How old do you have to be to adopt in Connecticut?

If you are adopting an adult in Connecticut, you must be at least 18 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-734(a)). If you are adopting a child, which is the usual stepparent situation, no minimum adopter age appears in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-727.

Adopting a child (the usual stepparent adoption). Because no minimum age is listed in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-727, the Probate Court clerk in your county can confirm whether any age requirement applies to you. Other Connecticut facts that matter for a stepparent adoption:

• Court: The case is handled by the Probate Court.
• Residency: Connecticut has no minimum residency period (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-727).
• Child's consent: A child who is 12 or older must consent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-724).
• Home study: It is waived in stepparent adoptions (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-733(a)).
• Abandonment: If the other parent's rights are at issue because of abandonment, Connecticut sets no fixed number of months. It depends on that parent's overall conduct (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-717). A contested situation or an unknown parent depends on your facts, so ask the clerk or an attorney.
• Timeline: A stepparent adoption typically takes 3-6 months.

Adopting an adult. Connecticut allows it by written agreement between the two people.

• Age: The adopter must be 18 or older, and the person being adopted must be at least 18 and younger than the adopter. No fixed number of years between you is specified.
• Who is excluded: The adoptee cannot be the adopter's spouse, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (whole or half blood).
• Court approval: The Probate Court approves the agreement if it finds that you share a relationship similar to that of a parent and an adult child, and that the adoption is in your best interests.
• Spouses: A married adopter must have their spouse join in the agreement, unless the court finds sufficient reason why the spouse should not (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-734). If the adoptee is married, their husband or wife must give written consent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-735).
• Hearing: A hearing is required, and the court gives each party notice of its time and place.
• Adult stepparent route: One parent of the adult child may join in the agreement between their spouse and the adult child. The non-joining parent's leg