Does POA have to go through a court to be legal?

I am a fiduciary in Canada. All POAs brought into the investment firm I work at, have to go through a thorough compliance screening. If they were not prepared by a lawyer it is likely they will be return NiGO (Not in Good Order) and not accepted.

We advise clients to provide their POA documents when they open their account, not when the document is activated. This gives us time to review the document and point out any issues with it, while the client is still mentally capable of updating or redoing it as needed.

As mentioned above, banks don't give a hoot what your POA says or who prepared it -- they want their POA paperwork filled out.

Go to the person's financial institutions (bank, credit union, broker) WITH the person granting POA, if possible, and fill out their specific paperwork, out of course, get a POA done by an attorney or by Legal Zoom as well.

Some states - Mississippi- require that a signed & notarized POA be filed in county courthouse in order to be valid. So if your state does this, IMO you need to file it at the courthouse. Probably in Chancery Court or whichever court does “equity” filings.

Even if you live in another adjacent state (Louisiana, Tennessee) but own property in Mississippi, if that POA is not filed, a bank, Realtor, title company, insurance adjuster, etc. doesn’t have to recognize the POA as valid.

I agree with lealonnie1 and my mom did hers through Legalzoom.com but only because she's single and I'm an only child and there's very little risk of anyone contesting her PoA. To Alva's point about using an attorney: if you have siblings or step-family or a second wife who don't all see eye to eye with the LO's elder care or related issues, in my opinion an attorney can create a much more robust document that will stand up in court more solidly.

I had a notary public in Colorado drive over to the ALF where my elderly folks were living, bring over the POA documents, we signed them, someone at the ALF witnessed them, she notarized them, and that was the end of that. This was in 2014 and the POAs are still in use today, with no issues whatsoever. If I remember correctly, she charged us $25.

No, but I would advise you to have the power of attorney drawn up by a lawyer and to have the person who signs it present in attorney office, and questioned by the attorney. There are some who suggest that such forms are available online. However, some banks and other entities are very very scrupulous in managing accounts. Power of Attorney is as strong as it is well written. Or NOT as strong.
Take the elder who wishes to make YOU his or her POA to an attorney to draw up relevant papers, and make certain that both the elder and you understand exactly what you are undertaking, and exactly your fiduciary responsibilities are under the law.
California doesn't require a POA to be filed in public records. However, some entities and stockbrokers do require a filed POA. Find out the facts for your own state, as states vary.