NH Law About ...: Adoption: Read New Hampshire Law About ...

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New Hampshire Statutes

RSA 170-B is the primary statute dealing with adoption.

New Hampshire Cases

Google Scholar. In re Baby Girl P., 147 N.H. 772 (2002)
"An important goal of the statute is to promote finality for the child by identifying, as early as possible in a child's life, the rights, interests and obligations of all the parties. ... The statute is clearly not meant to allow a person to ignore his paternal obligations and then frustrate the adoption after the natural mother has consented and the adoption petition has been filed."
Google Scholar. In re Y.L., 171 N.H. 99 (2018)
"We are asked in this case whether, under New Hampshire's adoption statute, the petitioner, J.P., an unmarried male, may become the adoptive father of Y.L., an adult female, without altering the legal parental status of Y.L.'s birth mother."
Google Scholar. Matter of Chrestensen, 172 N.H. 40 (2019)
"[W]hen the appellant surrendered his parental rights to the child pursuant to RSA chapter 170-B, he also relinquished his status as a "parent" of that child for purposes of RSA chapter 461-A. Consequently, he now lacks standing to maintain a petition for parenting time with that child under RSA chapter 461-A."
Google Scholar. In Re J.W., 172 N.H. 332 (2019)
"[The petitioners argue that the statute] authorizes the joint adoption of a minor child by an unmarried parent of the child and an unrelated, unmarried adult."
Google Scholar. In Re A.D., 214 A.3d 1213 (2019)
"When the parental rights of the biological parents have been terminated and DCYF has been made the child's legal guardian, DCYF's consent to the adoption is required. ... Here, it is undisputed that DCYF has not executed, and does not intend to execute, a surrender. Under those circumstances, "the statutory requirements for adoption are not met.""

New Hampshire Court Rules

New Hampshire Court Administrative Orders & Bulletins

Circuit Court. Probate Division. Administrative Order 9. Relative to Protocol For Background Check In Adoption Proceedings With No Home Study
Circuit Court. Probate Division. Administrative Order 10-A. Certificates - Adoptions & Name Changes, Bond Discharges and Other Documents
Circuit Court. Probate Division. Procedure Bulletin 24. Relative to Readoption under 170-B:27
"Current law specifies that "the court may validate and issue an adoption decree for an adoption finalized in another jurisdiction, provided that evidence satisfactory to the court is produced to demonstrate the validity of such adoption.""
Circuit Court. Probate Division. Procedure Bulletin 25. A Person Who Claims to be the Father and who has Filed Notice of Claim of Paternity with a Putative Father Registry in the U.S.
"The purpose of this Procedure Bulletin is to provide guidance for intrastate (child born in New Hampshire) and interstate (child born in the United States but outside of New Hampshire), putative father registry checks for the purpose of notifying alleged fathers of the pending adoption."

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Adoption

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New Hampshire Statutes

New Hampshire Cases

New Hampshire Court Rules

New Hampshire Court Administrative Orders & Bulletins