Don't worry — this is the most common scenario, and the adoption can still proceed.
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.
If the other parent actively refuses consent AND has been involved in the child's life, the process is more complex but still possible. This would be a contested adoption, and we recommend consulting with a California family law attorney in addition to using our document service.
But in our experience, the vast majority of cases where a parent "won't sign" fall into the abandonment category — they've been absent and simply aren't cooperating. The court handles this routinely.
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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