Ohio Limited Power of Attorney Form

What Does an Ohio Limited Power of Attorney Cover?

A limited power of attorney lets your agent act only for the purposes you write on the form. The form itself states that the powers apply solely to those limited purposes. You choose the task, when the document starts, and how it ends. People often use one for a single, defined job, such as:

• Signing papers for one specific financial transaction.
• Selling or buying one particular piece of property.
• Handling one defined matter with a bank or business while you are away.

Describe each purpose in specific terms, so your agent and anyone who sees the document knows what it covers.

A limited document is not the right fit for every situation. For broad authority over your finances, see the Ohio general power of attorney form.

What Are the Ohio Limited Power of Attorney Requirements?

Under Section 1337.25 of the Ohio Rev. Code Ann., a power of attorney must be signed by the principal. Another individual may sign for the principal, but only in the principal's conscious presence and at the principal's direction. A signature is presumed genuine if the principal acknowledges it before a notary public or other individual authorized by law to take acknowledgments.^[1] Two more rules shape how the document works:

• When it starts. A power of attorney is effective when executed (signed), unless the principal provides in the document that it becomes effective at a future date or upon the occurrence of a future event or contingency.^[2]
• Statutory form. Under Section 1337.60, a document substantially in the statutory form may be used to create a statutory form power of attorney, which has the meaning and effect prescribed by sections 1337.21 to 1337.64 of the Revised Code.^[4]

Here is the signing rule in the words of the Ohio Revised Code:

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.

Chapter 1337 of the Ohio Revised Code, at sections 1337.21 to 1337.64, governs powers of attorney under the Ohio Uniform Power of Attorney Act.^[5]

Section 1337.01 of the Ohio Revised Code adds a rule for real estate. A power of attorney for the conveyance, mortgage or lease of any interest in real property must be signed, acknowledged and certified as provided in Section 5301.01 of the Ohio Revised Code.^[6]

Ohio Limited Power of Attorney Form Details

Check out all Ohio power of attorney forms if you want to see the other templates available for your situation.

How to Fill Out the Ohio Limited Power of Attorney Form

The FormsPal Ohio limited power of attorney template has three form pages. Page 1 names you and your agent, lists the purposes and sets the effective date. Page 2 finishes the termination choices, names a successor agent and holds your signature, and page 3 is the acknowledgment that a notary public completes. If you download the PDF, you can type into it with the online PDF editor.

The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Ohio 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.

1. Principal and agent (page 1). In the opening paragraph, write your name and address as the principal, then the name and address of the person you appoint as your agent (attorney-in-fact).

   

2. Purposes (page 1). On the lines under "purpose(s)", describe the specific matters the agent may act on. Below them, the form states that the powers are limited solely to those purposes, so be specific.

   

3. Effective date (page 1). The form says "initial one". Initial the option that makes the document effective immediately, or the option that makes it effective on a date you write in, along with the year.

   

4. Termination date: written revocation (page 1). The termination choices start at the bottom of page 1 and continue on page 2. Initial this option only if you want the power of attorney to end when you have signed a written revocation.

   

5. Other termination options and successor agent (page 2). The form says "initial one" for the termination date, so choose a single option in total. The other two are a date you write in and a determination that you are incapacitated. Then, in the successor paragraph, write the agent's name, the alternate agent's name and the alternate agent's address.

   

6. Signing date, signature and printed name (page 2). Read the paragraph above the signature line. It says that a third party who receives a copy may act under the document, that a revocation is not effective as to a third party until that party has actual knowledge of it, and that you agree to cover (indemnify) the third party for claims that arise from relying on the document. Then fill in the day, month and year, sign, and print your name.

   

7. Acknowledgment: county, date and officer (page 3). The words "State of Ohio" are preprinted. The blanks that follow take the county, the date, the name and title of the officer, and your name. Take the signed form to a notary public, who completes this part.

   

8. Notary signature and seal (page 3). The notary signs on the "Signature" line below "WITNESS my hand and official seal" and adds the seal in the space marked "(seal)". This line is for the notary, not for you.

   

How to Sign and Use the Ohio Limited Power of Attorney

Once the form is filled out, you sign it on page 2 and a notary completes the acknowledgment on page 3. After that, the work is mostly handing the document to the right people. The steps below cover what to do with the finished document, and what to do if you later want to end it.

1. Give your agent a copy. Hand your agent a copy of the signed and acknowledged document and go over the purposes you listed together.
2. Share copies with the people who need them. Banks, offices and other businesses that deal with your agent may ask to see the document, so give a copy to each one involved in the task you have entrusted to your agent.
3. Keep the original in a safe place. Store it with your other important papers, where you can find it again.
4. Tell people if you end it. If you revoke the document or its purpose is finished, let your agent and everyone holding a copy know. The questions below explain why this matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Readers most often ask whether an Ohio limited power of attorney needs a notary, what ends it, and what happens when someone acts under it after it has ended. The answers below come from Ohio's power of attorney statute.

Does a power of attorney in Ohio need to be notarized?

In Ohio, 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] The FormsPal template has an acknowledgment on page 3 that the notary completes.

What ends an Ohio limited power of attorney?

Under Section 1337.30 of the Ohio Rev. Code Ann., a power of attorney terminates when any of these happens:

• The principal dies.
• The principal revokes the power of attorney.
• The principal becomes incapacitated, if the power of attorney is not durable.
• The power of attorney provides that it terminates.
• The purpose of the power of attorney is accomplished.

A limited power of attorney usually covers one task, so it often ends once that task is done.^[3]

What ends my agent's authority?

The agent's authority terminates when the principal revokes it, or when the agent dies, becomes incapacitated, or resigns. The power of attorney itself terminates in those cases if it does not provide for another agent to act.^[3]

The FormsPal template has a successor agent paragraph on page 2 where you can name an alternate.

What if someone relies on the power of attorney after it ends?

A termination does not take effect as to the agent or anyone else who acts in good faith under the power of attorney without actual knowledge of the termination.^[3] In practice, this is why it helps to tell your agent and everyone who holds a copy when you revoke it.

General information, not legal or tax advice.

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Sources

Unless noted otherwise, the sources below are from the Ohio Rev. Code Ann..

1. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.25.
2. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.29.
3. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.30.
4. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.60.
5. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.21. Accessed October 15, 2026.
6. Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1337.01. Accessed October 16, 2026.

Mara Erlach

Writer & Attorney

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.