50 STATES + DC · UPC §2-506 · UEWA

Is your will valid where you live now?

You executed a will in one state. You moved to another. Or you wrote a holographic will, or your state passed an Electronic Wills Act. The cross-state portability decoder runs the conditional against every state's probate code — with a primary-source statute citation on every output.

Run the decoderHow portability works
  • 51jurisdictions
  • 9axes per state
  • 9UEWA / EWA adopters
  • 25recognize holographic
DOSSIER · 50 STATES + DC51jurisdictions auditedVERIFIEDNARROW EXCEPTIONPENDINGUPC §2-502 · §2-503 · §2-504 · §2-506 · UEWA (ULC 2019)Source pins to Cornell LII + state legislature primaries

Will validity decoder

Describe an executed will. The engine runs the cross-state portability conditional against the 50-state + DC matrix and returns a verdict with statute pins. All inputs stay in your browser.

Will format
Self-proving affidavit attached?
Notarization (on affidavit)?

Inputs are processed in your browser only. Nothing is POSTed to a server.

Verdict — VALID

VALID under CA probate. The will was executed and remains domiciled in CA, satisfying its will-execution statute with 2 witnesses.

Conformity rule. CA's will-execution statute (UPC §2-502 pattern) requires two competent witnesses; with two attested witnesses the will is valid.

Primary sourceCal. Probate Code §6111

Informational only — not legal advice. Consult an estate-planning attorney admitted in your state.

50-STATE WIDGET

Holographic acceptance — where unwitnessed handwritten wills are recognized

Roughly half of U.S. jurisdictions recognize holographic wills. The other half require two witnesses. Click any state to jump to its rule.

Holographic acceptance · 50 states + DC
AKAlaska — yes_unconditionalMEMaine — yes_unconditionalVTVermont — noNHNew Hampshire — noWAWashington — noIDIdaho — yes_unconditionalMTMontana — yes_unconditionalNDNorth Dakota — yes_unconditionalMNMinnesota — noWIWisconsin — noMIMichigan — yes_unconditionalNYNew York — no_with_narrow_exceptionMAMassachusetts — noCTConnecticut — noRIRhode Island — noOROregon — noWYWyoming — yes_unconditionalSDSouth Dakota — yes_unconditionalIAIowa — noILIllinois — noINIndiana — noOHOhio — noPAPennsylvania — yes_unconditionalNJNew Jersey — yes_unconditionalCACalifornia — yes_unconditionalNVNevada — yes_unconditionalUTUtah — yes_unconditionalCOColorado — yes_unconditionalNENebraska — noMOMissouri — noKYKentucky — yes_unconditionalWVWest Virginia — yes_unconditionalVAVirginia — yes_unconditionalMDMaryland — noDEDelaware — noAZArizona — yes_unconditionalNMNew Mexico — noKSKansas — noARArkansas — yes_unconditionalTNTennessee — yes_unconditionalNCNorth Carolina — yes_unconditionalSCSouth Carolina — noDCDistrict of Columbia — noHIHawaii — noTXTexas — yes_unconditionalOKOklahoma — yes_unconditionalLALouisiana — yes_olographicMSMississippi — yes_unconditionalALAlabama — noGAGeorgia — noFLFlorida — no_with_narrow_exception
  • Recognizes (25)
  • Narrow exception (2)
  • Does not recognize (24)

50-STATE WIDGET

Electronic Wills Act adoption — UEWA and state-specific frameworks

9 jurisdictions have enacted UEWA or a state-specific Electronic Wills Act. Each row carries the statute citation and effective date.

Electronic Wills Act adoption · 50 states + DC
AKAlaska — not_adoptedMEMaine — not_adoptedVTVermont — not_adoptedNHNew Hampshire — not_adoptedWAWashington — ewa_state_specific (effective 2022-01-01)IDIdaho — not_adoptedMTMontana — not_adoptedNDNorth Dakota — uewa_adopted (effective 2022-08-01)MNMinnesota — not_adoptedWIWisconsin — not_adoptedMIMichigan — not_adoptedNYNew York — not_adoptedMAMassachusetts — not_adoptedCTConnecticut — not_adoptedRIRhode Island — not_adoptedOROregon — not_adoptedWYWyoming — not_adoptedSDSouth Dakota — not_adoptedIAIowa — not_adoptedILIllinois — ewa_state_specific (effective 2022-07-26)INIndiana — ewa_state_specific (effective 2018-07-01)OHOhio — not_adoptedPAPennsylvania — not_adoptedNJNew Jersey — not_adoptedCACalifornia — not_adoptedNVNevada — ewa_state_specific (effective 2001-10-01)UTUtah — uewa_adopted (effective 2020-05-12)COColorado — ewa_state_specific (effective 2021-01-21)NENebraska — not_adoptedMOMissouri — not_adoptedKYKentucky — not_adoptedWVWest Virginia — not_adoptedVAVirginia — not_adoptedMDMaryland — ewa_state_specific (effective 2022-04-21)DEDelaware — not_adoptedAZArizona — ewa_state_specific (effective 2019-07-01)NMNew Mexico — not_adoptedKSKansas — not_adoptedARArkansas — not_adoptedTNTennessee — not_adoptedNCNorth Carolina — not_adoptedSCSouth Carolina — not_adoptedDCDistrict of Columbia — not_adoptedHIHawaii — not_adoptedTXTexas — not_adoptedOKOklahoma — not_adoptedLALouisiana — not_adoptedMSMississippi — not_adoptedALAlabama — not_adoptedGAGeorgia — not_adoptedFLFlorida — ewa_state_specific (effective 2020-07-01)
  • UEWA / Electronic Wills Act adopted (10)
  • Not adopted (41)

See the full 50-state UEWA adoption table →

EDUCATIONAL PILLARS

What the decoder answers — six pillars

The will-validity grid is a 9-axis state-by-state matrix. The decoder runs a personalized conditional that AI Overview cannot compress, with primary-source pins on every output.

Will execution 101

Witness count, notarization, signature mechanics — UPC §2-502 pattern.

Holographic wills

The 25-jurisdiction recognition map with per-state conditions.

Electronic wills / UEWA

The 9 states with UEWA or a state-specific Electronic Wills Act.

Self-proving affidavit

UPC §2-504 model form and state variants — when and why to attach.

Cross-state portability

UPC §2-506 choice-of-law rule across all 50 states + DC.

Revocation rules

Physical act, subsequent writing, operation of law — per-state mechanics.

Frequently asked questions

Is my will from one state still valid if I moved to another?

In most cases yes. Most U.S. states follow Uniform Probate Code §2-506: a will is valid if executed under (a) the law of the place of execution, (b) the testator's domicile at execution, or (c) the testator's domicile at death. Use the decoder for the conditional that applies to your specific fact pattern.

Do I need witnesses for a holographic will?

It depends on the state. Roughly half of U.S. jurisdictions recognize holographic (handwritten, unwitnessed) wills if the material provisions and signature are in the testator's handwriting. The other half require two witnesses. See the holographic acceptance map for your state.

What is the Uniform Electronic Wills Act (UEWA)?

UEWA is a model act promulgated by the Uniform Law Commission in 2019 to provide a framework for validly executing a will as an electronic record, including remote 'electronic presence' of witnesses. Adoption is narrow — see the e-will adoption table for the current list of adopters.

What does the decoder return?

Three possible verdicts: VALID, LIKELY INVALID, or UNCERTAIN, each with a 1-2 sentence conformity rule and statute pins to the relevant probate-code primary sources (state legislature or Cornell LII).

Do you store the inputs I enter?

No. The decoder runs entirely in your browser. No POST is sent to a server. Aggregate analytics capture only coarse format and state-pair buckets — never specific year-plus-state combinations.

Related — Desymphony estate cluster

SmallEstateMap.usSmall-estate / no-will threshold matrix (post-death)PostSave.usPost-save planning (post-death finalization)RMDAcross.comMulti-account RMD aggregation (estate-tax-touching)