RC 3107.02 states that a petition for the adoption of an adult may only be filed if:

• Adoptee is totally and permanently disabled
• Adoptee is determined to be a developmentally disabled person
• Adoptee established a child-foster caregiver, kinship caregiver, or child-stepparent relationship with the petitioner as a minor, and the adult consents to the adoption
• Adoptee at the time of their eighteenth birthday was in the permanent custody of or in a planned permanent living arrangement with a public children services agency or a private child placing agency, and the adult consents to the adoption
• Adoptee is the child of the spouse of the petitioner, and the adoptee consents to the adoption.

Items necessary to file a Petition for the Adoption of an Adult:

Applicant is a Jackson County resident, or the person being adopted is a Jackson County resident or was born in Jackson County

An attorney is not required for an Adoption of an Adult

Certified copy of the original “book copy” birth certificate, not simply a certified copy of the abstract of birth (the “book copy” birth certificate contains additional information that is required for these proceedings)

Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID of the applicant

There is a base court cost & adoption forms are required.

Please visit our office for forms and more information.

Items necessary to file an Agency Adoption:

• An attorney is required for this filing
• Petitioner(s) must be a Jackson County resident(s)
• Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID of the Petitioner(s)
• A certified copy of the “book copy” birth certificate for the children, not simply abstracts of the birth record (the “book copy” birth certificate contains more information regarding the city and county of birth, the attendant’s name, the registrar’s name, and the date originally filed with the registrar)
• Petitioner(s) and the children will be required to attend a court hearing
• A Jackson County Probate Court Adoption Assessor will be assigned to perform a home study as determined by the Court
• There will be a base court cost.

Please visit our office for forms and more information.

Items necessary to file an Agency Adoption:

• An attorney is required for this filing
• Petitioner(s) must be a Jackson County resident(s)
• Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID of the Petitioner(s)
• A certified copy of the “book copy” birth certificate for the children, not simply abstracts of the birth record (the “book copy” birth certificate contains more information regarding the city and county of birth, the attendant’s name, the registrar’s name, and the date originally filed with the registrar)
• Petitioner(s) and the children will be required to attend a court hearing
• A Jackson County Probate Court Adoption Assessor will be assigned to perform a home study as determined by the Court
• There will be a base court cost.

Please visit our office for forms and more information.

RC 3107.18 permits the probate court to conduct adoption refinalization proceedings.

The parents of minor children whose adoptions have been finalized in the original country of residence of the children may petition the Probate Court for a refinalization of the foreign adoption. The Court considers the petition and utilizes the Court’s adoption assessor to make a home visit, interview the petitioners and if appropriate the children, and render a report to the Court. Upon refinalization the adoptive parents receive an Ohio Adoption Decree and an Ohio Birth Certificate.

Items necessary to file an Agency Adoption:

• Petitioner(s) must have previously adopted a child(ren) in a foreign county and are seeking a domestic adoption order for the purpose of obtaining a birth certificate(s) issued by the State of Ohio
• Petitioner(s) must be a Jackson County resident(s); An attorney is not required for a Petition to Recognize Foreign Adoption, but is suggested
• Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID of each Petitioner
• Petitioner(s) and each child are required to attend a court hearing
• A copy of the foreign birth certificate(s) with a certified English translation of the same
• A copy of the foreign adoption proceedings with a certified English translation of the same
• Petitioner(s) must submit proof that the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has approved the foreign certificate or adoption decree
• A Jackson County Probate Court Adoption Assessor will be assigned to the case to perform a home study as determined by the Court
• There is a base court cost

Please visit our office for forms and more information.

Items necessary to file a Step-Parent Adoption:

• An attorney is required for this filing
• Petitioner must be a Jackson County resident
• Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID for the Petitioner
• A certified copy of the “book copy” birth certificate for the children, not simply a certified copy of the birth abstract (the “book copy” birth certificate contains more detailed information regarding the city and county of birth, the attendants’ name, the registrar’s name, and the date originally filed with the registrar that is needed for these proceedings) Petitioner and the children will be required to attend a court hearing
• A Jackson County Probate Court Adoption Assessor will be assigned to perform a home study as determined by the Court
• There is a base court cost

Please visit our office for forms and more information.