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Basic Adoption

Basic Adoption

Procedure

  • Petitioner(s) are REQUIRED to have five (5) letters of recommendation
    • Only two (2) of these letters are permitted to be from relatives on either side of the family
    • These letters are to be addressed to JUDGE MARK J. BARTOLOTTA, and MUST contain the address of the writer
    • The letter should be sealed in its own envelope, and marked “personal and confidential”
  • CERTIFIED birth certificate for each person being adopted
  • Consents to Adoption MUST be notarized and submitted at the same time as all other paperwork
  • Petition for Adoption for Minor (Form 18.0) with filing fee
  • Consent to Adoption (Form 18.3)
  • Financial Statement
  • Personal and Medical Information Form
  • Affidavit of Custody for Minors
  • Affidavit of Unknown Residence (If needed)
  • Certificate of Adoption

Note: The above requirements must be met or we cannot accept your petitionCourt Appointed assessor

Court Appointed Assessor

When you receive your hearing notice in the mail, you will also receive a form that has your assessor’s name and phone number

Contact the assessor (THIS RESPONSIBILITY IS YOURS)

BCI&I 

Each petitioner is required to have a criminal background check completed in order to adopt.

ESC of the Western Reserve, https://www.lakeesc.org/Fingerprinting.aspx 
8221 Auburn Road, Concord Twp., Ohio 44077 
**You must schedule an appointment # 440-350-2563, ext. 788. 

DO NOT complete the prints prior to filing for the adoption

If a last known address of the natural parent(s) is known, even if it is an old address, Probate Court must serve them at that address. IF no address is known, then an Affidavit of Unknown Residence must be filed with the Court

Reasonable diligence includes providing the Court with that parent’s last known address, even if that address is several years old.  

The Court must be satisfied that the petitioner exercised reasonable diligence in ascertaining the nonresidential parent(s) whereabouts and will inquire at the hearing regarding these efforts

Putative Father

If the child was born after January 1, 1997, and there is no father’s name on the birth certificate or paternity was never established, a search of the Ohio Putative Father Registry is required and Probate Court needs the response from the Registry of the search prior to the filing of the adoption petition

Putative Father Registry Form:   www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms

Online Putative Father Registry Search http://pfr-pub.jfs.ohio.gov/WedForms/Search.aspx

Publication

This notice is published in the classifieds once a week for three consecutive weeks

Probate Court will prepare the publication notice but the attorney or the petitioner(s) are responsible to have it published

Information regarding your assessment:

  • Ohio law requires you to be placed under oath before the assessment begins
  • Each person in the household must be interviewed privately
  • The child/children will be asked if they want to be adopted (If you have questions about this, please discuss it with the assessor prior to your appointment)
  • Items required for assessment:
  • a photo I.D. for the petitioner(s) and spouse, if any;
  • a certified copy of petitioner’s marriage license, if applicable;
  • certified copies of any and all divorce papers;
  • certified copied of support orders for children from previous marriage

Basic Adoption Fees

Initial Deposit ( Cash / Check / Money Order Only) 

  • $291.00 filing fee per case
  • $20 Extra (If more then one child being adopted and they have the same biological parents)
  • $12.40 Certified Mail (If needed)
  • $35.00 Each Petitioner for BCI 
  • $600.00 (Approximately) for Publication, if needed

Adult Adoption

The documents listed below must be prepared by the applicant or his/her attorney, and brought into the court for filing, along with the filing fee.  Once the documents have been approved for filing by the court, a hearing will be set, approximately 4 weeks from the date of filing. Per ORC 3107.14, the Adoptee and the Petitioner must be present at hearing.

Procedure

  • Petition for Adoption of Adult (Form 19.0)
  • Contact Information Form (LCPC Form 28.0)
  • Certified copy of adult adoptee’s birth certificate
  • Consent to Adoption (Form 18.3)
    • The adult adoptee must sign this Consent form, consenting to the adoption and it must be notarized by Notary Public or Deputy Clerk at the Probate Court
    • This must be dated within 6 months of the initial filing
  • Ohio Dept. of Health Vital Statistics Certificate of Adoption Form (HEA 2757)
    • This for should be used when the adult adoptee was born in Ohio
    • If the adult adoptee was born in a different state, it is the Petitioner’s responsibility to contact the state in which the adult adoptee was born, and determine whether Vital Statistics in that state will accept this form.  If not, it is the Petitioner’s responsibility to obtain the necessary forms and complete them.  The correct forms must be filed with this initial filing. If this Ohio form is submitted with the initial filing, our Court will assume that the Petitioner has determined it to be acceptable, and we will proceed accordingly.

All forms can be mailed to:

Lake County Probate Court
P.O. Box 490 Painesville, Oh 44077

Adult Adoption Fees

Initial Deposit ( Cash / Check / Money Order Only) $151.00

Refinalizing Adoption

Procedure

  • Petitioner(s) are REQUIRED to have five (5) letters of recommendation
    • Only two (2) of these letters are permitted to be from relatives on either side of the family
    • These letters are to be addressed to JUDGE MARK J. BARTOLOTTA, and MUST contain the address of the writer
    • The letter should be sealed in its own envelope, and marked “personal and confidential”
    • Also, at the time of filing we require all originals AND their translation from the foreign country. These will remain with the Court until finalization hearing.
  • CERTIFIED birth certificate for each person being adopted
  • Refinalization Petition for Adoption of Minor (Form 18.0) with filing fee
  • Consent to Adoption (Form 18.3)
  • Financial Statement
  • Personal and Medical Information Form
  • Affidavit of Custody for Minors
  • Certificate of Adoption

Please Note: The above requirements must be met or we cannot accept your petitionCourt Appointed assessor

When you receive your hearing notice in the mail, you will also receive a form that has your assessor’s name and phone number

Court Appointed Assessor

Contact the assessor (THIS RESPONSIBILITY IS YOURS)

Information Regarding your Assessment:

  • Ohio law requires you to be placed under oath before the assessment begins
  • each person in the household must be interviewed privately
  • the child/children will be asked if they want to be adopted (if you have questions about this, please discuss it with the assessor prior to your appointment)

These Things are Required for your Assessment:

  • a photo ID for the Petitioner(s) and spouse, if any
  • a certified copy of Petitioner’s marriage license, if applicable
  • certified copies of any and all divorce papers
  • certified copies of support orders for children from previous marriage(s)

BCI&I 

Each petitioner is required to have a criminal background check completed in order to adopt

Lake County ESC of the Western Reserve
8221 Auburn Road Concord Twp., Ohio 44077 
**You must schedule an appointment # 440-350-2563, ext. 788. 

DO NOT complete the prints prior to filing for the adoption

If a last known address of the natural parent(s) is known, even if it is an old address, Probate Court must serve them at that address. IF no address is known, then an Affidavit of Unknown Residence must be filed with the Court

Reasonable diligence includes providing the Court with that parent’s last known address, even if that address is several years old.  

The Court must be satisfied that the petitioner exercised reasonable diligence in ascertaining the nonresidential parent(s) whereabouts and will inquire at the hearing regarding these efforts

Putative Father

If the child was born after January 1, 1997, and there is no father’s name on the birth certificate or paternity was never established, a search of the Ohio Putative Father Registry is required and Probate Court needs the response from the Registry of the search prior to the filing of the adoption petition

Putative Father Registry Form:   www.odjfs.state.oh.us/forms

Online Putative Father Registry Search http://pfr-pub.jfs.ohio.gov/WedForms/Search.aspx

Publication

This notice is published in the classifieds once a week for three consecutive weeks

Probate Court will prepare the publication notice but the attorney or the petitioner(s) are responsible to have it published

All forms can be mailed to:

Lake County Probate Court
P.O. Box 490 Painesville, Oh 44077

Refinalizing Adoption Fees

Initial Deposit ( Cash / Check / Money Order Only) 

  • $291.00 filing fee per case
  • $20 Extra (If more then one child being adopted and they have the same biological parents
  • )$12.40 Certified Mail (If needed)
  • $35.00 Each Petitioner for BCI
  • $600.00 (Approximately) for Publication, if needed