How to Revoke Power of Attorney in Michigan

You can revoke a power of attorney at any time as long as you're mentally competent. But in Michigan, saying "you're no longer my agent" isn't enough. The revocation must be done properly, or third parties who rely on the old POA in good faith are legally protected for transactions they complete before receiving notice.

Step-by-Step Revocation Process

1. Write a Formal Revocation

Draft a written statement that clearly identifies:

• Your full legal name
• The date of the original POA
• The name of the agent whose authority you're revoking
• An explicit statement that you revoke all authority granted under that document
• Your signature and the current date

Have the revocation notarized. While not strictly required for the revocation to be legally effective, a notarized revocation eliminates any dispute about when and whether you signed it.

2. Deliver the Revocation to the Agent

Hand-deliver or send the revocation directly to the agent. Under the UPOAA, the agent's authority terminates when they receive actual notice of the revocation. Until they receive that notice, any actions they take in good faith may still be legally valid.

3. Notify Every Third Party Holding a Copy

This is the step most people skip, and it's the one that causes problems. Contact every bank, brokerage, financial institution, and other entity that has a copy of the original POA on file. Deliver a copy of your revocation to each one.

If a bank has no notice of revocation and processes a transaction for the agent in good faith, the bank is generally protected from liability. The burden falls on you to ensure institutions know the POA is no longer valid.

4. Record the Revocation (If the Original Was Recorded)

If the original POA was recorded with a county Register of Deeds — common for POAs granting real estate authority — you should record the revocation at the same Register of Deeds office. Recording fee: $30 (MCL 600.2567). This puts any future title searcher on notice that the agent no longer has authority over your property.

5. Destroy Copies

Retrieve and destroy all copies of the original POA that you can locate. This prevents confusion, but destruction alone is not legally sufficient — the written revocation and notification steps above are what actually terminate the authority.

Common Mistakes

Assuming a new POA automatically revokes the old one. Under the UPOAA, executing a new power of attorney does not automatically revoke all prior POAs unless the new document explicitly says so. If you sign a new POA naming a different agent but don't revoke the old one, both agents may have concurrent authority. Always include a revocation clause in any new POA.

Verbal revocation only. Telling your agent "you're fired" or telling your bank "I revoked the POA" without written documentation leaves you exposed. Verbal revocations are difficult to prove and institutions may continue honoring the original document.

Forgetting about the Patient Advocate Designation. If you want to revoke healthcare authority, you need to revoke the Patient Advocate Designation separately. The PAD has its own revocation rules — and notably, MCL 700.5510 includes a provision allowing the principal to revoke the PAD at any time, even through a verbal statement, a physical act (like tearing up the document), or by signing a new PAD. However, the prudent approach is still a written revocation delivered to the advocate and all healthcare providers who have the PAD on file.

When Revocation Isn't Possible

If the principal has lost mental capacity, they can no longer revoke a POA. The only path is a petition to the county probate court, where an interested party (family member, concerned friend) asks the court to terminate the agent's authority. The court can remove an agent who is acting improperly, breaching fiduciary duties, or is otherwise unsuitable.

The Michigan Power of Attorney Kit includes revocation templates and notification letters alongside the POA documents themselves, so the full lifecycle — creation, execution, and revocation — is covered in one package.

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