To get adoption papers in Ohio, you file a petition with the probate court in your county using Standard Probate Form 18.0, attach the written consents required by Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3107, submit to a home study, and appear at a hearing where the judge decides whether to issue the final decree. The forms are the same statewide, published by the Supreme Court of Ohio.1The Supreme Court of Ohio. Adoption Filing fees, timelines, and local procedure vary by county.
Where to File and What It Costs
The petition goes to the clerk of the probate court. Ohio gives you a choice of venue: the county where the child was born, where you live, where the child or a birth parent lives, where you are stationed if you’re in military service, or where the agency holding permanent custody is located.2Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.04 – Where Petition to Be Filed
Fees are set locally. Hamilton County, as one example, charges $185 for a private or agency adoption, $160 for a stepparent adoption, and $150 for an adult adoption.3Hamilton County Probate Court. General Resources Call the probate clerk in your county for current figures before you file. If the court appoints its own assessor to conduct the home study, that is a separate charge.
The Petition and Supporting Documents
Standard Probate Form 18.0 is the petition itself.1The Supreme Court of Ohio. Adoption Under ORC 3107.05, the petition must contain:
- The child’s date and place of birth, if known
- The child’s current name and the name they will have after adoption
- The date the child was placed with you and who placed the child
- Your full name, age, place of residence, and how long you have lived there
- Your marital status
- Your relationship to the child
- A statement that you have facilities and resources suitable to care for the child
- A description and estimated value of any property belonging to the child
- The name and address of anyone whose consent is required but has not been given, with an explanation why
Along with the petition, the clerk needs a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate if you can obtain one, every signed consent form, and the social and medical history forms covering the child’s biological family. The history forms become part of the child’s permanent legal and medical record. Fill them in carefully.
Consents You Need to Collect
No Ohio adoption can proceed without written consent from each person the statute requires, unless the court specifically excuses the consent. Each consent is recorded on Standard Probate Form 18.3, signed and either notarized or witnessed by a court official. The following people must sign:
- Both parents, meaning anyone with a legal parent relationship through birth during marriage, a prior adoption, a paternity finding, or a finalized paternity acknowledgment
- The putative father, meaning a man who may be the biological father but has not legally established paternity
- Any agency or person holding permanent custody of the child
- The child, if older than 12, unless the court waives this requirement in the child’s best interest
A person who signs a consent can withdraw it, but only before the court enters an interlocutory order or final decree, and only if the court holds a hearing and finds the withdrawal to be in the child’s best interest. Once the court acts, consent is irrevocable.6Child Welfare Information Gateway. Consent to Adoption – Ohio Anyone signing should understand that the window closes when the judge rules, not when the pen leaves the paper.
When a Parent’s Consent Can Be Bypassed
The court can proceed without a parent’s consent in several situations. The one most often raised in stepparent and private adoptions: a parent who has failed, without justifiable cause, to have more than minimal contact with the child or to provide regular financial support for at least one year before the petition was filed. You must allege this in the petition, and the court must find it proven by clear and convincing evidence after notice and a hearing.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.07 – Consent Not Required
Other grounds for excusing consent:
- A putative father who failed to register with Ohio’s putative father registry within 15 days of the child’s birth
- A parent who signed a permanent custody surrender under ORC 5103.15
- A parent whose rights have already been terminated by a juvenile or other court
- A parent who conceived the child through rape or sexual battery and was convicted or pled guilty
The hearing on whether consent can be excused is often the most contested part of a case. If the noncustodial parent shows up to dispute the no-contact or no-support finding, be prepared with records.
Reporting Your Adoption Expenses
Ohio requires a detailed accounting of every payment made in connection with the adoption. The attorney or agency files a preliminary estimate when the petition is submitted and a final accounting before the decree issues. Standard Probate Form 18.9 is the form.8Supreme Court of Ohio. Form 18.9 – Petitioner’s Account
ORC 3107.055 limits what you can pay for. Allowable expenses include the birth mother’s pregnancy and delivery medical costs, hospital expenses, attorney fees connected to the placement and adoption, agency service fees, the birth mother’s living expenses (rent, utilities, food, transportation to work or school), and court costs. You must sign a statement confirming the accounting is accurate.9Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107 – Adoption Payments outside these categories are prohibited and can delay or derail the case. Keep receipts from the start.
The Home Study and Prefinalization Assessment
An assessor must conduct a home study and file a written report with the court at least ten days before the adoption petition is heard.10Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.031 – Assessor to Conduct Home Study The report includes the assessor’s opinion on whether you are suitable to adopt.
A separate prefinalization assessment under ORC 3107.12 must be filed at least 20 days before the final hearing.11Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.12 – Prefinalization Assessment The assessor will visit your home, interview household members, and look at how the child is adjusting to the placement. Expect questions about parenting approach, support network, finances, and the child’s daily routine.
Two exceptions change the paperwork. Foster caregivers adopting a child already living in their home are exempt from the initial home study if they submit the application under ORC 3107.012.10Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.031 – Assessor to Conduct Home Study Stepparent adoptions are exempt from the prefinalization assessment unless the court specifically orders one.11Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.12 – Prefinalization Assessment
Notice and the Hearing
Once the petition is filed, the court sets a hearing date and issues notice to anyone who has not already filed written consent. Under ORC 3107.11, the notice must be sent at least 30 days before the hearing, served under the Rules of Civil Procedure, with proof of service filed before the hearing can proceed.12Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.11 – Hearing – Notice This is usually certified mail to the last known address. The notice is the last chance for anyone with standing to object.
Both you and the child must appear at the hearing unless the court excuses you for good cause. The judge reviews the petition, the consents, the assessor’s reports, and the expense accounting.13Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.14 – Presence of Petitioner and Adoptee at Hearing
The Final Decree and the Six-Month Rule
If the court finds that all required consents are in place or properly excused and that the adoption serves the child’s best interest, it issues a final decree. There is a critical timing rule, though: the court generally cannot enter the final decree until at least six months after the child was placed in your home. The court may instead issue an interlocutory order that automatically becomes final on a date no less than six months and no more than one year from placement. If the requirements have not been met, the court dismisses the petition and may refer the case to juvenile court.
In stepparent adoptions, the child has usually been living with the stepparent long enough that the six-month placement period is already satisfied when the petition is filed. That is one reason stepparent cases typically move faster.
Once entered, the decree gives the adoptive parent all parental rights and responsibilities and terminates those of the biological parents other than a spouse of the petitioner. The child becomes a legal stranger to former relatives for all purposes, including inheritance.14Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3107.15 – Effects of Final Decree In a stepparent case, the existing legal parent (the stepparent’s spouse) keeps their rights; only the other biological parent’s rights are terminated.
After the Decree: New Birth Certificate and Records
The probate court sends the adoption paperwork to the Ohio Department of Health. Unless you request otherwise, the department issues a new birth certificate listing the adoptive parents and the child’s new legal name. Date and place of birth do not change. The new certificate looks like any other Ohio birth certificate, and the original is permanently sealed.15Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Code 3705.12 – New Birth Record After Adoption
Processing usually runs four to twelve weeks. If the child was born in another state, add time for coordination with that state’s vital records office. Once you have the amended certificate, take it with the adoption decree and your ID to a Social Security Administration office to update the child’s Social Security card. That service is free. You will need the updated Social Security information to add the child to health insurance, claim them as a dependent on your taxes, and open accounts in their name.
Adoptive parents may qualify for the federal adoption tax credit against qualified expenses such as court costs, attorney fees, and adoption-related travel. The maximum credit is $17,280 per eligible child for the 2025 tax year, rising to $17,670 for 2026.16Internal Revenue Service. Adoption Credit You claim it on IRS Form 8839.
If the Child Lives in Another State
When the child is in another state, the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children applies. Both the sending state and Ohio must review and approve the placement before you can bring the child home. Your attorney or agency submits the home study, the child’s health information, and proof of birth parent consent to both compact offices. Clearance typically takes 10 to 14 business days after submission, though delays are common, and you cannot leave the sending state with the child until both states clear the placement. Contacting the compact offices directly to check status is generally discouraged; let your attorney or agency handle it.