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.
Oregon does not recognise handwritten wills at all, so the ordinary signing formalities are the only way to make one that counts.
An Oregon will must be in writing. In the presence of each of the witnesses, the testator must sign the will, direct another person to sign it for them, or acknowledge a signature already made. At least two witnesses must then each see the testator sign, or hear the testator acknowledge the signature, and sign the will themselves.
ORS 112.235
No. ORS 112.235 requires two witnesses, not a notary, and notarizing an Oregon will does not make it valid. A notary appears only in a separate self-proving affidavit.
ORS 112.235
No. Oregon has no holographic will provision, so a handwritten will that was not signed in front of two witnesses does not qualify simply by being in your handwriting. Oregon does have a narrow route for a document that failed the formalities to be admitted anyway, but it requires a court petition and clear evidence, and it is not something to rely on by choice.
ORS 112.235, 112.238
A will attested by an interested witness is not invalidated by that fact in Oregon, an interested witness being one who is left a personal and beneficial interest in the estate. The gift stands. Disinterested witnesses remain the better habit, because they remove an argument rather than a rule.
ORS 112.245
Anyone 18 or older and of sound mind may make a will in Oregon, as may someone who has been lawfully married or who has been emancipated.
ORS 112.225
ORS § 112.235 (Execution of a will). At least two witnesses must each see the testator sign the will, hear the testator acknowledge the signature, or hear or observe the testator direct another to sign, and must attest by signing within a reasonable time before the testator's death.
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 Oregon. Requirements change. Confirm the current rules for your state before you sign.
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