California

Family Code

1,650 sections, each with the official text and a plain-English explanation of what it means for you.

• § 7882 — (a) If the parent of the child or a person alleged to be or claiming to be the parent cannot, with reasonable diligence, be served as provided for in Section 7881, or if the parent’s place of residenc
• § 7883 — If a person personally served with a citation within this state as provided in Section 7880 fails without reasonable cause to appear and abide by the order of the court, or to bring the child before t
• § 7884 — (a) Unless requested by the child concerning whom the petition has been filed and any parent or guardian present, the public shall not be admitted to a proceeding under this part.
• § 7890 — In a proceeding under this part, the court shall consider the wishes of the child, bearing in mind the age of the child, and shall act in the best interest of the child.
• § 7891 — (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if the child who is the subject of the petition is 10 years of age or older, the child shall be heard by the court in chambers on at least the followi
• § 7892 — (a) The testimony of the child may be taken in chambers and outside the presence of the child’s parent or parents if the child’s parent or parents are represented by counsel, the counsel is present, a
• § 7892.5 — The court shall not declare an Indian child free from the custody or control of a parent, unless both of the following apply: (a) The court finds, supported by clear and convincing evidence, that acti
• § 7893 — (a) If the court, by order or judgment, declares a child free from the custody and control of both parents under this part, or one parent if the other no longer has custody and control, the court shal
• § 7894 — (a) An order and judgment of the court declaring a child free from the custody and control of a parent or parents under this part is conclusive and binding upon the child, upon the parent or parents,
• § 7895 — (a) Upon appeal from a judgment freeing a child who is a dependent child of the juvenile court from parental custody and control, the appellate court shall appoint counsel for the appellant as provide
• § 7900 — The Interstate Compact on Placement of Children as set forth in Section 7901 is hereby adopted and entered into with all other jurisdictions joining therein.
• § 7901 — The provisions of the interstate compact referred to in Section 7900 are as follows: INTERSTATE COMPACT ON THE PLACEMENT OF CHILDREN Article 1.
• § 7901.1 — (a) Within 60 days of receipt of a request from another state to conduct a study of a home environment for purposes of assessing the safety and suitability of placing a child in the home, a county chi
• § 7902 — Financial responsibility for a child placed pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children shall be determined in accordance with Article 5 of the compact in the first instance.
• § 7903 — The phrase “appropriate public authorities” as used in Article 3 of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children means, with reference to this state, the State Department of Social Services, an
• § 7904 — The phrase “appropriate authority in receiving state” as used in paragraph (a) of Article 5 of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, with reference to this state, means the State Depart
• § 7905 — The officers and agencies of this state and its subdivisions having authority to place children are hereby empowered to enter into agreements with appropriate officers or agencies of or in other party
• § 7906 — Any requirements for visitation, inspection, or supervision of children, homes, institutions, or other agencies in another party state which may apply under the law of this state shall be deemed to be
• § 7906.5 — (a) Within 60 days after an officer or agency of this state, or its political subdivision, receives a request from another state to conduct a study of a home environment for purposes of assessing the
• § 7907 — No provision of law restricting out-of-state placement of children for adoption shall apply to placements made pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
• § 7907.3 — The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children shall not apply to any placement, sending, or bringing of an Indian child into another state pursuant to a transfer of jurisdiction to a tribal cour
• § 7907.5 — (a) A child who is born in this state and placed for adoption in this state with a resident of this state is not subject to the provisions of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
• § 7908 — A court having jurisdiction to place children adjudged wards of the court may place a ward in an out-of-state facility, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 7910, pursuant to Section 727.
• § 7908.5 — For the purposes of an interstate adoption placement, the term “jurisdiction” as used in Article 5 of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children means “jurisdiction over or legal responsibili
• § 7909 — “Executive head” as used in Article 7 of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children means the Governor.
• § 7910 — (a) Approval of an interstate placement of a child for adoption shall not be granted by the Compact Administrator if the placement is in violation of either Section 8801 of this code or Section 273 of
• § 7911 — (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) The health and safety of California children placed by a county child welfare agency or probation department out of state pursuant to t
• § 7911.1 — (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the State Department of Social Services or its designee shall investigate any threat to the health and safety of children placed by a California county child welfare
• § 7912 — (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the health and safety of children placed in out-of-state residential facilities pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children is a matter
• § 7913 — (a) When a full service licensed private adoption agency has provided adoption-related services to a birth parent or prospective adoptive parent, that agency is delegated the authority to determine wh
• § 7950 — (a) With full consideration for the proximity of the natural parents to the placement so as to facilitate visitation and family reunification, when a placement in foster care is being made, the follow
• § 7951 — This part does not apply in determining the foster care setting in which the child may be placed for a period not intended to exceed 30 days.
• § 7952 — A minor 10 years of age or older being considered for placement in a foster home has the right to make a brief statement to the court making a decision on placement.
• § 7960 — For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Assisted reproduction agreement” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 7606.
• § 7961 — (a) A nonattorney surrogacy or donor facilitator shall direct the client to deposit all client funds into either of the following: (1) An independent, bonded escrow depository maintained by a licensed
• § 7962 — (a) An assisted reproduction agreement for gestational carriers shall contain, but shall not be limited to, all of the following information: (1) The date on which the assisted reproduction agreement
• § 8 — Unless otherwise expressly stated: (a) “Division” means a division of this code.
• § 80 — “Employee benefit plan” includes public and private retirement, pension, annuity, savings, profit sharing, stock bonus, stock option, thrift, vacation pay, and similar plans of deferred or fringe bene
• § 802 — The presumption that property acquired during marriage is community property does not apply to any property to which legal or equitable title is held by a person at the time of the person’s death if t
• § 803 — Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, whenever any real or personal property, or any interest therein or encumbrance thereon, was acquired before January 1, 1975, by a married woman by an
• § 850 — Subject to Sections 851 to 853, inclusive, married persons may by agreement or transfer, with or without consideration, do any of the following: (a) Transmute community property to separate property o
• § 8500 — Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, the definitions in this part govern the construction of this division.
• § 8502 — (a) “Adoption service provider” means any of the following: (1) A licensed private adoption agency.
• § 8503 — “Adoptive parent” means a person who has obtained an order of adoption of a minor child or, in the case of an adult adoption, an adult.
• § 8506 — “Agency adoption” means the adoption of a minor, other than an intercountry adoption, in which the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency is a party to, or joins in, the adopt
• § 8509 — “Applicant” means a person who has submitted a written application to adopt a child from the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency and who is being considered by the adoption
• § 851 — A transmutation is subject to the laws governing fraudulent transfers.
• § 8512 — “Birth parent” means the biological parent or, in the case of a person previously adopted, the adoptive parent.
• § 8513 — “County adoption agency” means an adoption agency operated by a county or consortium of counties.
• § 8514 — “Days” means calendar days, unless otherwise specified.
• § 8515 — “Delegated county adoption agency” means a county adoption agency that has agreed to provide the services described in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 8800) of Part 2.
• § 8518 — “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.
• § 852 — (a) A transmutation of real or personal property is not valid unless made in writing by an express declaration that is made, joined in, consented to, or accepted by the spouse whose interest in the pr
• § 8521 — (a) “Full-service adoption agency” means a licensed or authorized entity engaged in the business of providing adoption services, that does all of the following: (1) Assumes care, custody, and control
• § 8524 — “Independent adoption” means the adoption of a child in which neither the department, county adoption agency, nor agency licensed by the department is a party to, or joins in, the adoption petition.
• § 8527 — “Intercountry adoption” means the adoption of a foreign-born child for whom federal law makes a special immigration visa available.
• § 853 — (a) A statement in a will of the character of property is not admissible as evidence of a transmutation of the property in a proceeding commenced before the death of the person who made the will.
• § 8530 — “Licensed adoption agency” means any agency licensed by the department to provide the adoption services specified in paragraphs (9) and (10) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety
• § 8533 — (a) “Noncustodial adoption agency” means any licensed entity engaged in the business of providing adoption services, which does all of the following: (1) Assesses the prospective adoptive parents.
• § 8539 — “Place for adoption” means, in the case of an independent adoption, the selection of a prospective adoptive parent or parents for a child by the birth parent or parents and the completion of an adopti
• § 8542 — “Prospective adoptive parent” means a person who has filed or intends to file a petition under Part 2 (commencing with Section 8600) to adopt a child who has been or who is to be placed in the person’
• § 8543 — “Qualified court investigator” means a superior court investigator with the same minimum qualifications as a probation officer or county welfare worker designated to conduct stepparent adoption invest
• § 8545 — “Special needs child” means a child for whom all of the following are true: (a) It has been determined that the child cannot or should not be returned to the parent’s home, as evidenced by a petition
• § 8548 — “Stepparent adoption” means an adoption of a child by a stepparent where one birth parent retains custody and control of the child.
• § 8600 — An unmarried minor may be adopted by an adult as provided in this part.
• § 8600.5 — Tribal customary adoption as defined in Section 366.
• § 8601 — (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), a prospective adoptive parent or parents shall be at least 10 years older than the child.
• § 8601.5 — (a) A court may issue an order of adoption and declare that it shall be entered nunc pro tunc when it will serve public policy and the best interests of the child, such as cases where adoption finaliz
• § 8602 — The consent of a child, if over the age of 12 years, is necessary to the child’s adoption.
• § 8603 — (a) A married person, not lawfully separated from the person’s spouse, shall not adopt a child without the consent of the spouse, provided that the spouse is capable of giving that consent.
• § 8604 — (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a child having a presumed father under Section 7611 shall not be adopted without the consent of the child’s birth parents, if living.
• § 8605 — A child not having a presumed father under Section 7611 may not be adopted without the consent of the child’s mother, if living.
• § 8606 — Notwithstanding Sections 8604 and 8605, the consent of a birth parent is not necessary in the following cases: (a) Where the birth parent has been judicially deprived of the custody and control of the
• § 8606.5 — (a) Notwithstanding any other section in this part, and in accordance with Section 1913 of the Indian Child Welfare Act (25 U.
• § 8607 — All forms adopted by the department authorizing the release of an infant from a health facility to the custody of persons other than the person entitled to custody of the child pursuant to Section 301
• § 8608 — (a) The department shall adopt regulations specifying the form and content of the reports required by Sections 8706, 8817, and 8909.
• § 8609 — (a) Any person or organization that advertises in any periodical or newspaper, by radio, or other public medium, that the person or organization will place children for adoption, or accept, supply, pr
• § 8609.5 — An adoption request for the adoption or readoption of a nondependent minor may be filed with the court in the county in which one of the following applies: (a) The petitioner resides.
• § 8610 — (a) The petitioners in a proceeding for adoption of a child shall file with the court a full accounting report of all disbursements of anything of value made or agreed to be made by them or on their b
• § 8611 — All court hearings in an adoption proceeding shall be held in private, and the court shall exclude all persons except the officers of the court, the parties, their witnesses, counsel, and representati
• § 8612 — (a) The court shall examine all persons appearing before it pursuant to this part.
• § 8613 — (a) If the prospective adoptive parent is commissioned or enlisted in the military service, or auxiliary thereof, of the United States, or of any of its allies, or is engaged in service on behalf of a
• § 8613.5 — (a) (1) If it is impossible or impracticable for either prospective adoptive parent to make an appearance in person, and the circumstances are established by clear and convincing documentary evidence,
• § 8613.7 — On and after January 1, 2014, the court shall provide to any petitioner for adoption pursuant to this part a notice informing the petitioner that they may be eligible for reduced-cost coverage through
• § 8614 — Upon the request of the adoptive parents or the adopted child, a clerk of the superior court may issue a certificate of adoption that states the date and place of adoption, the birthday of the child,
• § 8615 — (a) Notwithstanding any other law, an action may be brought in the county in which the petitioner resides for the purpose of obtaining for a child adopted by the petitioner a new birth certificate spe
• § 8616 — After adoption, the adopted child and the adoptive parents shall sustain towards each other the legal relationship of parent and child and have all the rights and are subject to all the duties of that
• § 8616.5 — (a) The Legislature finds and declares that some adoptive children may benefit from either direct or indirect contact with birth relatives, including the birth parent or parents or any siblings, or an
• § 8617 — (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the existing parent or parents of an adopted child are, from the time of the adoption, relieved of all parental duties towards, and all responsibility for, t
• § 8618 — A child adopted pursuant to this part may take the family name of the adoptive parent.
• § 8619 — The department shall adopt rules and regulations it determines are reasonably necessary to ensure that the birth parent or parents of Indian ancestry, seeking to relinquish a child for adoption, provi
• § 8619.5 — Whenever a final decree of adoption of an Indian child has been vacated or set aside or the adoptive parent voluntary consents to termination of parental rights to the child, a biological parent or pr
• § 8620 — (a) (1) If a parent is seeking to relinquish a child pursuant to Section 8700 or execute an adoption placement agreement pursuant to Section 8801.
• § 8621 — (a) The department shall adopt regulations regarding the provision of adoption services by the department, county adoption agencies, licensed adoption agencies, and other adoption service providers au
• § 8622 — A licensed private adoption agency whose services are limited to a particular target population shall inform all birth parents and prospective adoptive parents of its service limitations before commen
• § 8623 — Notwithstanding any other law, all adoption facilitators registered with the department on its statewide registry as of July 1, 2023, shall cease operation in this state on or before December 31, 2023
• § 8624 — (a) A person aggrieved by a violation of Section 8609 may bring a civil action for damages, rescission, injunctive relief, or any other civil or equitable remedy.
• § 8625 — (a) The department shall create a section on its internet website dedicated to educating the public on unlicensed adoption agencies.
• § 8626 — Notwithstanding any other law, an adoption order issued pursuant to this part shall include the names of the adoptive parent or parents and any existing parent or parents who will maintain their paren
• § 8700 — (a) Either birth parent may relinquish a child to the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency for adoption by a written statement signed before two subscribing witnesses and ac
• § 8700.5 — (a) A relinquishing birth parent may elect to sign a waiver of the right to revoke relinquishment in the presence of any of the following: (1) A representative of the department or the delegated count
• § 8701 — At or before the time a relinquishment is signed, the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency shall advise the birth parent signing the relinquishment, verbally and in writing,
• § 8702 — (a) The department shall adopt a statement to be presented to the birth parents at the time a relinquishment is signed and to prospective adoptive parents at the time of the home study.
• § 8703 — When the parental rights of a birth parent are terminated pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 7660) of Part 3 of Division 12 or Part 4 (commencing with Section 7800) of Division 12, or purs
• § 8704 — (a) The department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency to which a child has been freed for adoption by either relinquishment or termination of parental rights is responsible for the c
• § 8704.5 — (a) A foster care license or certification or resource family approval shall not be required for placement of a nondependent child who is relinquished for adoption to a licensed private adoption agenc
• § 8705 — (a) Where a child is in the custody of a public agency or licensed adoption agency, if it is established that the persons whose consent to the adoption is required by law are deceased, an action may b
• § 8706 — (a) An agency may not place a child for adoption unless a written report on the child’s medical background and, if available, the medical background of the child’s biological parents so far as ascerta
• § 8707 — (a) The department shall establish a statewide photo-listing service to serve all county adoption agencies and licensed adoption agencies in the state as a means of recruiting adoptive families.
• § 8707.1 — (a) The agency responsible for recruitment of potential adoptive parents shall make diligent efforts to recruit individuals who reflect the ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity of children for whom
• § 8708 — (a) The adoption agency to which a child has been freed for adoption by either relinquishment or termination of parental rights shall not do any of the following: (1) Deny to any person the opportunit
• § 8709 — (a) The department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency to which a child has been freed for adoption by either relinquishment or termination of parental rights may consider the child’s
• § 8710 — (a) If a child is being considered for adoption, the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency shall first consider adoptive placement in the home of a relative or, in the case o
• § 8710.1 — If there is not an adoptive placement plan for a child with an approved adoptive family, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 8708, within the department’s, county adoption agency’s, or licensed a
• § 8710.2 — In order to preclude the delays or denials described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 8708, the department shall establish a statewide exchange system that interjurisdictionally matches
• § 8710.3 — If the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency has approved a family for adoption pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 8708 and that family may be appropriate for placement o
• § 8710.4 — (a) The department shall ensure that information regarding families and children registered with the statewide exchange system described in Section 8710.
• § 8711 — Sections 8708 to 8710.
• § 8711.5 — The department shall adopt regulations to administer the provisions of Sections 8708 to 8711, inclusive.
• § 8712 — (a) (1) The department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency shall require each person who files an application for adoption to be fingerprinted and shall secure from an appropriate law
• § 8713 — (a) In no event may a child who has been freed for adoption be removed from the county in which the child was placed, by any person who has not petitioned to adopt the child, without first obtaining t
• § 8714 — (a) A person desiring to adopt a nondependent child may for that purpose file an adoption request in a county authorized by Section 8609.
• § 8714.5 — (a) The Legislature finds and declares the following: (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to expedite legal permanency for children who cannot return to their parents and to remove barriers to ado
• § 8715 — (a) The department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency, whichever is a party to, or joins in, the petition, shall submit a full report of the facts of the case to the court.
• § 8716 — Where a petition is filed for the adoption of a child who has been placed for adoption by a county adoption agency, licensed county adoption agency, or the department, the county adoption agency, lice
• § 8717 — When any report or findings are submitted to the court by the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency, a copy of the report or findings, whether favorable or unfavorable, shall
• § 8718 — The prospective adoptive parents and the child proposed to be adopted shall appear before the court pursuant to Sections 8612 and 8613.
• § 8719 — If the petitioners move to withdraw the adoption petition or to dismiss the proceeding, the court clerk shall immediately notify the department at Sacramento of the action.
• § 8720 — (a) If the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency finds that the home of the petitioners is not suitable for the child or that the required agency consents are not available a
• § 8730 — (a) Subject to the requirements of subdivision (b), the department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency may provide an abbreviated home study assessment for any of the following: (1) A
• § 8731 — If the prospective adoptive parent of a child is a foster parent, the assessment or home study described in Section 8730 shall not be initiated until the child to be adopted has resided in the home of
• § 8732 — A report of a medical examination of the foster parent with whom the child has lived for a minimum of six months or the relative caregiver who has had an ongoing and significant relationship with the
• § 8733 — The department, county adoption agency, or licensed adoption agency shall require the adoptive parent to be provided with information related to the specific needs of the child to be adopted, that, as
• § 8734 — The department shall encourage adoption agencies to make adoption training programs available to prospective adoptive families.
• § 8735 — The department shall adopt regulations requiring county adoption agencies and licensed adoption agencies to inform the agency responsible for the foster care placement when a relative caregiver or fos
• § 8736 — The requirements of this chapter shall not be used as basis for removing a child who has been placed with a relative caregiver or foster parent prior to January 1, 1999, unless the noncompliance with
• § 8800 — (a) The Legislature finds and declares that an attorney’s ability to effectively represent a client may be seriously impaired when conflict of interest deprives the client of the attorney’s undivided
• § 8801 — (a) The selection of a prospective adoptive parent or parents shall be personally made by the child’s birth parent or parents and may not be delegated to an agent.
• § 8801.3 — A child shall not be considered to have been placed for adoption unless each of the following is true: (a) Each birth parent placing the child for adoption has been advised of their rights, and if des
• § 8801.5 — (a) Each birth parent placing a child for adoption shall be advised of their rights by an adoption service provider.
• § 8801.7 — (a) An adoption service provider shall also witness the signature of the adoption placement agreement and offer to interview the birth parent after the placement of the child with prospective adoptive
• § 8802 — (a) Any of the following adult persons who desire to adopt a child may, for that purpose, file an adoption request in a county authorized by Section 8609.
• § 8803 — (a) During the pendency of an adoption proceeding: (1) The child proposed to be adopted shall not be concealed from the agency that is investigating the adoption, or from the court with jurisdiction o
• § 8804 — (a) Whenever the petitioners move to withdraw the petition for the adoption or to dismiss the proceeding, the clerk of the court in which the proceeding is pending shall immediately notify the departm
• § 8805 — At the hearing, if the court sustains the recommendation of the department or delegated county adoption agency that the child be removed from the home of the petitioners because the department or agen
• § 8806 — The department or delegated county adoption agency shall accept the consent of the birth parents to the adoption of the child by the petitioners and, before filing its report with the court, shall asc
• § 8807 — (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), within 180 days after receiving 50 percent of the fee, the department or delegated county adoption agency shall investigate the proposed independent
• § 8808 — (a) The department or delegated county adoption agency shall interview the petitioners within 45 working days, excluding legal holidays, after the department or delegated county adoption agency receiv
• § 8810 — (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, whenever a petition is filed under this chapter for the adoption of a child, the petitioner shall pay a nonrefundable fee to the department or to the
• § 8811 — (a) The department or delegated county adoption agency shall require each person who files an adoption petition to be fingerprinted and shall secure from an appropriate law enforcement agency any crim
• § 8811.5 — (a) A licensed private or public adoption agency of the state of the petitioners’ residency may certify prospective adoptive parents by a preplacement evaluation that contains a finding that an indivi
• § 8812 — Any request by a birth parent or birth parents for payment by the prospective adoptive parents of attorney’s fees, medical fees and expenses, counseling fees, or living expenses of the birth mother sh
• § 8813 — At or before the time a consent to adoption is signed, the department or delegated county adoption agency shall advise the birth parent signing the consent, verbally and in writing, that the birth par
• § 8814 — (a) Except as provided in Section 7662, the consent of the birth parent or parents who did not place the child for adoption, as described in Section 8801.
• § 8814.5 — (a) After a consent to the adoption is signed by the birth parent or parents pursuant to Section 8801.
• § 8815 — (a) Once the revocable consent to adoption has become permanent as provided in Section 8814.
• § 8816 — In an independent adoption where the consent of the birth parent or parents is not necessary, the department or delegated county adoption agency shall, before the hearing of the petition, file its con
• § 8817 — (a) A written report on the child’s medical background, and if available, the medical background of the child’s biological parents so far as ascertainable, shall be made by the department or delegated
• § 8818 — (a) The department shall adopt a statement to be presented to the birth parents at the time the consent to adoption is signed and to prospective adoptive parents at the time of the home study.
• § 8819 — When the parental rights of a birth parent are terminated pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 7660) of Part 3 of Division 12 or Part 4 (commencing with Section 7800) of Division 12, the dep
• § 8820 — (a) The birth parent or parents or the petitioner may appeal in either of the following cases: (1) If for a period of 180 days from the date of paying 50 percent of the fee, or upon the expiration of
• § 8821 — When any report or findings are submitted to the court by the department or a delegated county adoption agency, a copy of the report or findings, whether favorable or unfavorable, shall be given to th
• § 8822 — (a) If the findings of the department or delegated county adoption agency are that the home of the petitioners is not suitable for the child or that the required consents are not available and the dep
• § 8823 — The prospective adoptive parents and the child proposed to be adopted shall appear before the court pursuant to Sections 8612 and 8613.
• § 8900 — (a) Intercountry adoption services described in this chapter shall be exclusively provided by private adoption agencies licensed by the department specifically to provide these services.
• § 8900.5 — As used in this chapter: (a) “Accredited agency” means an agency that has been accredited by an accrediting entity, in accordance with the standards in Subpart F (commencing with Section 96.
• § 8901 — The department shall adopt regulations to administer the intercountry adoption program.
• § 8902 — For intercountry adoptions that will be finalized in this state, the licensed adoption agency shall provide all of the following services: (a) Assessment of the suitability of the applicant’s home.
• § 8903 — (a) For each intercountry adoption finalized in this state, the licensed adoption agency shall assume all responsibilities for the child including care, custody, and control as if the child had been r
• § 8904 — For an intercountry adoption that will be finalized in a foreign country, the licensed adoption agency shall provide all of the following services: (a) Assessment of the suitability of the applicant’s
• § 8905 — Licensed adoption agencies may work only with domestic and foreign adoption agencies with whom they have written agreements that specify the responsibilities of each.
• § 8906 — Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit the licensed adoption agency from entering into an agreement with the prospective adoptive parents to share or transfer financial responsibility fo
• § 8907 — The costs incurred by a licensed adoption agency pursuant to programs established by this chapter shall be funded by fees charged by the agency for services required by this chapter.
• § 8908 — (a) A licensed adoption agency shall require each person filing an application for adoption to be fingerprinted and shall secure from an appropriate law enforcement agency any criminal record of that
• § 8909 — (a) An agency may not place a child for adoption unless a written report on the child’s medical background and, if available, the medical background of the child’s biological parents so far as ascerta
• § 8910 — (a) In no event may a child who has been placed for adoption be removed from the county in which the child was placed, by any person who has not petitioned to adopt the child, without first obtaining
• § 8911 — As a condition of placement, the prospective adoptive parents shall file a petition to adopt the child under Section 8912 within 30 days of placement.
• § 8912 — (a) An international adoption or readoption request may be filed by a resident of this state in a county authorized by Section 8609.
• § 8913 — The prospective adoptive parents and the child proposed to be adopted shall appear before the court pursuant to Sections 8612 and 8613.
• § 8914 — If the licensed adoption agency is a party to or joins in the adoption petition, it shall submit a full report of the facts of the case to the court.
• § 8915 — When any report or findings are submitted to the court by a licensed adoption agency, a copy of the report or findings, whether favorable or unfavorable, shall be given to the petitioner’s attorney in
• § 8916 — (a) If the petitioners move to withdraw the adoption petition or to dismiss the proceeding, the court clerk shall immediately notify the department at Sacramento of the action.
• § 8917 — (a) If the licensed adoption agency finds that the home of the petitioners is not suitable for the child or that the required agency consents are not available and the agency recommends that the petit
• § 8918 — At the hearing, if the court sustains the recommendation that the child be removed from the home of the petitioners because the licensed adoption agency has recommended denial or the petitioners desir
• § 8919 — (a) In order to establish a record by which an adoptee can prove the facts of the foreign adoption, a state resident who has finalized an intercountry adoption in a foreign country shall file the peti
• § 8919.5 — (a) An intercountry adoption agency shall report the arrival of an adoptee whose adoption was finalized in a foreign country to the department within 14 calendar days of the adoptee’s arrival in Calif
• § 8920 — (a) A child who was adopted as part of a sibling group and who has been separated from the child’s sibling or siblings through readoption by a resident of this state may petition the court to enforce
• § 8923 — (a) A complaint against an accredited agency or approved person in connection with a convention adoption shall be filed according to the procedures set forth in Subpart J (commencing with Section 96.
• § 8924 — (a) For cases in which a child is emigrating from California to a convention country, an accredited agency or approved person providing any adoption service described in this chapter, shall perform al
• § 8925 — A Hague adoption certificate or, in outgoing cases, a Hague custody declaration, obtained pursuant to Part 97 of Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall be recognized as a final valid adopti
• § 9 — The present tense includes the past and future tenses, and the future, the present.
• § 900 — Unless the provision or context otherwise requires, the definitions in this chapter govern the construction of this part.
• § 9000 — (a) A stepparent desiring to adopt a child of the stepparent’s spouse may for that purpose file a petition in any county authorized by Section 8609.
• § 9000.5 — (a) The procedures provided in this section apply to a stepparent adoption where the child was born during the marriage or domestic partnership, including a registered domestic partnership or civil un
• § 9001 — (a) Except as provided in Section 9000.
• § 9002 — Except as provided in Section 9000.
• § 9003 — (a) In a stepparent adoption, the consent of either or both birth parents shall be signed in the presence of a notary public, court clerk, probation officer, qualified court investigator, authorized r
• § 9004 — In a stepparent adoption, the form prescribed by the department for the consent of the birth parent shall contain substantially the following notice: “Notice to the parent who gives the child for adop
• § 9005 — (a) Consent of the birth parent to the adoption of the child through a stepparent adoption may not be withdrawn except with court approval.
• § 9006 — (a) If the petitioner moves to withdraw the adoption petition or to dismiss the proceeding, the court clerk shall immediately notify the probation officer, qualified court investigator, or county welf