diff --git a/packages/forms/signals/src/field/field_adapter.ts b/packages/forms/signals/src/field/field_adapter.ts
index b0d08933be2..f29d64739de 100644
--- a/packages/forms/signals/src/field/field_adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/forms/signals/src/field/field_adapter.ts
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@
 
 import {FieldPathNode} from '../schema/path_node';
 
+import {WritableSignal} from '@angular/core';
 import {FormFieldManager} from './manager';
 import {FieldNode} from './node';
 import {FieldNodeState} from './state';
 import {ChildFieldNodeOptions, FieldNodeOptions, FieldNodeStructure} from './structure';
-import {ValidationState, FieldValidationState} from './validation';
-import {WritableSignal} from '@angular/core';
+import {FieldValidationState, ValidationState} from './validation';
 
 /**
  * Adapter allowing customization of the creation logic for a field and its associated
diff --git a/packages/forms/signals/src/schema/path_node.ts b/packages/forms/signals/src/schema/path_node.ts
index 386fd6c2bc0..be1cda241ac 100644
--- a/packages/forms/signals/src/schema/path_node.ts
+++ b/packages/forms/signals/src/schema/path_node.ts
@@ -37,14 +37,33 @@ export class FieldPathNode {
     FIELD_PATH_PROXY_HANDLER,
   ) as unknown as FieldPath<any>;
 
+  /**
+   * For a root path node this will contain the root logic builder. For non-root nodes,
+   * they determine their logic builder from their parent so this is undefined.
+   */
+  private readonly logicBuilder: LogicNodeBuilder | undefined;
+
   protected constructor(
     /** The property keys used to navigate from the root path to this path. */
     readonly keys: PropertyKey[],
-    /** The logic builder used to accumulate logic on this path node. */
-    readonly logic: LogicNodeBuilder,
-    root: FieldPathNode,
+    root: FieldPathNode | undefined,
+    /** The parent of this path node. */
+    private readonly parent: FieldPathNode | undefined,
+    /** The key of this node in its parent. */
+    private readonly keyInParent: PropertyKey | undefined,
   ) {
     this.root = root ?? this;
+    if (!parent) {
+      this.logicBuilder = LogicNodeBuilder.newRoot();
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** The logic builder used to accumulate logic on this path node. */
+  get logic(): LogicNodeBuilder {
+    if (this.logicBuilder) {
+      return this.logicBuilder;
+    }
+    return this.parent!.logic.getChild(this.keyInParent!);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -60,10 +79,7 @@ export class FieldPathNode {
    */
   getChild(key: PropertyKey): FieldPathNode {
     if (!this.children.has(key)) {
-      this.children.set(
-        key,
-        new FieldPathNode([...this.keys, key], this.logic.getChild(key), this.root),
-      );
+      this.children.set(key, new FieldPathNode([...this.keys, key], this.root, this, key));
     }
     return this.children.get(key)!;
   }
@@ -85,7 +101,7 @@ export class FieldPathNode {
 
   /** Creates a new root path node to be passed in to a schema function. */
   static newRoot() {
-    return new FieldPathNode([], LogicNodeBuilder.newRoot(), undefined!);
+    return new FieldPathNode([], undefined, undefined, undefined);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/forms/signals/test/node/api/structure.spec.ts b/packages/forms/signals/test/node/api/structure.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8d38a3ea1ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/forms/signals/test/node/api/structure.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright Google LLC All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
+ * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.dev/license
+ */
+
+import {Injector, signal} from '@angular/core';
+import {TestBed} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {apply, form, required, schema} from '@angular/forms/signals';
+
+describe('structure APIs', () => {
+  describe('apply', () => {
+    it('should maintain order when applying to child of root path', () => {
+      const s = schema<{a: string}>((p) => {
+        required(p.a, {message: 'before'});
+        apply(p.a, (prop) => {
+          required(prop, {message: 'apply'});
+        });
+        required(p.a, {message: 'after'});
+      });
+
+      const data = signal({a: ''});
+      const f = form(data, s, {injector: TestBed.inject(Injector)});
+
+      expect(f.a().errors()).toEqual([
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'before'}),
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'apply'}),
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'after'}),
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should maintain order when applying to root path', () => {
+      const s = schema<{a: {b: string}}>((p) => {
+        required(p.a.b, {message: 'before'});
+        apply(p, (prop) => {
+          required(prop.a.b, {message: 'apply'});
+        });
+        required(p.a.b, {message: 'after'});
+      });
+
+      const data = signal({a: {b: ''}});
+      const f = form(data, s, {injector: TestBed.inject(Injector)});
+
+      expect(f.a.b().errors()).toEqual([
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'before'}),
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'apply'}),
+        jasmine.objectContaining({message: 'after'}),
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+});