Where can I find Alabama's adoption statutes?

Alabama's adoption laws are in the Alabama Code, Title 26, and the stepparent adoption statutes are filed in the Probate Court in your county. The four sections below are a good starting point, and you can search each by its citation:

• Ala. Code § 26-10A-27
• Ala. Code § 26-10A-9
• Ala. Code § 26-10A-5
• Ala. Code § 26-10A-7

Key requirements and where they are written. These are the provisions families most often look up:

• Residency: Alabama has no minimum residency period for this process (Ala. Code § 26-10E-5(e)(3)).
• Child's consent: A child who is 14 or older must consent (Ala. Code § 26-10E-7(a)(1)).
• Abandonment: Where a parent's consent is not being given and the adoption rests on abandonment, the period in the statute is 4 months (Ala. Code § 26-10E-9(a)(1), (a)(4)). Whether your situation fits is a fact-specific question, so ask the Probate Court clerk or an attorney.
• Home study: Alabama does not waive the home study for stepparent adoptions (Ala. Code § 26-10E-26(2)).

Adult adoption. If you are thinking about adopting an adult stepchild, the rules are in a separate set of sections, starting with Ala. Code § 26-10F-2. They cover who is eligible, what consents are needed and how the hearing works. Adult adoptions typically take about 2-4 weeks.

Where your case is filed. Alabama has 67 counties, and each has a Probate Court that handles adoptions. Your county's clerk can tell you about local filing procedures and confirm any detail you can't find in the statutes. Court filing fees typically run $200-$350.

How long it takes. A stepparent adoption in Alabama typically takes 3-6 months.

Reading the statutes. Statutes can be dense, and a section that looks simple may connect to other sections or to court procedures. If your situation involves a contested case, a parent whose whereabouts are unknown, or anything else that depends on specific facts, check with the Probate Court clerk or an attorney about that issue.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm.