Tennessee Will Signing Day Kit: Tennessee's Witness and Notary Rules, Signing-Day Checklist, Witness Sheet and Original-Will Record

Who it is for

Anyone signing a will in Tennessee, and the family member, friend or office helping set up the signing. Who can make a will, per the official page: 18 or older and of sound mind (Nolo, citing Tenn. Code 32-1-102).

Not the right fit if

The person signing isn't in Tennessee, you still need the will written (that's a lawyer's job), or someone may contest it. Not a will form or a legal service.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Tennessee will signing data file, checked November 2026 against In re Estate of Joe Marce Abbott (Tenn. Ct. App. 2018), quoting Tenn. Code 32-1-103 (Tennessee Courts); Justia (statute text) (secondary source): Tenn. Code 32-1-104, Will other than holographic or nuncupative; signatures (2025 Tennessee Code, Justia); Nolo (secondary source): How to Make a Will in Tennessee (Nolo, updated August 2025).
• All 7 Tennessee facts are confirmed: on an official page, or where none could be read, on a vetted secondary source marked as such.
• Sources: https://test-www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/estateofjoemarceabbott2opn.pdf https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-32/chapter-1/part-1/section-32-1-104 https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tennessee-make-will-32173.html
• For the estate side in Tennessee, the Tennessee Executor and Estate Kit: Personal property worth $50,000 or less at death; real estate isn't personal property and isn't counted.

What is inside

• Start here. The 7 confirmed Tennessee facts at a glance.
• Tennessee signing-day checklist. Bring 2 witnesses. The rule: At least two attesting witnesses, who sign in the testator's presence and in each other's presence (Tenn. Code 32-1-104, 2025 code text on Justia). Pick witnesses who get nothing under the will and aren't married to someone who does. Have a notary there for the self-proving affidavit. The official page we read names a notary public. Allowed. Nolo's summary of Tenn. Code 32-2-110: the testator and the witnesses sign an affidavit before a notary. A notary isn't needed for the will itself. The rule here: A will isn't invalid because an interested witness signed it (statute as quoted by the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 2018). The testator signs (or acknowledges the signature) while the witnesses watch, then each witness signs.
• Witness information sheet. One block per Tennessee witness (2 required, plus a spare).
• Original-will storage and location record. Where the original is and who has copies. Handwritten wills in Tennessee: Recognized without witnesses if the signature and material provisions are in the testator's handwriting; two witnesses must prove the handwriting at probate (Nolo, citing 32-1-105).
• Tennessee will signing tracker (Excel). Steps, ID, copies and review dates. Remote witnessing in Tennessee: Not provided for: no Tennessee law we found lets witnesses appear by video, and e-wills aren't authorized (Nolo's Tennessee page, updated August 2025). The 2020 emergency order that allowed remote will signings was temporary. Electronic wills: Not authorized, per Nolo's Tennessee page (updated August 2025).