Estate · Handwritten Wills

Are Handwritten Wills Valid? The Rule in Each State

Whether your state accepts a handwritten will with no witnesses, what has to be in your own hand, and the traps in states that reject them outright. Each cited to the statute.

10 of 50 states so far, starting with the largest. 7 verified against the official statute; the rest cited to corroborating sources while the official portal is confirmed.A handwritten will valid in one state can be void in another. Florida rejects them even when valid where made; Illinois honors an out-of-state one.

Read this first: a will in your own hand, no witnesses

A holographic will is one written in your own handwriting and not signed by witnesses. States split three ways. California, Texas, and Pennsylvania accept them, though the handwriting rules differ. Florida and Illinois reject them and require two witnesses. New York accepts them only for armed-forces members during a conflict and mariners at sea, and even then the will expires.

Two traps stand out. Florida will not honor a holographic will even if it was valid in the state where you made it, so moving there can void your will; Illinois takes the opposite view and honors a valid out-of-state one. And validity is not the same as proof: even where a handwritten will is valid, someone usually still has to prove your handwriting or signature in probate. Every figure links to the statute, and pages still pending verification say so.

Every state in one table

Whether a handwritten will is recognized, and the statute in each row.

Recognized (5)

State	Valid only if	Statute
California		Cal. Prob. Code §6111
Michigan		Mich. Comp. Laws § 700.2502(2)
North Carolina		N.C. Gen. Stat. § 31‑3.4
Pennsylvania		20 Pa.C.S. §2502
Texas		Tex. Estates Code §251.052

Not recognized (4)

State	Valid only if	Statute
Florida		Fla. Stat. §732.502
Georgia		O.C.G.A. §53‑4‑20
Illinois		755 ILCS 5/4‑3
Ohio		Ohio Rev. Code §2107.03

Military or mariner only (1)

State	Valid only if	Statute
New York	Armed forces or at sea	N.Y. EPTL §3‑2.2

What these pages are, and what they aren't

Each state page is a reference for whether a handwritten will is valid and the neutral steps to make one hold up. They are deliberately not advice for your estate: handwriting scope, signature placement, and out-of-state recognition can all change the answer, so each page links to the statute and a way to reach a licensed attorney. This is legal information, not legal advice.