NEVADA

 Any adult person or any married couple jointly may adopt if they have residedin the State for 6 months prior to the adoption.

Who Can Be Adopted?

 A child may be adopted by an adult who is at least 10 years older than thechild, and any adult may be adopted by an adult who is older than the adoptee,unless the older adult is the younger adult's spouse. A married adult may notbe adopted without spouse's consent.

Consent to Adoption

 Written consent is required from the following parties:

 (1) both natural parents;

 (2) the guardian appointed by the court;

 (3) the adoptee who is over 14 years of age; and

 (4) any licensed child-placing agency to which the parent has given custody ofthe adoptee.

 Consent is not required of the following parties:

 (1) a parent who has been judged to be insane for 2 years and the court issatisfied that the insanity is incurable; or

 (2) a parent whose parental rights have been terminated.

 Consent to adoption cannot occur until 72 hours after the child is born. Aconsent may be given by the father before the child is born if he is notmarried to the mother. Consent cannot be revoked. Father's consent becomesinvalid if the father marries the mother before the child is born; the motherdoes not consent to adoption within 6 months after the birth of the child; orno petition has been filed within 2 years after the birth of the child.

Confidentiality

 All adoption hearings must be held in closed court and are confidential. Therecords of an adoption are not open to inspection, except upon a court order.

 The Welfare Division of the Department of Human Resources shall maintain theState register for adoption for the purpose of providing information to adultswho were adopted and their natural parents. Both the adult adoptee, who is 18years of age or older, and the natural parent must consent to the release ofidentifying information in order for the information to be released.

Permissible Fees

 The adoptive parents shall submit to the court an affidavit including allfees, donations, and expenses paid by them in connection with the adoption. Itis illegal for any person to pay or offer money or anything of value to thenatural parent in return for placement of the child. It is illegal for anatural parent to receive money for medical expenses and other necessaryexpenses from an adoptive parent with the intent of not consenting to theadoption of the child.

 A person who does not have a license to operate a child-placing agency may notrequest or accept any compensation for placing, arranging placement, orassisting in arranging placement of any child for adoption.

Place of Adoption Hearing

 There is no provision within the law regarding where the hearing must takeplace.

Authority To Place Child

 The Welfare Division of the Department of Human Resources or a nonprofit child-placingagency licensed by the Welfare Division of the Department can place a child.

Relative Adoption

 The required home investigation of an adoptive parent who is a stepparent orrelative may be waived by the court, in its discretion.

Advertisements

 The Division of Child and Family Services of the Department of Human Resourcesor a licensed child-placing agency may publish in any Nevada newspaper ortelevision broadcast a photograph and personal information concerning a hard toplace child.

 A child placing agency shall not publish any identifying or personalinformation or a photo without prior approval of the agency having custody ofthe child. Any other person other than the Division without holding a validunrevoked license to place children for adoption may not advertise that he willplace children for adoption.

 Any individual, other than the Department or licensed agency, that advertisesin any medium that he will place a child for adoption is guilty of amisdemeanor.

State Law: FullText

Not available in electronic form at this time for this state, sorry.

Attorney Referral Service

State Bar of Nevada
201 Las Vegas Boulevard, Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 382-2200

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