Colorado Code
Part 7 - Uniform Power of Attorney Act
§ 15-14-707. Meaning and Effect of Power of Attorney

The meaning and effect of a power of attorney is determined by the law of the jurisdiction indicated in the power of attorney and, in the absence of an indication of jurisdiction, by the law of the jurisdiction in which the power of attorney was executed.
Source: L. 2009: Entire part added, (HB 09-1198), ch. 106, p. 387, § 1, effective April 9.
This section recognizes that a foreign power of attorney, or one executed before the effective date of the Uniform Power of Attorney Act, may have been created under different default rules than those in this Act. Section 15-14-707 provides that the meaning and effect of a power of attorney is to be determined by the law under which it was created. For example, the law in another jurisdiction may provide for different default rules with respect to durability of a power of attorney ( see Section 15-14-704), the authority of coagents ( see Section 15-14-711) or the scope of specific authority such as the authority to make gifts ( see Section 15-14-740). Section 15-14-707 clarifies that the principal's intended grant of authority will be neither enlarged nor narrowed by virtue of the agent using the power in a different jurisdiction. For a discussion of the issues that can arise with inter-jurisdictional use of powers of attorney, see Linda S. Whitton, Crossing State Lines with Durable Powers , Prob. & Prop., Sept./Oct. 2003, at 28.
This section also establishes an objective means for determining what jurisdiction's law the principal intended to govern the meaning and effect of a power of attorney. The phrase, "the law of the jurisdiction indicated in the power of attorney," is intentionally broad, and includes any statement or reference in a power of attorney that indicates the principal's choice of law. Examples of an indication of jurisdiction include a reference to the name of the jurisdiction in the title or body of the power of attorney, citation to the jurisdiction's power of attorney statute, or an explicit statement that the power of attorney is created or executed under the laws of a particular jurisdiction. In the absence of an indication of jurisdiction in the power of attorney, Section 15-14-707 provides that the law of the jurisdiction in which the power of attorney was executed controls. The distinction between "the law of the jurisdiction indicated in the power of attorney" and "the law of the jurisdiction in which the power of attorney was executed" is an important one. The common practice of property ownership in more than one jurisdiction increases the likelihood that a principal may execute in one jurisdiction a power of attorney that was created and intended to be interpreted under the laws of another jurisdiction. A clear indication of the jurisdiction's law that is intended to govern the meaning and effect of a power of attorney is therefore advisable in all powers of attorney. See, e.g., Section 15-14-741 (providing for the name of the jurisdiction to appear in the title of the statutory form power of attorney).

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