Can a same-sex stepparent adopt in Louisiana?

Yes, a stepparent can ask a Louisiana District Court to approve a stepparent adoption, and the requirements Louisiana lists for it are below. If you want to know whether anything works differently for a same-sex couple, or for a couple who are not married, the District Court clerk in your parish or a Louisiana family law attorney can confirm that for your situation.

Where you file: Stepparent adoptions are filed in the District Court in your parish. Louisiana has 64 parishes, including those around New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette and Lake Charles. The rules are in Louisiana Children's Code Title XII.

What Louisiana lists for a stepparent adoption:

• Residency: Louisiana has no minimum residency period (La. Ch.C. Art. 1180). You do need to be domiciled in Louisiana, meaning it is your permanent home.
• The child's wishes: Louisiana does not require the child's consent. The court asks for and considers the wishes of a child 12 or older (La. Ch.C. Art. 1253(C)).
• Home study: A home study is waived for stepparents (La. Ch.C. Art. 1252(A)).
• Paperwork: The filing starts with a Petition for Intrafamily Adoption and includes a sworn statement of financial responsibility.
• The other legal parent: Louisiana's abandonment provision uses a 6-month period (La. Ch.C. Art. 1245). Whether it applies depends on your facts. If the other parent is involved, may object, or you are unsure of their legal status, ask the clerk or an attorney about that specific issue.
• Notice to the other parent: Louisiana allows personal service by sheriff, or service by publication if a parent's location is unknown after due diligence. A contested or unknown-parent case is worth discussing with an attorney.

Two points to confirm locally: Louisiana's rules on marital status and on adoption by unmarried couples are not spelled out here, so ask the District Court clerk in your parish how they apply to you. The same goes for getting an updated birth certificate after the adoption. The Louisiana Office of Vital Records is the agency that handles birth records, and the clerk can tell you what the court's order needs to include.

What to expect on cost and timing:

• Court filing fees typically run $200-$400.
• A stepparent adoption in Louisiana typically takes 3-6 months.
• Total cost is typically under $1,000 when you prepare the paperwork yourself, compared with $3,000-$5,000+ for an attorney.

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. Court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee.