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Power of Attorney in Connecticut: Witnesses, Notary, the Statutory Form, and How to Get One
A Connecticut power of attorney needs two witnesses, and a notary is what makes banks and land records accept it. Here is what the Connecticut Uniform Power of Attorney Act requires.
By naveen · Updated · How we research our guides
What to know
- A Connecticut power of attorney must be dated, signed by your parent and witnessed by two witnesses (C.G.S. 1-350d).
- Acknowledging it before a notary isn't listed as a validity requirement, but it's needed for the bank-acceptance rules, the statutory form and selling or mortgaging land, and the statutory form's signature page has both witness lines and a notary acknowledgment.
- It's durable by default and effective immediately unless it says otherwise.
- Connecticut's statutory short and long forms say they don't authorize health care decisions; those need an appointment of health care representative.
- Retirement Checklist turns your parent's situation into a short, ordered plan, so the power of attorney sits in the right place among everything else.
A Connecticut power of attorney must be dated, signed by your parent and witnessed by two witnesses, and a notary's acknowledgment is what brings the bank-acceptance, statutory form and real estate rules into play. The statute's words: it "must be dated and signed by the principal or in the principal's conscious physical presence by another individual directed by the principal to sign the principal's name on the power of attorney and witnessed by two witnesses" (C.G.S. 1-350d). A signature acknowledged before a notary is presumed genuine. Connecticut's law took effect October 1, 2016.
What is a durable power of attorney in Connecticut?
A durable power of attorney is one "not terminated by the principal's incapacity" (C.G.S. 1-350a), and in Connecticut that's the default. A power of attorney is "a writing or other record that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal," and your parent is the principal. Under C.G.S. 1-350c, it "is durable unless it expressly provides that it is terminated by the incapacity of the principal." Both statutory forms are titled "DURABLE STATUTORY POWER OF ATTORNEY."
The act covers finances and property, not health care. For why the timing of signing matters, see our guide to power of attorney for an elderly parent.
What does Connecticut require for a power of attorney to be valid?
Connecticut requires a date, your parent's signature and two witnesses; a notary's acknowledgment isn't a validity requirement, but the rules in the third row depend on it.
| Step | What the statutes say | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date and signature | Signed by your parent, or by someone in their conscious physical presence at their direction | Required (1-350d) |
| Two witnesses | "witnessed by two witnesses" | Required (1-350d) |
| Notary acknowledgment | A signature acknowledged before a notary is presumed genuine | Needed for the bank-acceptance rules (1-350s), a statutory form power of attorney (1-352) and conveying land (47-5) |
Section 1-350d doesn't list witness qualifications. One more rule: Connecticut law bars remote online notarization of a power of attorney, so the notary acknowledgment has to happen in person.
Is there an official Connecticut power of attorney form?
Yes, two optional ones. C.G.S. 1-352 sets out the "DURABLE STATUTORY POWER OF ATTORNEY - SHORT FORM" and the "LONG FORM," and says no provision bars "the use of any other or different form."
Both open with a notice: "The powers granted by this document are broad and sweeping," and both end it with "This power of attorney does not authorize the agent to make health care decisions for you." To withhold a power, your parent "must draw a line through the text of that subparagraph AND write his initials in the box opposite." The long form adds "OPTIONAL ESTATE PLANNING POWERS" such as gifts and trusts, with the advice "YOU SHOULD SEEK LEGAL ADVICE BEFORE INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING POWERS."
Those powers need an express grant. Under C.G.S. 1-351, an agent can create or change trusts, make gifts, or create or change survivorship rights or beneficiary designations "only if the power of attorney expressly grants the agent the authority."
When does it take effect, and when does it end?
It's "effective when executed" unless it says it starts at a future date or event (C.G.S. 1-350h); the statutory forms say "This power of attorney is effective immediately unless I have stated otherwise in the special instructions." If it starts on incapacity and no one is named to decide, a written determination by two independent physicians, or in some cases a judge, triggers it.
Under C.G.S. 1-350i, it ends when your parent dies, revokes it, when the document says it ends or its purpose is accomplished, or when the agent can no longer serve and no other agent is named. An agent's authority also ends, unless the document says otherwise, when "An action is filed for the dissolution or annulment of the agent's marriage to the principal or their legal separation." That's the filing, not the final decree.
If the Probate Court appoints a conservator of the estate, "the court may continue, limit, suspend or terminate the power of attorney," and if it continues, the agent is accountable to the conservator too. A power of attorney can also nominate a conservator for the court to consider.
What does the agent have to do?
Under C.G.S. 1-350m, whatever the document says, an agent must act according to your parent's reasonable expectations, make reasonable efforts to find out those expectations if they're unknown, act in good faith, and act only within the authority granted. Unless the document says otherwise, the agent must also act loyally, act with care and diligence, and "Keep a record of all receipts, disbursements and transactions made on behalf of the principal."
If your parent, a conservator or the Department of Social Services' Protective Services for the Elderly asks for records, the agent has thirty days to provide them or explain why more time is needed. Our guide to protecting a parent from scams covers the warning signs any agent should know.
Do banks have to accept a Connecticut power of attorney?
Yes for a notarized power of attorney, on a deadline, unless the bank has one of the reasons the statute allows. Under C.G.S. 1-350s, "A person shall either accept an acknowledged power of attorney or request a certification, a translation, or an opinion of counsel" no later than seven business days after it's presented, then accept within five business days of receiving what they asked for. They "may not require an additional or different form of power of attorney."
The statute lists reasons a bank can still refuse, such as a good-faith belief the document isn't valid, or a report to the Department of Social Services about suspected abuse or exploitation. A wrongful refusal can bring a court order to accept it, and the court may award attorney's fees.
Does a Connecticut power of attorney need to be recorded?
For real estate, yes. To sell or mortgage land, the agent's power must be "executed, acknowledged and witnessed" (C.G.S. 47-5), and under C.G.S. 47-10, "When a conveyance is executed by a power of attorney, the power of attorney shall be recorded with the deed," unless it's already recorded in that town and the deed refers to it.
How do you get a power of attorney for an elderly parent in Connecticut?
Your parent has to sign it, while able, in front of two witnesses and a notary; a family member can't create one for them. The steps:
- Talk with your parent about who they'd want acting for them, and who should succeed them.
- Choose a document: the statutory short or long form, or one drafted for your parent's situation.
- Go through the powers with your parent; cross out and initial any they don't want to grant, and decide on the optional estate planning powers.
- Your parent signs in front of two witnesses and, in person, a notary.
- Give the agent a copy and keep the original somewhere safe.
Timing is the constraint: your parent has to be able to sign. If that moment has passed, the family may need a court process instead, described in conservatorship and guardianship. If the situation is complicated, it helps to know what an elder law attorney does.
How do you revoke a power of attorney in Connecticut?
Your parent revokes it, which ends it under C.G.S. 1-350i; chapter 15c doesn't prescribe a form for revoking one. People who act in good faith without "actual knowledge" of the revocation are protected, so a written, dated revocation sent to the agent and every bank holding a copy leaves a clear record.
Signing a new power of attorney doesn't cancel an older one unless the new one says so.
How much does a power of attorney cost in Connecticut?
The statutory forms are printed in the law and free to use. The notary fee changed in 2026: according to the Connecticut Secretary of the State, "The fee for any act performed by a Notary Public was increased from five dollars ($5.00) to ten dollars ($10.00)," effective July 1, 2026, with travel allowed at up to the IRS business mileage rate.
Frequently asked questions
Does a power of attorney need to be notarized in Connecticut?
The statute requires a date, your parent's signature and two witnesses; notarization isn't listed as a validity requirement. But a notary acknowledgment is needed for the bank-acceptance rules, for a statutory form power of attorney and to convey land, so signing before two witnesses and a notary is the practical choice.
Can a power of attorney be notarized online in Connecticut?
No. C.G.S. 3-95b bars remote online notarization of a power of attorney, and of living wills and health care instructions too. An acknowledgment performed that way "shall be ineffective for any purpose." The notary acknowledgment for a Connecticut power of attorney has to be done in person.
Where can I get a Connecticut power of attorney form?
Connecticut's Durable Statutory Power of Attorney short form and long form are printed in C.G.S. 1-352 on the General Assembly's website. Both are optional; the statute allows "any other or different form." To count as a statutory form power of attorney, it must be in writing, duly acknowledged and contain the exact wording of clause First.
Can a Connecticut power of attorney make medical decisions?
No. The act doesn't apply to "A power to make health care decisions," and the statutory forms say so. Connecticut uses an appointment of health care representative under chapter 368w, signed before two adult witnesses. Our guide to Connecticut advance directives explains it.
What if my elderly parent can no longer sign?
Someone can sign your parent's name in their conscious physical presence at their direction, with two witnesses, but your parent still has to direct it. If your parent can no longer make that decision, the Probate Court can appoint a conservator, and it considers whether your parent made a power of attorney first.
Is a power of attorney from another state valid in Connecticut?
Yes, if it met the right law when signed. Under C.G.S. 1-350e, a power of attorney executed outside Connecticut is valid there if it complied with the law of the jurisdiction that governs it, or with the federal requirements for a military power of attorney.
Getting started
A power of attorney is time-sensitive, because it needs your parent's signature while they can still give it, and in Connecticut it needs two witnesses and, for banks and land records, an in-person notary. The plan this site builds asks four questions, including which state your parents live in, and puts the handful of steps that matter most for your family in order. It's free and takes about 90 seconds.
Related guides
Sources
- C.G.S. chapter 15c, Connecticut Uniform Power of Attorney Act: execution (1-350d), durability (1-350c), effective date (1-350h), termination (1-350i), agent duties (1-350m), acceptance (1-350s), express grants (1-351) and the statutory forms (1-352).
- C.G.S. chapter 821, Land records: conveying land by power of attorney and recording it (47-5, 47-10).
- C.G.S. chapter 802h, Protected persons and their property: what the Probate Court considers before appointing a conservator, including an existing power of attorney (45a-650).
- C.G.S. chapter 33, Notaries: the ban on remote notarization of powers of attorney (3-95b).
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Notary public licensing: the 2026 notary fee increase.
- Public Act 26-81: the notary fee change, effective July 1, 2026.
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