What counts as abandonment for adoption purposes in Washington?

In Washington, if the biological parent has had no meaningful contact with the child for 6 months or more, the court may consider this abandonment under RCW § 26.33.120. 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.