Knowledge & Resources
Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
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Wills and estate planning
What a will does, how to write one, and what your state requires for it to count.
Kentucky accepts a will wholly written by you without witnesses. Anything else needs two credible witnesses.
A Kentucky will is not valid unless it is in writing with the testator's name subscribed to it, either by the testator or by someone else in their presence and at their direction. If the will is not wholly written by the testator, the subscription must be made or the will acknowledged in the presence of at least two credible witnesses, who must subscribe the will with their names.
K.R.S. § 394.040
No. Section 394.040 requires two credible witnesses for a will that is not wholly handwritten, not a notary, and notarizing a Kentucky will does not substitute for them.
K.R.S. § 394.040
Yes. Kentucky handles it inside its main requirements section rather than separately: a will wholly written by the testator does not need the two credible witnesses that any other will requires. Wholly is the operative word, so a printed form with handwritten blanks does not qualify.
K.R.S. § 394.040
KRS § 394.040 (Requisites of a valid will). If not wholly written by the testator, the signature must be made or the will acknowledged before at least two credible witnesses, who subscribe in the presence of the testator and of each other.
Links last checked 2026-08-25.
We could not read this statute at its official source, so the summary above is provisional. Confirm it before relying on it.
This is general information about the law, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by an attorney licensed in Kentucky. Requirements change. Confirm the current rules for your state before you sign.
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