Court Jurisdiction and Venue for Adoption Petitions - Delaware
Date: January 2022
Jurisdiction
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13, § 902
The family court shall have jurisdiction over adoption proceedings.
Jurisdiction is retained until a final decision is rendered, even if the petitioner moves into another county or jurisdiction.
Whenever the family court has jurisdiction for the purposes of terminating parental rights over a child, it shall retain jurisdiction for the purposes of an adoption proceeding.
Venue
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13, § 902(b)
The adoption petition shall be filed in the county in which one of the following applies:
- Where the licensed or authorized agency placing the child is located
- Where the petitioner resides