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A liability waiver form is a participant's signed release of injury claims. The free PDF template below names the activity, the released party, the date and the signature. Event organizers, gyms and activity businesses use it before each participant takes part.
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It is a document in which one person, the releasor, gives up claims against another person or business, the releasee. The template on this page is a General Waiver of Liability.
An activity waiver and release form is the version of the liability waiver that an organizer hands to each participant before a sport, class, trip or event. It describes the activity, names its risks and asks the participant to accept them and release the organizer.
Organizers commonly use an activity or event waiver for:
Each participant signs a separate copy, so the organizer holds a signed waiver for every person.
A minor participation waiver is completed by a parent or guardian for a child who takes part in a risky activity. The parent or guardian's name, the child's name and the relationship between them go on the form.
Ask an attorney where the activity takes place before you rely on a parent's signature.
Waiver and release forms differ by the claims they give up and by when they are signed. Many types of release forms exist; the common ones are below.
A general release gives up the claims it describes between the parties, up to the date it is signed. Whether it also reaches claims the releasor did not yet know of depends on its wording and on where it is signed. It fits disputes from an unpaid debt to an accident, and the releasor usually receives a payment or other value in return.
A personal injury release lets an injured person give up claims against the person responsible, in exchange for agreed compensation. The injury may be physical or psychological, such as the harm left by a dog bite.
An activity participation waiver releases the organizer of a high risk sport, game or event from the participant's injury claims. The participant signs it before the activity, as consent to the risks it names.
A damage to property release frees a person from claims for harm to the releasor's land, buildings or belongings. It is common during construction and repair work.
A car accident release gives up claims for vehicle damage and injuries after a collision. The injured party signs it after the accident, in exchange for an agreed payment.
A mutual release lets both parties give up claims against each other at the same time. Business partners use it when they end a partnership or settle a dispute about their contract.
A liability waiver includes the parties, the activity, its risks, the release of claims, the date and the signatures. The exact parts depend on the type of waiver and on whether the event has already happened.
Parties. Name each party in full, with an address, a phone number and an email. Add the parent or guardian when a minor takes part.
Activity description. Say what the activity is, where it takes place and when. For an incident that has already happened, give its place, time and date.
Assumption of risk. List the risks of the activity in plain words, such as falls, collisions, equipment failure, illness, serious injury or death. The participant confirms that they know these risks and choose to take part.
Release of claims. This paragraph is the core of the waiver. The participant gives up claims against the releasee for injury, loss or damage that comes from the activity.
Insurance and medical care. Many waivers add that the organizer does not insure the participant and that the participant pays for their own medical care. Some add consent to emergency treatment, and others add consent to photos or video taken during the event.
Compensation. A release after an incident names what the releasee gives in return: money, repairs, goods or services. An activity waiver signed in advance usually names the activity itself as the exchange.
Effective date. Give the date the waiver takes effect and, for a season pass or membership, the period it covers.
Governing jurisdiction. Name the place whose rules apply to the agreement. Rules on waivers differ from place to place, so an attorney in that place can confirm how a waiver is treated there.
Signatures. The participant signs and prints their name. Many organizers sign as well, so that both sides hold the same terms.
Put the risk and release paragraphs in bold or capital letters, in a font that is easy to read, and name in plain words the kinds of claims the release covers, such as claims for the releasee's own negligence.
These steps follow the FormsPal General Waiver of Liability template, a one-page PDF with fillable fields. Open the downloaded PDF in the PDF editor to type your entries, or print the blank form and fill it in by hand. Work from the top of the page to the signature line, one part at a time.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Liability Waiver template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
An example activity waiver shows how the parts fit together: the participant, the activity, the risks, the release and the signature. The sample below is invented wording for a climbing gym, not a real agreement.
Sample: Climbing Gym Waiver and Release
I, Anna Baker, of 123 Main Street, Austin, TX, wish to use the climbing walls and equipment of Summit Climbing Gym on January 15.
I understand that climbing carries risks, including falls, equipment failure, sprains, broken bones, serious injury and death. I accept these risks and choose to take part.
I release Summit Climbing Gym, its owners and its staff from all claims for injury, loss or damage that arise from my use of the gym, including claims caused by the negligence of Summit Climbing Gym, its owners or its staff.
Signature: Anna Baker. Printed name: Anna Baker. Date: January 15.
A real waiver replaces each sample entry with the actual names, place, date and activity. The FormsPal template has the same order of parts, with blank lines for each entry.
A liability waiver is signed after every entry is filled in and the participant has read the whole page. The list below puts the last checks in order, from the final read to keeping a signed copy.
Organizers who run the same activity often keep a stack of printed blank forms, or send the PDF ahead so participants arrive with a signed copy. Store the signed waivers by date, so each signed waiver is easy to find if a question comes up later.
You can ask an attorney to read the waiver after you draft it, especially for a high risk activity or an activity with minors.
A liability waiver fits a participant who accepts risk before an activity; other situations call for a different form. The table matches common situations to the document that fits them.
| Situation | Document that fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A participant joins a sport, class or event | Liability waiver form (this page) | It releases claims before the activity starts |
| A dispute or injury has already happened | Release of liability form | It settles claims after the event, usually for a payment |
| A car collision happened | Car accident release | It covers vehicle damage and injuries from the collision |
| Someone asks to skip a fee or a course prerequisite | A fee or prerequisite waiver request | It asks an office to set a rule aside; it releases no claims |
| A person seeks an immigration benefit | Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility | It is an immigration application to the U.S. government, not a liability waiver |
A waiver of liability gives both parties a clear, signed account of the risks and the terms before anything goes wrong. Each side gains something different from it.
For the participant, a waiver spells out the risks of the activity before they decide to take part. After an incident, a release can bring compensation for an injury or damaged property without the cost, time and stress of suing.
For the organizer or business, a waiver shows that each participant was told about the risks and agreed to them. A release after an incident lets the business pay an agreed amount and close the matter, instead of facing a long and public dispute.
It is a document in which one person, the releasor, gives up claims against another person or business, the releasee. The template on this page is a General Waiver of Liability.
Yes. The PDF is a free download, and you can also build a personalized copy online with the Create My Document button.
Yes. Download the free liability waiver form as a PDF, print it blank and fill in the names, the activity, the date and the signature by hand in ink.
Five. They are the name and address, the activity and the released party, the governing state and execution details, the signature, and the printed name.
Money is the usual consideration for a release, but goods and services work too. After a car accident, for example, the releasee may pay for repairs or buy the parts. Anything of value that both parties agree on can serve as compensation.
Yes, it can. In a car accident where both drivers share the fault but the damage falls on a single car, the parties can settle with a payment or shared repairs and release each other's claims.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
