California · Standard edition

California Living Will Template

Create a California living will (advance healthcare directive) online. The Standard living will records your wishes on life-sustaining treatment, artificial nutrition and hydration, pain relief, and organ donation, names a healthcare agent, and includes the California witness and notary requirements.

Start your California Living Will

California rules built into this template

  • Governing law: The California Health Care Decisions Law (Cal. Prob. Code § 4600 et seq.), as an individual health care instruction within an advance health care directive.
  • Signing: A living will must be signed and dated by the declarant and either acknowledged before a notary public or signed by two qualified adult witnesses. The declarant's healthcare agent, the declarant's health care provider or its employees, and operators or employees of a community care or residential care facility for the elderly may not be witnesses, and at least one witness may not be related to the declarant by blood, marriage, or adoption or be entitled to any part of the declarant's estate (Cal. Prob. Code §§ 4673, 4674). If the declarant is a patient in a skilled nursing facility, a patient advocate or ombudsman must also sign as a witness (Cal. Prob. Code § 4675).
  • California offers an optional statutory Advance Health Care Directive form (Cal. Prob. Code § 4701).

What the Living Will includes

  1. Purpose
  2. When This Directive Applies
  3. Healthcare Agent
  4. Life-Sustaining Treatment
  5. Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
  6. Pain Relief and Comfort Care
  7. Organ and Tissue Donation
  8. Pregnancy
  9. Copies, Revocation, and Reliance
  10. California Signing Requirements
  11. Governing Law

Frequently asked questions

Is a living will legally binding in California?
Yes. California recognizes written treatment instructions under The California Health Care Decisions Law (Cal. Prob. Code § 4600 et seq.), as an individual health care instruction within an advance health care directive, as long as the document is signed correctly.
Does a living will need witnesses or a notary in California?
A living will must be signed and dated by the declarant and either acknowledged before a notary public or signed by two qualified adult witnesses. The declarant's healthcare agent, the declarant's health care provider or its employees, and operators or employees of a community care or residential care facility for the elderly may not be witnesses, and at least one witness may not be related to the declarant by blood, marriage, or adoption or be entitled to any part of the declarant's estate (Cal. Prob. Code §§ 4673, 4674). If the declarant is a patient in a skilled nursing facility, a patient advocate or ombudsman must also sign as a witness (Cal. Prob. Code § 4675).
What is the difference between the Standard and Professional Living Will?
The Standard edition is a complete, state-aware Living Will for common situations. The Professional edition adds longer clause coverage, schedules, and optional modules for more complex matters. You can preview either edition free before you pay.

Living Will templates for other states

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Start your California Living Will