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

You must be at least 18 years old to adopt in Kentucky. Under KRS § 199.470, the minimum age for a petitioner is 18, and the law does not tie that to being a stepparent or to any particular relationship with the child.

Minimum age: If you are 18 or older, you meet Kentucky's age requirement to file a petition for adoption. Being old enough is only the first step, though. The court also looks at the other parts of the process described below.

Age difference between you and the child: The Kentucky information we work from does not state a required age gap between the adopting parent and the child. If you are close in age to your stepchild, or have a question about how the court views that, ask the Circuit Court clerk in your county or an attorney. This depends on your specific facts.

Upper age limits: The Kentucky law we rely on does not address a maximum age for adopting. If this concerns you, the Circuit Court clerk can confirm it.

Where you file: Stepparent adoptions are filed in the Circuit Court. Kentucky has 120 counties, and you file in your own county's Circuit Court.

Residency: There is no waiting period for Kentucky residents. Non-residents need 12 months in the state (KRS § 199.470).

Other things to know once you meet the age requirement:

• Consent: A child who is 12 or older has a role in consenting to the adoption (KRS § 199.500).
• Spouse: Generally, a petitioner's spouse joins the petition unless the spouse is the child's biological parent (KRS § 199.470). In a stepparent adoption, that is typically your situation.
• Absent parent: Kentucky has one of the shorter abandonment periods, just 3 months of no contact, which can establish grounds for proceeding (KRS § 199.502). Whether this applies to your situation is a fact-specific question for the clerk or an attorney, especially if the other parent might contest.
• Home study: It is waived in stepparent adoptions (KRS § 199.473).
• Background check: Kentucky requires criminal background checks through the Kentucky State Police for adoption petitioners.
• Timeline: Stepparent adoptions in Kentucky typically take 3-6 months.
• Costs: Court filing fees run about $150-$300, and the total typically comes to under $1,000. Hiring an attorney commonly costs $3,000-$5,000 or more.

If your situation is more complicated: If the other biological parent will not agree, can't be located, or you are unsure whether the court will treat your circumstances differently, talk to the Circuit Court clerk in your county or an attorney about that issue.

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 county. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The cost is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 501 Kentucky families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.