Court Jurisdiction and Venue for Adoption Petitions - Indiana
Date: January 2022
Jurisdiction
Citation: Ann. Stat. §§ 31-19-1-2; 31-19-2-2
In each county that has a separate probate court, the probate court has exclusive jurisdiction in all adoption matters. In other counties, adoption petitions are heard by the court that handles probate matters.
Venue
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 31-19-2-2
An individual who seeks to adopt a child must, by attorney of record, file a petition for adoption with the court having probate jurisdiction in the county in which any of the following applies:
- Where the petitioner for adoption resides
- Where a licensed child-placing agency or governmental agency having custody of the child is located
- Where the attorney maintains an office
- Where the child resides