How Much Does Stepparent Adoption Cost in Texas (2026)

The short answer: a Texas stepparent adoption costs our $349 document package plus what your county's district clerk charges, and the court costs are smaller than most families expect. In Harris County, for example, the 2026 fee schedule lists $365 to file an adoption or an adoption with termination for one child, plus a $15 Central Adoption Registry fee and a $2 fee. It usually doesn't cost more when the father won't sign: in our experience, about 80% of the stepparent adoptions we've completed went forward without the other biological parent's consent, and the judge approved the adoption anyway.

What Does a Stepparent Adoption in Texas Actually Cost?

There are three kinds of cost in a Texas stepparent adoption, and only one of them is ours:

• Document preparation. StepParent Adoption 360 prepares your Texas document package for $349 for the first child, plus $99 for each additional child. That covers personalized documents built from your answers, filing guidance, email support and revisions.
• Court costs. The filing fee, the fee to issue citation, service, and certified copies. These are paid to the district clerk and the officer who serves the papers, and they vary by county.
• Outside costs. Newspaper publication if the other parent can't be found, the criminal history check the court orders, and the new birth certificate.

If you hire a family law attorney instead, their fee is on top of the same court costs. Many Texas families handle an uncontested stepparent adoption themselves with properly prepared documents.

A Real Texas Fee Schedule: Harris County

Every Texas county sets its own district clerk fees, so the best way to understand them is to look at a real schedule. Here's what the Harris County District Clerk's civil and family fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026, updated July 15, 2026) lists for the items a stepparent adoption usually needs:

Item	Harris County fee
Adoption, or adoption with termination, one child	$365
Central Adoption Registry fee	$15 (not included in the $365)
Certified SDPW fee	$2 (not included in the $365)
Each additional child in the same case	Add $1
Issuing a citation (includes one copy)	$8
Constable service of a citation within Harris County	$85
Constable fee for publication of citation	$85, plus the cost of publication
Certified copies	$1 per page, including certificate and seal

Two things stand out. First, a stepparent adoption that also ends the other parent's rights is filed as one case, "adoption with termination," at the same base fee. Second, adding a second or third child to the same case costs very little at the clerk's window in Harris County.

Other counties charge different amounts. Before you file, call your district clerk and ask for the current total for an adoption with termination, the registry fee, and the cost to issue and serve citation.

Does It Cost More If the Other Parent Won't Consent?

Usually not much, and this is the part families worry about most. Here's the real world in Texas courtrooms: in most stepparent adoptions the father never signs anything, and the judge grants the adoption anyway. Texas does this by joining a request to terminate the other parent's rights with your adoption petition. The court ends the other parent's rights and grants the adoption in the same order, with separate findings that each is in the child's best interest (Tex. Fam. Code § 162.016).

The two grounds we see most often in stepparent cases are in Tex. Fam. Code § 161.001(b)(1):

• (C) the parent voluntarily left the child with someone else without providing adequate support and stayed away for at least six months; or
• (F) the parent failed to support the child in line with their ability for one year ending within six months of the date you file.

The court must also find that ending the parent's rights is in the child's best interest. When a parent has been gone for months or years, that's the case the statute is written for.

The one cost to ask about: a lawyer for the child

In a termination case that isn't brought by the state, Texas law says the court shall appoint an amicus attorney or an attorney ad litem for the child, unless it finds the child's interests are adequately represented by a party whose interests don't conflict with the child's (Tex. Fam. Code § 107.021(a-1)). The court must consider the parties' ability to pay and the cost of the appointment. Some courts appoint one in stepparent cases and some find it unnecessary, so ask your clerk how your court handles it. It's the most important single question for your budget.

When you don't know where the other parent is

That doesn't stop the adoption. After a diligent search, the clerk issues citation by publication, and the notice runs in a newspaper. You pay the newspaper and any officer's fee; in Harris County the constable's publication fee is $85 plus the cost of publication. Keep notes of every search step, because the court will ask what you tried.

The Adoption Evaluation, the Background Check and Other Costs

Texas normally requires an adoption evaluation, which is the Texas version of a home study. In a stepparent adoption that's uncontested, the court may waive it after reviewing the Department of Family and Protective Services records and the Department of Public Safety criminal history on the stepparent (Tex. Fam. Code § 107.153(a-1)). The prospective adoptive parent pays the cost of the evaluation or the records review (§ 107.153(e)).

The court will also order you to obtain your own criminal history record information (Tex. Fam. Code § 162.0085), which usually involves a fingerprinting fee. Ask your court which vendor or process it uses.

What If You Can't Afford the Court Costs?

Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145 lets a party who can't afford court costs file a sworn Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs, using the form approved by the Supreme Court of Texas. Under the rule, "costs" include filing fees, fees for issuing and serving process, and fees for a court-appointed professional. The clerk must make the form available without charge. If the statement is challenged, the court can order you to pay only the part you can afford, or pay in installments.

Texas Requirements That Affect Your Timeline, Not Your Budget

• Six months in the home. The child must have lived with you for at least six months before the court grants the adoption, and the court can waive that if it's in the child's best interest (Tex. Fam. Code § 162.009).
• Your spouse joins the petition. Your spouse, the child's parent, joins your petition and doesn't need to sign a separate consent (§ 162.010(b)).
• A child 12 or older consents in writing or in court, and the court can waive that in the child's best interest (§ 162.010(c)).

Many uncontested adoptions finish within a few months. Your county's court calendar and any publication period set the pace. If the other parent actively fights the adoption, that's the time to talk with a local family law attorney.

Costs After the Adoption

Once the judge signs the order, the adoption creates the parent-child relationship for all purposes, including inheritance (Tex. Fam. Code § 162.017). The name change can be made in the same order if you ask for it (§ 162.016(c)), so there's no separate name-change case to pay for.

After that you'll order certified copies, request the new birth certificate from the vital records office in the state where your child was born, and update Social Security, school, medical and insurance records. The other parent's duty to pay child support going forward ends; whether any back support can still be collected depends on Texas law.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a stepparent adoption cost in Texas in 2026?

Our document package is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Court costs are paid to your county and vary. Harris County, for example, lists $365 to file an adoption with termination for one child, plus a $15 Central Adoption Registry fee and a $2 fee, with service and copies extra.

Can I adopt my stepchild in Texas if the father won't sign?

Yes, and in most cases that's how it happens. You ask the court to terminate his rights in the same case, for example because he left the child without support for at least six months or failed to support the child for a year (§ 161.001(b)(1)(C), (F)). About 80% of the stepparent adoptions we've completed went forward without the other parent's consent.

Do I need a home study in a Texas stepparent adoption?

Often not. In an uncontested stepparent adoption, the court may waive the adoption evaluation after reviewing state child-welfare records and your criminal history (§ 107.153(a-1)). You pay for that review or for any evaluation the court orders.

Will the court appoint a lawyer for my stepchild, and who pays?

In a termination case not brought by the state, the court appoints an amicus attorney or attorney ad litem unless it finds the child's interests are already adequately represented (§ 107.021(a-1)). The court considers the parties' ability to pay. Ask your clerk how your court handles this.

What if I can't afford the filing fee?

File a sworn Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145. The clerk provides the form for free, and it covers filing fees and fees for issuing and serving process.

About the Author

Doug Brown, Founder. Doug Brown has helped families prepare stepparent and adult adoption paperwork since 2001: more than 34,000 families in all 50 states. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document-preparation service, not a law firm, and doesn't give legal advice.

Sources: Tex. Fam. Code §§ 107.021, 107.153, 161.001, 162.0085, 162.009, 162.010, 162.016 and 162.017 (Texas Legislative Council statute files); Harris County District Clerk, Civil and Family Cases Filing and Service Fees (effective January 1, 2026; updated July 15, 2026) and 2025 Harris County Civil Process Fees; Supreme Court of Texas, Misc. Docket No. 16-9056 (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 145). Company figures (34,000+ families since 2001; about 80% of completed stepparent adoptions without the other parent's consent) are from our own records.