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Any person seeking to adopt must file a petition in the family or juvenile court. The petition may be filed in the county in which (1) the person seeking to adopt resides; (2) the child sought to be adopted was born; (3) the child is located at the time of filing of the petition; or (4) either birth parent resides.

A natural parent and their spouse, the stepparent, must petition for permission from the court. They will need to have consent of the other biological parent and the child if they are over 14 years old. If the child is younger than 14, a guardian ad litem will be appointed to protect their rights.

A natural parent and their spouse, the stepparent, must petition for permission from the court. They will need to have consent of the other biological parent and the child if they are over 14 years old. If the child is younger than 14, a guardian ad litem will be appointed to protect their rights.

There is little to no cost involved in becoming an adoptive parent. The home assessment and training is provided by the state free of charge, and the majority of adoption expenses are covered by the state.

Third-party custody and visitation The court sometimes awards custody or visitation to a nonbiological parent, called a third party. This can be anyone the court deems appropriate, such as the child's relative, their former stepparent or the nonbiological parent in a same-sex relationship.

The court may allow a stepparent adoption to go forward without getting the other parent's written consent if: The other parent has died. The other parent signs a waiver saying they do not want to be involved with the adoption. The other parent signs a form saying they are not the child's biological parent.