In Wisconsin, a living will is a legal document that lets you state your wishes for medical treatment if you become unable to communicate your decisions. It matters most when doctors are deciding whether to use life-sustaining treatment to keep you alive.
Last Updated: September 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Wisconsin law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
A Wisconsin living will covers two situations: a terminal condition or a persistent vegetative state where you cannot share your health care wishes. In it, you say whether you want life-prolonging care, such as feeding tubes and ventilators, or want it withheld.
This document only covers end-of-life medical decisions. It is not the same as a health care power of attorney, which lets someone else make broader medical choices for you.
Creating a living will in Wisconsin must comply with specific legal requirements to ensure its validity. These requirements are laid out in the Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations, which guide documenting one’s healthcare preferences. Adherence to these statutes is crucial for the living will to be recognized and acted upon by healthcare providers.
The person making a living will is called the declarant. Wisconsin law lets any competent adult who is 18 or older make one, and it takes effect right when you sign it.[1]
A Wisconsin living will must be a written, signed document. You must sign it in front of two qualified witnesses.[2] Wisconsin law sets these witness requirements:
In practice, you can revoke your living will at any time, no matter your mental or physical condition. Common ways to do this are destroying the document or replacing it with an updated one. Let your doctor and anyone holding a copy know your wishes have changed.
Under Wisconsin law, two examiners must certify in writing that you have a terminal condition or are in a persistent vegetative state. One of them must be your attending physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice nurse. Once that happens, your physician must follow your directions unless doing so would cause you pain or discomfort that cannot be relieved. If your physician will not honor your wishes, they must make a good faith attempt to transfer your care to one who will.[1]
If your physician learns that you have a living will, they must add it to your medical records.[1]
Under Wis. Stat. § 154.05(1), you may revoke your declaration at any time by destroying it, by a signed and dated written revocation, by a verbal expression of intent (effective only once your attending health care professional is notified), or by signing a later declaration.[3]
| Document Name | Wisconsin Living Will Form |
| State Form Name | Wisconsin Declaration to Physicians (Living Will) |
| Signing Requirements | Two Witnesses |
| Validity Requirements | Sections 154.03 |
| State Laws: Wisconsin Statutes, Chapters 154.01 to 154.15 | |
A living will only covers health care choices for when you cannot communicate them yourself. FormsPal’s builder combines it with a health care power of attorney, so someone you trust can also speak for you.
FormsPal’s Wisconsin living will builder creates a combined living will and health care power of attorney. Fill out the sections below in order, then sign the document in front of two witnesses to make it valid.[2]
To create a living will in Wisconsin, you write down your wishes for end-of-life medical care, then sign the document in front of two witnesses.[2] Once it is signed, give copies to your doctor and to anyone you want to make decisions on your behalf.
The sections below cover Wisconsin’s specific requirements for the declarant and the witnesses, plus a step-by-step guide to the form itself.
Other Living Will Forms by State
General information, not legal or tax advice.
