At what age does my child need to consent to adoption in Louisiana?

Louisiana does not set an age at which your child must consent to a stepparent adoption. Instead, the court asks for and considers the wishes of a child who is 12 or older (La. Ch.C. Art. 1253(C)). Your child's view matters to the judge, but Louisiana does not make the child's consent a requirement.

What this means for your family. If your child is 12 or older, expect the District Court to want to know how they feel about being adopted by their stepparent. If your child is younger than 12, the data we rely on gives no consent age and no rule for younger children. The District Court clerk in your parish can tell you how the court handles a younger child's views in practice.

Helping your child feel included. Even when consent isn't required, children often do better when they understand what is happening. You might:

• Explain in simple terms what adoption means and what will and won't change day to day.
• Let them ask questions and share their feelings, including mixed ones.
• Tell them a judge may ask about their wishes, so it doesn't come as a surprise.

Other parts of the process. Your child's wishes are only one piece of a Louisiana stepparent adoption. Some related facts:

• Court: Your case is filed in the District Court in your parish. Louisiana has 64 parishes.
• Residency: Louisiana has no minimum residency period (La. Ch.C. Art. 1180).
• Home study: It is waived for stepparent adoptions (La. Ch.C. Art. 1252(A)).
• Abandonment: If the other legal parent has not been involved, Louisiana uses a 6-month abandonment period (La. Ch.C. Art. 1245). Whether it applies to your situation depends on your facts, so check with the clerk or an attorney, especially if the other parent might object or can't be found.
• Timeline and cost: Stepparent adoptions typically take 3-6 months. Court filing fees generally run $200-$400, and the total cost is typically under $1,000. Attorney-handled adoptions often cost $3,000-$5,000+.
• Birth certificate: After the adoption is final, the Louisiana Office of Vital Records handles updates to your child's record.

When to get individualized help. If your child has strong feelings about the adoption, or your case involves a contested parent or an unknown parent, those details can change what the court looks at. The District Court clerk in your parish can answer procedural questions, and an attorney can advise you on your specific situation.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your parish. You then file it yourself, without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child, plus $99 for each additional child, and your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. We back every package with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 881 Louisiana families, and more than 34,000 families nationwide since 2001.