A Michigan 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 for the purposes you list. It is narrower than a general power of attorney, which gives an agent broad authority. You can fill out the free three-page Michigan limited power of attorney form online with FormsPal, then print it and sign it.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Michigan law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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A limited power of attorney lets your agent act only for the purposes you write on the form. You choose the task, when the document starts, and how it ends. The FormsPal template has five lines for the purposes and a preprinted Special Instructions notice that confines the agent to them. Many people use one for a single, defined job, such as:
Describe each purpose in clear, specific terms, so your agent and anyone who sees the document know what it covers. If you want an agent to have broad authority instead, use a general power of attorney. For other documents, see all Michigan power of attorney forms.
Tip: Put the detail on the purpose lines of page 1. A short, specific description keeps the document limited to the task you have in mind.
Michigan's power of attorney statute sets a signing rule for every power of attorney and extra steps for a durable one. To be effective, a power of attorney must be signed.[1.1] To be durable, it must also be acknowledged before a notary public or signed in front of two witnesses. The FormsPal template has a notary acknowledgment on page 3 and no witness lines.
Under Section 556.205 of the Mich. Comp. Laws, the signature must come from one of these people:
A durable power of attorney stays in force if the principal becomes incapacitated. One that is not durable ends then.[2] For a durable power of attorney signed by the principal, either of these is enough:
If another individual signed for the principal, the two-witness route is the one that applies. It applies whether or not the document is also acknowledged. One of the two witnesses may also be the notary or other individual authorized to take acknowledgments.[1.2]
The statute limits who can witness:
A witness may not be an agent nominated in the power.
In plain words, the person you name as your agent cannot also be one of your witnesses. A notary acknowledgment has a separate benefit. A signature on a power of attorney is presumed genuine if the principal acknowledges it before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.[1.1]
| Document Name | Michigan Limited Power of Attorney Form |
| Other Name | Michigan Special Power of Attorney |
| Relevant Laws | Mich. Comp. Laws § 556.205[1.1], § 556.210[2] |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 8 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 32 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
The free Michigan limited power of attorney form PDF has three pages. Page 1 names you and your agent, lists the purposes, and sets the effective date and the first termination choice. Page 2 finishes the termination choices, names a successor agent, and holds your signature. Page 3 is the acknowledgment that a notary public or other officer completes.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Michigan 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.
To use a Michigan limited power of attorney, complete the form, review it, and sign it where a notary public can complete the acknowledgment on page 3. Then give your agent a copy and keep the original safe. These steps cover what happens around the form, not the entries on it.
A Michigan limited power of attorney ends on its own in the cases the statute lists, and you can end it sooner by revoking it. Section 556.210 of the Mich. Comp. Laws covers both. The Termination Date section of the form lets you pick how yours ends: a signed written revocation, a date, or a determination that you are incapacitated.
Under Section 556.210, a power of attorney terminates when any of these happens:[2]
The agent's authority terminates when the principal revokes it. It also terminates when the power of attorney itself terminates.[2]
Not by itself. Unless the power of attorney provides otherwise, the agent's authority is exercisable until it terminates under Section 556.210. A lapse of time since the power of attorney was signed does not change that.[2]
Termination is not effective as to an agent or another person who acts in good faith under the power of attorney without actual knowledge of it. An act so performed, unless otherwise invalid or unenforceable, binds you and your successors in interest.[2] Telling your agent and anyone who holds a copy as soon as you revoke it avoids that problem.
The answer depends on whether the document is durable. If it is not durable, your incapacity does not revoke or terminate it as to an agent or other person who acts in good faith under it. That protection applies only when the person has no actual knowledge of the incapacity.[2]
The agent's authority terminates when any of these happens:[2]
If the power of attorney does not provide for another agent, the power of attorney itself terminates then, or when you revoke the agent's authority.[2] Naming a successor agent on page 2 of the form gives the document another agent to act.
Unless the power of attorney provides otherwise, yes. The agent's authority terminates when an action is filed for the dissolution or annulment of the agent's marriage to the principal or for their legal separation.[2]
Not automatically. Signing a power of attorney does not revoke one the principal signed earlier. It does so only if the new document provides that the previous power is revoked or that all other powers of attorney are revoked.[2]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Mich. Comp. Laws.
