An Arkansas limited power of attorney is a written document in which you, the principal, name an agent (also called an attorney-in-fact) to act for you only in the matters you list. It is also known as a special power of attorney. The free Arkansas limited power of attorney form on this page is a fillable PDF you can complete online, print and sign. Below are the signing rules, a step-by-step guide to the form, and how the document ends.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Arkansas law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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In Arkansas, a limited power of attorney must be signed by the principal, or by another person the principal directs to sign the principal's name in the principal's conscious presence. A notary acknowledgment makes the signature presumed genuine, and the document takes effect when executed unless it sets a later date or event.[1.1][2]
A power of attorney must be signed by the principal or in the principal's conscious presence by another individual directed by the principal to sign the principal's name on the power of attorney.
Who signs. The principal signs. Another individual may sign the principal's name only if the principal directs it and the signing happens in the principal's conscious presence.[1.1]
Notary acknowledgment. A signature on a power of attorney is presumed to be genuine if the principal acknowledges it before a notary public or another individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.[1.1]
When it takes effect. The document is effective when executed. The principal can instead provide that it becomes effective at a future date or upon the occurrence of a future event or contingency.[2]
Agent acceptance. Except as otherwise provided in the power of attorney, a person accepts appointment as an agent by exercising authority or performing duties as an agent, or by any other assertion or conduct indicating acceptance.[3]
Ark. Code Ann. § 28-68-201 lists specific acts, such as creating an inter vivos trust, making a gift and changing rights of survivorship, that an agent may perform only if the power of attorney expressly grants that authority.[4]
Many people call this document a special power of attorney. If you want an agent to handle one property matter, such as selling an item, write that purpose on the lines the form gives you and nothing broader.
How to Fill Out the Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney Form
Fill out the Arkansas limited power of attorney form in eight steps that follow the order of the form itself. The form has 32 fillable fields across three pages. You can complete it online with the FormsPal builder or download the PDF.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Arkansas limited power of attorney template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Principal and agent. On page 1, write your name and address, then your agent's name and address, in the opening sentence. You are the principal and the person you name is your agent (attorney-in-fact).Step 1: sample entries, not a real document.
Purpose(s). Describe what the agent may do on the five lines under "limited purpose(s)". Keep each purpose specific. The printed Special Instructions limit the powers to these purposes, so there is nothing to fill in there.Step 2: sample entries, not a real document.
Effective date. Initial one line. Initial the first if the document should take effect as soon as it is signed. Initial the second to name a later date, and write that date and year.Step 3: sample entries, not a real document.
Termination date. Initial one termination option in total. The first option ends the document when you have signed a written revocation. It starts at the foot of page 1 and finishes at the top of page 2.Step 4: sample entries, not a real document.
Other termination options and successor agent. The other two options end the document on a date you write, or when you are determined to be incapacitated. If you chose one of them, initial it on page 2. Then complete the successor section with your agent's name, the alternate agent's name and the alternate agent's address.Step 5: sample entries, not a real document.
Date, signature and printed name. Read the printed paragraph that lets a third party act on a copy and has you agree to cover that party's claims from relying on it. Then write the day, month and year, sign, and print your name.Step 6: sample entries, not a real document.
Acknowledgment. Page 3 holds the acknowledgment, which already names the State of Arkansas. Fill in the county, the date, the officer's name and title, and your name as the person who appeared. You complete the acknowledgment before a notary public.Step 7: sample entries, not a real document.
Officer signature and seal. The notary signs the Signature line and adds the seal. You do not sign here.Step 8: sample entries, not a real document.
How to Sign and Use the Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney
Once the form is filled in, check it, sign it where the form asks, and share copies with the people who need to rely on it. These steps are general practice and not legal requirements. The Arkansas signing rules are in the requirements section above.
Check the details. Read every entry again. Make sure names are spelled as they appear on your ID and the purpose lines describe only the task you want the agent to handle.
Sign the form. Sign where the form asks, then complete the acknowledgment with a notary public as described in steps 6 to 8 above.
Give out copies. Give a copy to your agent. If the agent will deal with a bank, an office or another third party, give that party a copy as well.
Keep the original. Store the signed original in a safe place and keep a copy close at hand.
Most problems with a limited power of attorney come from the entries on the form. Check the points below before you sign and again before you hand over a copy.
Writing a purpose so broad that it no longer reads as limited.
Initialing more than one line where the form says to initial one.
Leaving the effective date or the termination option unmarked.
Signing the officer line yourself. The officer's signature and seal belong to the notary.
How an Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney Ends
Arkansas state law lists the events that end a power of attorney. Any one of the events below ends your limited power of attorney. Read the list before you sign, so you know when your agent's authority stops.
The principal dies.
The principal becomes incapacitated, if the power of attorney is not durable.
The principal revokes the power of attorney.
The purpose of the power of attorney is accomplished.
The power of attorney provides that it terminates.[1.2]
The agent's authority ends when the principal revokes the authority. It also ends when the power of attorney itself terminates.[1.2]
A termination does not bind a person who acts in good faith without actual knowledge of it. An act done that way binds the principal and the principal's successors in interest, unless the act is otherwise invalid or unenforceable.[1.2]
A new power of attorney does not cancel an earlier one on its own. The earlier one is revoked only if the later document provides that the previous power of attorney is revoked or that all other powers of attorney are revoked.[1.2]
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is an Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney?
An Arkansas limited power of attorney gives your agent authority over only the purposes you write on the form. The printed Special Instructions confine the powers to those purposes, so each purpose should be specific.
These are general examples of narrow purposes, not legal requirements:
Selling one named item of personal property
Handling one bank or account matter
Signing the paperwork for one named transaction
Collecting mail or documents on your behalf
What happens if my agent dies, becomes incapacitated or resigns?
The agent's authority ends. If the power of attorney does not provide for another agent to act, the power of attorney itself ends too.[1.2] The form has a successor agent section for that case.
Does a divorce filing end the agent's authority?
It can, if the agent is your spouse. The authority ends when an action is filed for dissolution or annulment of the marriage or for legal separation, unless the power of attorney provides otherwise.[1.2]
Do I need to tell my agent that I revoked the power of attorney?
Yes, tell your agent and anyone who has a copy right away. A termination is not effective as to an agent or another person who acts in good faith without actual knowledge of it.[1.2]
What if I become incapacitated and my agent does not know?
If the power of attorney is not durable, your incapacity does not end it as to an agent or another person who, without actual knowledge of the incapacity, acts in good faith under it.[1.2]
Create a high-quality Arkansas Limited Power of Attorney Form online now!
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Sources
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Ark. Code Ann..
Mara has been practicing estate planning and trust law in California since 2003, taking pride in helping clients of all backgrounds and asset profiles form a complete and customized estate plan. Her specialties are: estate planning, wills and trusts, trust and probate administration.
