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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>79340</law_id><section_number>63.2-1237</section_number><catch_line>Petition for parental placement adoption; jurisdiction; contents</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-243</reference><reference>16.1-262</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="63.2">Welfare (Social Services)</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Social Services Programs</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="12">Adoption</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="3">Parental Placement Adoptions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>Proceedings for the <span class="dictionary">parental placement</span> adoption of a <span class="dictionary">minor</span> <span class="dictionary">child</span> and for a change of name of such <span class="dictionary">child</span> shall be instituted only by <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to the <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span> in the county or city in which the petitioner resides or in the county or city where a <span class="dictionary">birth parent</span> has executed a consent pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Consent to be executed in juvenile and domestic relations district court; exceptions" href="/63.2-1233/">63.2-1233</a>. Such <span class="dictionary">petition</span> may be filed by any natural person who resides in the Commonwealth or is the adopting parent(s) of a <span class="dictionary">child</span> who was subject to a consent proceeding held pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Consent to be executed in juvenile and domestic relations district court; exceptions" href="/63.2-1233/">63.2-1233</a>. The <span class="dictionary">petition</span> shall ask leave to adopt a <span class="dictionary">minor</span> <span class="dictionary">child</span> not legally the petitioner&#x2019;s by birth and, if it is so desired by the petitioner, also to change the name of such <span class="dictionary">child</span>. In the case of married persons, the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> shall be the joint <span class="dictionary">petition</span> of the husband and wife but, in the event the <span class="dictionary">child</span> to be adopted is legally the <span class="dictionary">child</span> by birth or adoption of one of the petitioners, such petitioner shall unite in the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for the purpose of indicating his or her consent to the prayer thereof only. The <span class="dictionary">petition</span> shall contain a full disclosure of the circumstances under which the <span class="dictionary">child</span> came to live, and is living, in the home of the petitioner. Each <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for adoption shall be signed by the petitioner as well as by <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> of record, if any. In any case in which the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> seeks the entry of an adoption <span class="dictionary">order</span> without referral for investigation, the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> shall be under <span class="dictionary">oath</span>.
		The <span class="dictionary">petition</span> shall state that the <span class="dictionary">findings</span> required by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Requirements of a parental placement adoption; exception" href="/63.2-1232/">63.2-1232</a> have been made and shall be accompanied by appropriate documentation supporting such statement, to include copies of documents executing consent and transferring <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of the <span class="dictionary">child</span> to the prospective adoptive parents, and a copy of the report required by &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Home study; meeting required; exception" href="/63.2-1231/">63.2-1231</a>. The <span class="dictionary">court</span> shall not <span class="dictionary">waive</span> any of the requirements of this paragraph nor any of the requirements of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Requirements of a parental placement adoption; exception" href="/63.2-1232/">63.2-1232</a> except as allowed pursuant to subsection D of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Requirements of a parental placement adoption; exception" href="/63.2-1232/">63.2-1232</a> or subdivision 4 of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Consent to be executed in juvenile and domestic relations district court; exceptions" href="/63.2-1233/">63.2-1233</a>.
		A single <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for adoption under the provisions of this section shall be sufficient for the concurrent adoption by the same petitioners of two or more children who have the same <span class="dictionary">birth parent</span> or parents; and nothing in this section shall be construed as having heretofore required a separate <span class="dictionary">petition</span> for each of such children.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 63-348; 1952, c. 550; 1954, c. 489; 1956, c. 300; 1964, c. 459; 1968, c. 578, &#xA7; 63.1-221; 1970, c. 672; 1973, c. 406; 1975, c. 461; 1978, c. 730; 1983, c. 614; 1988, c. 882; 1989, c. 647; 1991, cc. 76, 602; 1995, cc. 772, 826; 2000, c. 830, &#xA7; 63.1-219.44; 2002, c. 747; 2006, cc. 825, 848; 2015, c. 529.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
