{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/63.2-1246.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/63.2-1246.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/63.2-1246.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/63.2-1246.1.html"}],"law_id":81884,"edition_id":1,"section_id":81884,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1246.1","catch_line":"Commissioner authority to store, preserve, and certify adoption files","history":"2018, c. 10.","full_text":"Upon receipt of all orders from the clerk of the circuit court and adoption files from the child-placing agency or local board, the Commissioner shall have the authority to direct the storage and preservation of such records. The Commissioner shall have custody of and retain all adoption files, whether in paper or electronic form, including reports, orders, and other documents with identifying information of birth parents and adoptees, in his office or at another location designated by the Commissioner.\n\t\tThe Commissioner or his designee may direct adoption files, in whole or in part, to be microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated for the purpose of preserving and retaining such files. The Commissioner may allow adoption files to be taken from his office or other designated location for the purpose of being microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated, but shall take all necessary and proper precautions, by requiring bonds or otherwise, to ensure the preservation and return and to prevent the mutilation thereof. The Commissioner or his designee shall examine and compare the reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated records with the originals and, if satisfied that the copies are exact, certify them as true copies of the records retained by the Commissioner. The same faith and credit shall be given to such reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated record as the record reproduced would have been entitled to.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":293363,"text":"Upon receipt of all orders from the clerk of the circuit court and adoption files from the child-placing agency or local board, the Commissioner shall have the authority to direct the storage and preservation of such records. The Commissioner shall have custody of and retain all adoption files, whether in paper or electronic form, including reports, orders, and other documents with identifying information of birth parents and adoptees, in his office or at another location designated by the Commissioner.\n\t\tThe Commissioner or his designee may direct adoption files, in whole or in part, to be microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated for the purpose of preserving and retaining such files. The Commissioner may allow adoption files to be taken from his office or other designated location for the purpose of being microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated, but shall take all necessary and proper precautions, by requiring bonds or otherwise, to ensure the preservation and return and to prevent the mutilation thereof. The Commissioner or his designee shall examine and compare the reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated records with the originals and, if satisfied that the copies are exact, certify them as true copies of the records retained by the Commissioner. The same faith and credit shall be given to such reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated record as the record reproduced would have been entitled to.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":16242,"edition_id":1,"name":"Records","identifier":"6","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":14096,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:10:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:10:52","permalink":{"id":271609,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":16242,"identifier":"6","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6","url":"\/63.2\/III\/12\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":14096,"edition_id":1,"name":"Adoption","identifier":"12","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13897,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:52","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:52","permalink":{"id":271365,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14096,"identifier":"12","token":"63.2\/III\/12","url":"\/63.2\/III\/12\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13897,"edition_id":1,"name":"Social Services Programs","identifier":"III","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12789,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:14","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:14","permalink":{"id":271331,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13897,"identifier":"III","token":"63.2\/III","url":"\/63.2\/III\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12789,"edition_id":1,"name":"Welfare (Social Services)","identifier":"63.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:53","permalink":{"id":270661,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12789,"identifier":"63.2","token":"63.2","url":"\/63.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":70945,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1245","catch_line":"Separate order book, file and index of adoption cases; to whom available; permanent retention","url":"\/63.2-1245\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1245","metadata":false},{"id":83198,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1246","catch_line":"Disposition of reports; disclosure of information as to identity of birth family","url":"\/63.2-1246\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1246","metadata":false},{"id":81884,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1246.1","catch_line":"Commissioner authority to store, preserve, and certify adoption files","url":"\/63.2-1246.1\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1246.1","metadata":false},{"id":75216,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1247","catch_line":"Disclosure to birth family; adoptive parents; medical, etc., information; exchange of information; open records in parental placement adoptions","url":"\/63.2-1247\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1247","metadata":false},{"id":65499,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1248","catch_line":"Fees for home studies, investigations, visitations and reports","url":"\/63.2-1248\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1248","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":83198,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1246","catch_line":"Disposition of reports; disclosure of information as to identity of birth family","url":"\/63.2-1246\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1246","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":75216,"structure_id":16242,"section_number":"63.2-1247","catch_line":"Disclosure to birth family; adoptive parents; medical, etc., information; exchange of information; open records in parental placement adoptions","url":"\/63.2-1247\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1247","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/63.2-1246.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2018. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 10<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":83198,"section_number":"63.2-1246","catch_line":"Disposition of reports; disclosure of information as to identity of birth family","order_by":null,"url":"\/63.2-1246\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":271619,"object_type":"law","relational_id":81884,"identifier":"63.2-1246.1","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1246.1","url":"\/63.2-1246.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/63.2-1246.1\/","token":"63.2\/III\/12\/6\/63.2-1246.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Commissioner authority to store, preserve, and certify adoption files","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 63.2-1246.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Upon receipt of all orders<\/span> from the clerk of the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> and adoption files from the child<\/span>-placing agency<\/span> or local board<\/span>, the Commissioner<\/span> shall have the authority to direct the storage and preservation of such records. The Commissioner<\/span> shall have custody<\/span> of and retain all adoption files, whether in paper or electronic form, including reports, orders<\/span>, and other documents with identifying information of birth parents<\/span> and adoptees, in his office or at another location designated by the Commissioner<\/span>.\n\t\tThe Commissioner<\/span> or his designee may direct adoption files, in whole or in part, to be microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated for the purpose of preserving and retaining such files. The Commissioner<\/span> may allow adoption files to be taken from his office or other designated location for the purpose of being microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated, but shall take all necessary and proper precautions, by requiring bonds<\/span> or otherwise, to ensure the preservation and return and to prevent the mutilation thereof. The Commissioner<\/span> or his designee shall examine and compare the reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated records with the originals and, if satisfied that the copies are exact, certify them as true copies of the records retained by the Commissioner<\/span>. The same faith and credit shall be given to such reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated record as the record reproduced would have been entitled to.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOMMISSIONER AUTHORITY TO STORE, PRESERVE, AND CERTIFY ADOPTION FILES (\u00a7\n63.2-1246.1)\n\nUpon receipt of all orders from the clerk of the circuit court and adoption\nfiles from the child-placing agency or local board, the Commissioner shall have\nthe authority to direct the storage and preservation of such records. The\nCommissioner shall have custody of and retain all adoption files, whether in\npaper or electronic form, including reports, orders, and other documents with\nidentifying information of birth parents and adoptees, in his office or at\nanother location designated by the Commissioner.\n\t\tThe Commissioner or his designee may direct adoption files, in whole or in\npart, to be microfilmed, digitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or\notherwise duplicated for the purpose of preserving and retaining such files. The\nCommissioner may allow adoption files to be taken from his office or other\ndesignated location for the purpose of being microfilmed, digitally reproduced,\ncopied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated, but shall take all necessary and\nproper precautions, by requiring bonds or otherwise, to ensure the preservation\nand return and to prevent the mutilation thereof. The Commissioner or his\ndesignee shall examine and compare the reproductions from the microfilm,\ndigitally reproduced, copied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated records with\nthe originals and, if satisfied that the copies are exact, certify them as true\ncopies of the records retained by the Commissioner. The same faith and credit\nshall be given to such reproductions from the microfilm, digitally reproduced,\ncopied, photographed, or otherwise duplicated record as the record reproduced\nwould have been entitled to.\n\nHISTORY: 2018, c. 10.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}