, and diligence ordinarily expected of agents in similar circumstances.
- Keep accurate records of all receipts, disbursements, and transactions.
- Cooperate with persons authorized to make health care decisions for the principal.
- Attempt to preserve the principal's estate plan where consistent with the principal's best interests.
An agent who possesses or represents special skills is held to a higher standard. Good-faith compliance with these duties protects the agent from personal liability for declines in asset value and for good-faith actions that happen to also benefit the agent.
At the principal's request or by court order, the agent must account for all actions taken within any period the principal specifies ().
Hot Powers Requiring Express Authority
RCW 11.125.240 lists powers that an agent may NOT exercise unless the document expressly grants each one. These hot powers include:
- Create, amend, revoke, or terminate an inter vivos trust.
- Make a gift.
- Create or change rights of survivorship.
- Create or change a beneficiary designation.
- Delegate agent authority.
- Waive the principal's right to be a beneficiary of a joint and survivor annuity, including retirement plan survivor benefits.
- Exercise fiduciary powers the principal holds the authority to delegate.
- Exercise a power of appointment in favor of anyone other than the principal.
- Create, amend, or revoke a community property agreement.
- Cause a trustee to make distributions from a trust.
- Make provisions for nonprobate transfer at death through nontestamentary instruments.
- Make health care decisions for the principal or give informed consent to health care.
A general grant of authority is not sufficient for any item on this list. Each must be specifically authorized in the document.
What Agents Cannot Do
An agent cannot act after the principal's death, cannot make or change a will, cannot transfer the principal's authority to another person unless the POA expressly permits delegation, and cannot act in a way that benefits the agent at the expense of the principal's interests. Authority granted in a POA is also subject to any applicable ethical and legal constraints on the underlying transaction.
Health Care Directives in Washington
Washington handles health care authority through two overlapping frameworks.
Health Care Agent Under RCW 11.125
A principal may grant an agent authority over health care decisions within the POA document by including express authorization under RCW 11.125.400. When a POA includes general health care authority, the agent may access the principal's health care information under HIPAA and provide informed consent for health care decisions on the principal's behalf. Mental health treatment decisions require compliance with chapter 71.32 RCW, and where multiple agents hold conflicting mental health authority, the most recently appointed agent governs.
Certain individuals are prohibited from serving as a health care agent under unless they are the principal's spouse, state registered domestic partner, parent, or adult sibling or child. This prohibition covers the principal's physicians, their employees, and the owners, administrators, or employees of a health care facility or long-term care facility where the principal resides or receives care.
Natural Death Act Directive Under RCW 70.122
Separately, Washington's Natural Death Act, RCW 70.122, allows an adult to execute a written directive instructing a physician to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment if the declarer is in a terminal condition or a permanent unconscious condition.
A valid directive under must be signed by the declarer and either acknowledged before a notary public or signed in the presence of two witnesses who are not related to the declarer by blood or marriage, would not inherit from the declarer's estate, and are not the attending physician, a health facility employee, or any person with a claim against the declarer's estate.
The directive must be made part of the patient's medical records. Washington maintains a health care declarations registry under where directives may be filed. A directive executed in another jurisdiction that complies with Washington law or the law of the place of execution is valid in Washington.
The Natural Death Act directive and a health care agent designation under RCW 11.125 serve different but complementary purposes: the directive controls specific treatment preferences in defined clinical situations, while the health care agent has broader authority to make real-time medical decisions consistent with the principal's wishes.
Revoking or Ending a Washington Power of Attorney
Under RCW 11.125.100, a Washington power of attorney terminates when any of the following occurs:
- The principal dies.
- The principal becomes incapacitated, if the POA is not durable.
- The principal revokes the POA.
- The POA document provides that it terminates on a specified date or event.
- The purpose of the POA is accomplished.
- The agent dies, becomes incapacitated, or resigns, and no successor agent is named.
An agent's individual authority also ends if an action for dissolution, annulment, or legal separation of the agent's marriage or state registered domestic partnership with the principal is filed, unless the document otherwise provides.
A principal who has capacity may revoke a POA at any time. Revocation should be done in writing and communicated to the agent and to any third parties relying on the document. If a third party does not know that a POA has been revoked and acts in good faith under the prior document, that action binds the principal and the principal's successors in interest under RCW 11.125.100.
Executing a new POA does not automatically revoke an earlier one. To avoid two documents being in force simultaneously, the new instrument should expressly state that all prior powers of attorney are revoked.
For a broader overview of how powers of attorney work across all states, see our national Power of Attorney guide.
This page provides general legal information about Washington power of attorney laws and is not legal advice. Washington estate planning involves individual circumstances that an attorney licensed in Washington can assess. Consult a qualified Washington attorney before executing or relying on a power of attorney document.
Last reviewed: May 2026. Governing statutes: RCW 11.125 (Uniform Power of Attorney Act, effective January 1, 2017) and RCW 70.122 (Natural Death Act).
More Washington Laws
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Washington power of attorney durable by default?
No. Under RCW 11.125.040, a Washington POA terminates when the principal becomes incapacitated unless the document contains explicit language stating the authority is not affected by the principal's disability, or that it becomes effective upon the principal's disability. Without that language, the POA ends at incapacity, which is exactly when it is most often needed.
Does a Washington power of attorney need to be notarized?
Not necessarily. Under RCW 11.125.050, a Washington POA may be executed with either a notary's acknowledgment OR the signatures of two qualified witnesses. However, notarization creates a presumption that the signature is genuine under RCW 11.125.190, which makes notarized documents easier for financial institutions and other third parties to accept.
Who cannot serve as a witness on a Washington power of attorney?
Under RCW 11.125.050, three categories are disqualified: home care providers for the principal; care providers at an adult family home or long-term care facility where the principal resides; and anyone related to the principal or the named agent by blood, marriage, or state registered domestic partnership. Because the third category expressly covers persons related to the agent, the named agent and the agent's close relatives cannot witness the document.
What are the hot powers in a Washington POA?
RCW 11.125.240 lists twelve powers that require express authorization in the document: creating or revoking trusts, making gifts, changing survivorship rights or beneficiary designations, delegating agent authority, waiving survivor annuity rights, exercising delegatable fiduciary powers, exercising powers of appointment, creating or revoking community property agreements, directing trust distributions, making nonprobate transfer arrangements, and making health care decisions.
Can a Washington power of attorney authorize medical decisions?
Yes, but only with an express grant. Under RCW 11.125.400, when a POA includes general health care authority, the agent may access health information and provide informed consent for medical decisions. Making health care decisions is also a hot power under RCW 11.125.240, so the document must specifically authorize it. A separate Natural Death Act directive under RCW 70.122 addresses life-sustaining treatment preferences.
What is the Natural Death Act directive in Washington?
Under RCW 70.122, a Washington adult may sign a written directive instructing a physician to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment if the person is in a terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition. The directive must be signed and either notarized or witnessed by two qualified persons who are not related to the declarer, not potential heirs, and not health facility employees or the attending physician.
How do you revoke a power of attorney in Washington?
A principal with capacity may revoke a Washington POA at any time by executing a written revocation and notifying the agent. Under RCW 11.125.100, executing a new POA does not automatically cancel earlier ones unless the new document expressly states that prior powers of attorney are revoked. To prevent two documents from operating simultaneously, the new instrument should include an express revocation clause.
Updates
Corrected the list of events that end a spouse or domestic-partner agent's authority under RCW 11.125.100: filing for legal separation ends it too, not only filing for dissolution or annulment.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources; governing law re-checked for recent changes
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Reviewed and approved by an editor
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Revised Code of Washington
§ 11.12.030Signature of testator at his or her direction—Signature by mark.In force
Every person who shall sign the testator's or testatrix's name to any will by his or her direction shall subscribe his or her own name to such will and state that he or she subscribed the testator's name at his or her request: PROVIDED, That such signing and statement shall not be required if the testator shall evidence the approval of the signature so made at his or her request by making his or her mark on the will.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 1 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 1979
Leading cases: In Re the Estate of Young (Court of Appeals of Washington 1979, 23 Wash. App. 761)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 11.125.010Short title—2016 c 209.In force
Chapter 209, Laws of 2016 may be known and cited as the uniform power of attorney act.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.020Definitions.In force
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. (1) "Agent" means a person granted authority to act for a principal under a power of attorney, whether denominated an agent, attorney-in-fact, or otherwise. The term includes an original agent, coagent, successor agent, and a person to which an agent's authority is delegated. (2) "Durable," with respect to a power of attorney, means not terminated by the principal's incapacity. (3) "Electronic" means relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities. (4) "Good faith" means honesty in fact. (5) "Incapacity" means inability of an individual to manage property, business, personal, or health care affairs because the individual: (a) Has an impairment in the ability to receive and evaluate information or make or communicate decisions even with the use of technological assistance; or (b) Is: (i) An absentee, as defined in chapter 11.80 RCW; or (ii) Outside the United States and unable to return.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 3 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 2019
Leading cases: Terhune v. N. Cascade Tr. Servs., Inc. (Court of Appeals of Washington 2019, 446 P.3d 683) · Robert Terhune, V North Cascase Trustee Services Inc. (Court of Appeals of Washington 2019) · William E. Moorman v. Clear Recon Corp. (Court of Appeals of Washington 2019)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 11.125.040Power of attorney—Termination.In force
The authority conferred under a power of attorney created prior to January 1, 2017, and also for a power of attorney created on or after January 1, 2017, terminates upon the incapacity of the principal unless the writing contains the words "This power of attorney shall not be affected by disability of the principal," or "This power of attorney shall become effective upon the disability of the principal," or similar words showing the intent of the principal that the authority conferred shall be exercisable notwithstanding the principal's incapacity.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.050Power of attorney—Requirements.In force
(1) A power of attorney must be signed and dated by the principal, and the signature must be either acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments, or attested by two or more competent witnesses who are neither home care providers for the principal nor care providers at an adult family home or long-term care facility in which the principal resides, and who are unrelated to the principal or agent by blood, marriage, or state registered domestic partnership, by subscribing their names to the power of attorney, while in the presence of the principal and at the principal's direction or request. (2) A power of attorney shall be considered signed in accordance with this section if, in the case of a principal who is physically unable to sign his or her name, the principal makes a mark in accordance with RCW 11.12.030, or in the case of a principal who is physically unable to make a mark, the power of attorney is executed in accordance with RCW 64.08.100.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.090Power of attorney—When effective—Principal's personal representative for health care.In force
(1) A power of attorney is effective when executed unless the principal provides in the power of attorney that it becomes effective at a future date or upon the occurrence of a future event or contingency. (2) If a power of attorney becomes effective upon the occurrence of a future event or contingency, the principal, in the power of attorney, may authorize one or more persons to determine in a writing that the event or contingency has occurred. (3) If a power of attorney becomes effective upon the principal's incapacity and the principal has not authorized a person to determine whether the principal is incapacitated, or the person authorized is unable or unwilling to make the determination, the power of attorney becomes effective upon a determination in a writing by: (a) A physician or licensed psychologist, unrelated to the principal or agent by blood or marriage, who has personally examined the principal, that the principal is incapacitated within the meaning of RCW 11.125.020(5)(a); or (b) A judge or an appropriate governmental official that the principal is incapacitated within the meaning of RCW 11.125.020(5)(b).
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.100Power of attorney termination—Agent authority termination.In force
(1) A power of attorney terminates when: (a) The principal dies; (b) The principal becomes incapacitated, if the power of attorney is not durable; (c) The principal revokes the power of attorney; (d) The power of attorney provides that it terminates; (e) The purpose of the power of attorney is accomplished; or (f) The principal revokes the agent's authority or the agent dies, becomes incapacitated, or resigns, and the power of attorney does not provide for another agent to act under the power of attorney. (2) An agent's authority terminates when: (a) The principal revokes the authority; (b) The agent dies, becomes incapacitated, or resigns; (c) An action is filed for the dissolution or annulment of the agent's marriage to the principal or for their legal separation, or an action is filed for dissolution or annulment of the agent's state registered domestic partnership with the principal or for their legal separation, unless the power of attorney otherwise provides; or (d) The power of attorney terminates.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.140Agents—Duties—Liability—Disclosures.In force
(1) Notwithstanding provisions in the power of attorney, an agent that has accepted appointment shall: (a) Act in accordance with the principal's reasonable expectations to the extent actually known by the agent and, otherwise, in the principal's best interest; (b) Act in good faith; and (c) Act only within the scope of authority granted in the power of attorney. (2) Except as otherwise provided in the power of attorney, an agent that has accepted appointment shall: (a) Act loyally for the principal's benefit; (b) Act so as not to create a conflict of interest that impairs the agent's ability to act impartially in the principal's best interest; (c) Act with the care, competence, and diligence ordinarily exercised by agents in similar circumstances; (d) Keep a record of all receipts, disbursements, and transactions made on behalf of the principal; (e) Cooperate with a person that has authority to make health care decisions for the principal to carry out the principal's reasonable expectations to the extent actually known by the agent and, otherwise, act in the principal's best interest; and (f) Attempt to preserve the principal's estate plan, to the extent actually known…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 5 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 2024
Leading cases: In The Matter Of The Estate Of: David Mcbrayer Iii (Court of Appeals of Washington 2024) · Dorothy Helm, V. Krystyan Calhoun (Court of Appeals of Washington 2024) · In the Matter of the Vulnerable Adult Petition for: Mary Jewel Green (Court of Appeals of Washington 2021)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 11.125.190Acknowledged power of attorney—When may rely upon—Certification or translation request.In force
(1) For purposes of this section and RCW 11.125.200, "acknowledged" means purportedly verified before a notary public or other individual authorized to take acknowledgments. (2) A person that in good faith accepts an acknowledged power of attorney without actual knowledge that the signature is not genuine may rely upon the presumption under RCW 11.125.050 that the signature is genuine. (3) A person that in good faith accepts an acknowledged power of attorney without actual knowledge that the power of attorney is void, invalid, or terminated, that the purported agent's authority is void, invalid, or terminated, or that the agent is exceeding or improperly exercising the agent's authority may rely upon the power of attorney as if the power of attorney were genuine, valid and still in effect, the agent's authority were genuine, valid and still in effect, and the agent had not exceeded and had properly exercised the authority.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 1 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 2024
Leading cases: Dorothy Helm, V. Krystyan Calhoun (Court of Appeals of Washington 2024)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 11.125.240Agent—Authority over principal's property.In force
(1) An agent under a power of attorney may, subject to the requirements of RCW 11.125.140, and in particular RCW 11.125.140(2)(f), do the following on behalf of the principal or with the principal's property only if the power of attorney expressly grants the agent the authority and exercise of the authority is not otherwise prohibited by another agreement or instrument to which the authority or property is subject: (a) Create, amend, revoke, or terminate an inter vivos trust; (b) Make a gift; (c) Create or change rights of survivorship; (d) Create or change a beneficiary designation; (e) Delegate some but not all of the authority granted under the power of attorney, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.125.110(1); (f) Waive the principal's right to be a beneficiary of a joint and survivor annuity, including a survivor benefit under a retirement plan; (g) Exercise fiduciary powers that the principal has authority to delegate; (h) Exercise any power of appointment in favor of anyone other than the principal; (i) Create, amend, or revoke a community property agreement; (j) Cause a trustee to make distributions of property held in trust under the same conditions that the…
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 11.125.400Agent authority—Health care.In force
Unless the power of attorney otherwise provides, where language in a power of attorney grants general authority with respect to health care matters: (1) The agent shall be authorized to act as the principal's personal representative pursuant to the health insurance portability and accountability act, sections 1171 through 1179 of the social security act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1320d, as amended, and applicable regulations for all purposes thereunder, including but not limited to accessing and acquiring the principal's health care related information. (2) The agent shall be authorized to provide informed consent for health care decisions on the principal's behalf. If a principal has appointed more than one agent with authority to make mental health treatment decisions in accordance with a directive under chapter 71.32 RCW, to the extent of any conflict, the most recently appointed agent shall be treated as the principal's agent for mental health treatment decisions unless provided otherwise in either appointment.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 64.08.100Acknowledgments by persons unable to sign name.In force
Any person who is otherwise competent but is physically unable to sign his or her name or make a mark may make an acknowledgment authorized under this chapter by orally directing the notary public or other authorized officer taking the acknowledgment to sign the person's name on his or her behalf. In taking an acknowledgment under this section, the notary public or other authorized officer shall, in addition to stating his or her name and place of residence, state that the signature in the acknowledgment was obtained under the authority of this section.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
§ 70.122.030Directive to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment.In force
(1) Any adult person may execute a directive directing the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in a terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition. The directive shall be signed by the declarer and acknowledged before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments or signed by the declarer in the presence of two witnesses not related to the declarer by blood or marriage and who would not be entitled to any portion of the estate of the declarer upon declarer's decease under any will of the declarer or codicil thereto then existing or, at the time of the directive, by operation of law then existing. In addition, a witness to a directive shall not be the attending physician, an employee of the attending physician or a health facility in which the declarer is a patient, or any person who has a claim against any portion of the estate of the declarer upon declarer's decease at the time of the execution of the directive.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
Cited in 7 court opinionsMost recently applied by a court: 2008
Leading cases: DiNino v. State (Washington Supreme Court 1984, 102 Wash. 2d 327) · In Re the Welfare of Colyer (Washington Supreme Court 1983, 99 Wash. 2d 114) · In Re the Guardianship of Grant (Washington Supreme Court 1988, 109 Wash. 2d 545)
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
§ 70.122.130Health care declarations registry—Rules—Report. (Effective until June 30, 2027.)In force
(1) The department of health shall establish and maintain a statewide health care declarations registry containing the health care declarations identified in subsection (2) of this section as submitted by residents of Washington. The department shall digitally reproduce and store health care declarations in the registry. The department may establish standards for individuals to submit digitally reproduced health care declarations directly to the registry, but is not required to review the health care declarations that it receives to ensure they comply with the particular statutory requirements applicable to the document. The department may contract with an organization that meets the standards identified in this section. (2)(a) An individual may submit any of the following health care declarations to the department of health to be digitally reproduced and stored in the registry: (i) A directive, as defined by this chapter; (ii) A durable power of attorney for health care, as authorized in chapter 11.125 RCW; (iii) A mental health advance directive, as defined by chapter 71.32 RCW; or (iv) A form adopted pursuant to the department of health's authority in RCW 43.70.480.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at app.leg.wa.gov
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Sources and References
- RCW 11.125: Uniform Power of Attorney Act (Washington)(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.010: Short title (Uniform Power of Attorney Act)(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.020: Definitions(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.040: Power of attorney: Durability and termination(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.050: Execution requirements (signing, notary, witnesses)(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.090: When a power of attorney is effective(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.100: Termination of power of attorney and agent authority(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.140: Agent duties, liability, and disclosures(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.190: Acknowledged power of attorney: presumption of genuineness(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.240: Hot powers requiring express grant of authority(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 11.125.400: Agent authority for health care(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 70.122: Natural Death Act (Washington)(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 70.122.030: Directive to withhold life-sustaining treatment(app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 70.122.130: Health care declarations registry(app.leg.wa.gov)