# California — Will execution requirements by state: witnesses, notarization, holographic and electronic wills

For California, witnesses required is witnessed by being signed, during the testator’s lifetime, by at least two persons each of whom (A) being present at the same time, witnessed either the signing of the will or the testator’s acknowledgment of the signature or of the will and (B) understand that the instrument they sign is the testator’s will; statute citation is Cal. Prob. Code § 6110, recorded from its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** California _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Witnesses required:** witnessed by being signed, during the testator’s lifetime, by at least two persons each of whom (A) being present at the same time, witnessed either the signing of the will or the testator’s acknowledgment of the signature or of the will and (B) understand that the instrument they sign is the testator’s will _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statute citation:** Cal. Prob. Code § 6110 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Holographic wills:** valid as a holographic will, whether or not witnessed, if the signature and the material provisions are in the handwriting of the testator _(per leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, not stated by the source above)_

## What the source says

> (c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the will shall be witnessed by being signed, during the testator’s lifetime, by at least two persons each of whom (A) being present at the same time, witnessed either the signing of the will or the testator’s acknowledgment of the signature or of the will and (B) understand that the instrument they sign is the testator’s will. (2) If a will was not executed in compliance with paragraph (1), the will shall be treated as if it was executed in compliance with that paragraph if the proponent of the will establishes by clear and convincing evidence that, at the time the testator signed the will, the testator intended the will to constitute the testator’s will.

## Sources disagree

More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same
thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from.

### Statute citation

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov says statute citation is **Cal. Prob. Code § 6110**, as of 2026-08-18.

> (c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the will shall be witnessed by being signed, during the testator’s lifetime, by at least two persons each of whom (A) being present at the same time, witnessed either the signing of the will or the testator’s acknowledgment of the signature or of the will and (B) understand that the instrument they sign is the testator’s will. (2) If a will was not executed in compliance with paragraph (1), the will shall be treated as if it was executed in compliance with that paragraph if the proponent of the will establishes by clear and convincing evidence that, at the time the testator signed the will, the testator intended the will to constitute the testator’s will.

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB&sectionNum=6110

leginfo.legislature.ca.gov says statute citation is **Cal. Prob. Code § 6111**, as of 2026-08-18.

> (a) A will that does not comply with Section 6110 is valid as a holographic will, whether or not witnessed, if the signature and the material provisions are in the handwriting of the testator.

Source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB&sectionNum=6111


## Source

- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB&sectionNum=6110
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB&sectionNum=6111

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2028-02-09.
Part of [Will execution requirements by state: witnesses, notarization, holographic and electronic wills](https://referencesource.org/will-execution-requirements-by-state/).