What are the adoption laws in Kentucky?

Kentucky's adoption laws are in Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 199, and stepparent adoptions are handled by the Circuit Court in the county where you file. Kentucky has 120 counties, and each Circuit Court clerk can tell you about local filing details.

Residency: Kentucky residents have no waiting period before filing (KRS § 199.470). Non-residents need 12 months in the state.

Consent: The consent age for a child is 12 (KRS § 199.500). You will also generally file these papers:

• A Petition for Adoption
• Consent forms, or a motion to dispense with consent
• The spouse's consent to the adoption

When a parent is absent: Kentucky has a short abandonment period. Three months, or 90 days, of no contact can establish grounds to proceed (KRS § 199.502). Whether your situation meets that standard depends on your facts, so check with the Circuit Court clerk or an attorney. The same goes for any case where the other parent objects or cannot be found.

Notice to the other parent: Kentucky allows personal service by a sheriff or process server. If the parent's location is unknown, service by publication is possible after a diligent effort to find them. Ask the clerk what the court expects you to show.

Home study: In stepparent adoptions, the home study is waived (KRS § 199.473). That saves time and cost.

Background checks: Petitioners must complete criminal background checks through the Kentucky State Police.

Termination of rights: Kentucky does not treat termination as a separate proceeding in this process, so you are not filing a second case for it.

Timeline: A stepparent adoption typically takes 3-6 months. An adult adoption is typically 4-8 weeks. For an adult adoptee, the age of 18 is the starting point, but confirm any other details with the clerk.

Cost: Court filing fees run about $150-$300. Doing the paperwork yourself, the total is typically under $1,000, compared with $3,000-$5,000+ when hiring an attorney.

After the final order: The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics handles birth records. Ask the Circuit Court clerk how to request an updated birth certificate once your adoption is final.

What to do next: Gather your marriage information, the child's birth certificate, and whatever you know about the other parent's whereabouts and contact history. Those facts determine whether you need a consent form or a motion to dispense with consent, and how the other parent must be notified.

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 price is $349 for the first child (or one adult adoptee) and $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. We have helped 501 Kentucky families, and 34,000+ families nationally since 2001.