In California, if the biological parent has had no meaningful contact with the child for 12 months or more, the court may consider this abandonment under Cal. Fam. Code § 8604. This is extremely common — over 80% of the 34,000+ adoptions we've helped complete were finalized without the other parent's consent.
Important: "Token contact" like an occasional phone call or one brief visit does NOT count as meaningful contact. And paying child support does NOT negate abandonment — abandonment is about the relationship with the child, not financial obligations. The termination of parental rights can be handled within the same adoption proceeding.
Stepparent adoption in California at a glance
- Court
- Superior Court
- Residency before filing
- Must be actual residents of California; no specific duration required
- Typical timeline
- 3 months
- Court filing fee
- $200-$500
- Child must consent at age
- 12
- Home study
- Usually waived for stepparents
- California families we've helped
- 1,219
Adoption document specialists · 25+ years of experience · 34,000+ families helped.
Page layout updated . Individual answers have different research histories. This is general information; court requirements and individual circumstances can differ. Document preparation service, not a law firm.
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