State
StatuteS
SerieS
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Children’s Bureau
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Children’s Bureau/ACYF
1250 Maryland Avenue, SW
Eighth Floor
Washington, DC 20024
703.385.7565 or 800.394.3366
Email: info@childwelfare.gov
www.childwelfare.gov
Adoption is a process for making a child a
permanent member of a family other than the
child’s birth family.1 This legal process falls under the
jurisdiction of a court of law in the State where the
adoption occurs.
Jurisdiction
In each State, different courts are designated to
hear specific types of cases. That designation is
The adopted person is not always a child. For more information, see
Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Who May Adopt, Be Adopted, or
Place a Child for Adoption? at www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_
policies/statutes/parties.cfm.
Electronic copies of this publication
may be downloaded at
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/
laws_policies/statutes/jurisdiction.cfm
To find statute information for a
particular State, go to
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/
laws_policies/search/index.cfm
To find information on all the
States and territories, order a copy
of the full‑length PDF by calling
800.394.3366 or 703.385.7565, or
download it at
www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/
laws_policies/statutes/jurisdictionall.
pdf
Court Jurisdiction
and Venue for
Adoption Petitions
Current Through
March 2007
Court Jurisdiction and Venue for Adoption Petitions
www.childwelfare.gov
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare
Information Gateway. Available online at www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/jurisdiction.cfm.
what is meant by the term “jurisdiction.” For example, criminal
cases will be tried in a State criminal court. Adoption is a
civil procedure, and at the State level, certain civil courts are
given jurisdiction over adopti