Where can I find Texas's adoption statutes?

Texas stepparent adoption is governed by Texas Family Code Title 2, Chapter 162, and you can read the full text for free on the Texas Legislature's official online statutes website, under the Family Code. You can search by section number or browse the chapter, and each section opens on its own page.

The sections most stepparents look up first:

• Tex. Fam. Code § 162.001 covers adoption requirements, including that an adult may petition to adopt a child.
• Tex. Fam. Code § 161.001 covers termination grounds, including the abandonment provisions. Texas uses a six-month abandonment period in this context.
• Tex. Fam. Code § 162.010 covers child consent. In Texas, the age is 12.
• Tex. Fam. Code § 162.0085 covers the home study waiver. The home study requirement is also addressed in Tex. Fam. Code § 107.153(a-1), and it is waived for stepparent adoptions.
• Tex. Fam. Code § 162.009 is the citation for the residency provision. Texas has no minimum residency period tied to it.

If you are considering adopting an adult: The adult adoption rules are in a separate part of Chapter 162. Start with Tex. Fam. Code § 162.501, which covers who may petition, and Tex. Fam. Code § 162.502, which covers which court hears the case. The petition goes to a District Court, or a statutory county court with family-law jurisdiction, in the county where the petitioner lives.

Tips for reading the statutes:

• Read the section that matches your question, then check the sections just before and after it. Texas often places related rules next to each other.
• Statutes tell you the rules, but they do not tell you how your local court handles paperwork. The District Court clerk in your county can answer questions about local filing steps. Texas has 254 counties, so details can differ from one to the next.
• If your situation is contested, or you are unsure whether the other parent's rights have been addressed, ask an attorney about that specific issue. Reading the statute is a good start, but how it applies to your family depends on your facts.

What the process looks like: Stepparent adoptions in Texas typically take about 3 months. Court filing fees generally fall in the $200-$500 range, and the clerk in your county can confirm the exact amount.

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 for one adult adoptee) and $99 for each additional child.