Annotate Legal Utah Adoption Forms For Free

A new law, effective November 1, 2021, allows Utah-born adoptees to now get a non-certified copy of their original birth certificate without having to go to court, if the birth parents give permission. (Original birth certificates are sealed when a child is placed for adoption.)

Adoptions are expensive, with average costs in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 and higher. As an adopted child of parents with very modest means, I can tell you how important it is for the expenses of adopting to be transparent so families can make informed choices.

The applicant has ever been convicted of felony child abuse or neglect; spousal abuse; a crime against children (including child ography); or a crime involving violence, including rape, sexual assault, or homicide but not including other types of physical assault or battery.

Only a party to the adoption proceeding may file a petition to open a court adoption record. A judge must approve the petition before access will be granted. The court may allow access to the entire file or only to certain information.

Adoptions are expensive, with average costs in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 and higher. As an adopted child of parents with very modest means, I can tell you how important it is for the expenses of adopting to be transparent so families can make informed choices.

If a child is born within a marriage in Utah, adoption generally requires consent from both parents. Giving a baby up for adoption without the father's consent in Utah may be possible in some cases, though. For example, it may be possible when the father's parental rights have been terminated.