Texas § 137.003 EXECUTION AND WITNESSES; EXECUTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC.

Texas Statutes

§ 137.003 — EXECUTION AND WITNESSES; EXECUTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC.

Texas § 137.003

Code CPCivil Practice and Remedies Code

This text of Texas § 137.003 (EXECUTION AND WITNESSES; EXECUTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Tex. Civil Practice and Remedies Code Code Ann. § 137.003 (2026).

Text

Sec. 137.003. EXECUTION AND WITNESSES; EXECUTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC.

(a)A declaration for mental health treatment must be:

(1)signed by the principal in the presence of two or more subscribing witnesses; or

(2)signed by the principal and acknowledged before a notary public.

(b)A witness may not, at the time of execution, be:

(1)the principal's health or residential care provider or an employee of that provider;

(2)the operator of a community health care facility providing care to the principal or an employee of an operator of the facility;

(3)a person related to the principal by blood, marriage, or adoption;

(4)a person entitled to any part of the estate of the principal on the death of the principal under a will, trust, or deed in existence or who would be ent

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Sec. 137.003. EXECUTION AND WITNESSES; EXECUTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC. (a) A declaration for mental health treatment must be:
(1) signed by the principal in the presence of two or more subscribing witnesses; or
(2) signed by the principal and acknowledged before a notary public.
(b) A witness may not, at the time of execution, be:
(1) the principal's health or residential care provider or an employee of that provider;
(2) the operator of a community health care facility providing care to the principal or an employee of an operator of the facility;
(3) a person related to the principal by blood, marriage, or adoption;
(4) a person entitled to any part of the estate of the principal on the death of the principal under a will, trust, or deed in existence or who would be entitled to any part of the estate by operation of law if the principal died intestate; or
(5) a person who has a claim against the estate of the principal.
(c) For a witness's signature to be effective, the witness must sign a statement affirming that, at the time the declaration for mental health treatment was signed, the principal:
(1) appeared to be of sound mind to make a mental health treatment decision;
(2) has stated in the witness's presence that the principal was aware of the nature of the declaration for mental health treatment and that the principal was signing the document voluntarily and free from any duress; and
(3) requested that the witness serve as a witness to the principal's execution of the document.

Legislative History

Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1318, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 349 (H.B. 1787 ), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 349 (H.B. 1787 ), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.