Series Title: State Statutes
Author(s): Child Welfare Information Gateway
Year Published: 2020
Current Through: December 2019
To access the statutes for a specific State or territory, visit the State Statutes Search.
This factsheet discusses laws that provide for access to both nonidentifying and identifying information from an adoption record by adoptive parents and adult adoptees. Generally, the person whose information will be disclosed must consent to the disclosure, and methods of providing consent are discussed. Access to the original birth certificate by the adult adoptee also is addressed. This publication presents a general overview of this aspect of child welfare law. Summaries of laws on this topic for all individual States and U.S. territories are available from the Statutes Search page.
Suggested Citation: Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2020). Access to adoption records. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau.
This publication is a product of the State Statutes Series prepared by Child Welfare Information Gateway. While every attempt has been made to be as complete as possible, additional information on these topics may be in other sections of a State's code as well as agency regulations, case law, and informal practices and procedures.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.